All Articles
Legislative and Regulatory Update
February 2000 by Scott Harn
The 30-day extension to the public comment period ends Feb. 3, 2000. Comments may be sent to: Planning Regulations, PO Box 7669, Missoula, MT, 59807. Fax (406) 329-302l. Email: planreg/wojcaetfsfs.fed.us or visit their internet website at http://www.fs.fed.uS/forumlnepa/rule.
(2013 Note: This contact information is thirteen years old and may no longer be valid.)
In comments filed recently regarding this issue, NMA reminded the agency that while it draws its general rule-making authority from several existing laws and regulations, this does not mean that "authority is unconstrained." NMA stated that the scoping process is "flawed" and urged that it be redone.
• Endangered Species Decision Delayed.
Riverton, WY(AP)—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has postponed a decision on whether to grant
Endangered Species Act protection to a flower found only on a few acres in Fremont County.
The agency had set a deadline for a decision on the desert yellowhead, but then said more time would be needed.
The Bureau of Land Management first needs to release a plan for managing the plant's habitat on Beaver Rim, said Mike Long, Fish and Wildlife Service field supervisor. "We want to see what protective measures they have in place," he said.
If the plan sufficiently removes or reduces threats to the plant, Endangered Species Act protection will not be necessary, he said. The Fish and Wildlife Service should have a better idea next month of when it can issue a final decision, he said.
A perennial herb in the sunflower family, the desert yellowhead was discovered in 1990. About 11,000 plants were counted in 1998 on its known range of about 10 acres.
The BLM banned hard mineral surface mining on 3,759 acres around the plant's habitat last summer to create a study area and a buffer zone.
As part of the same action, the land cannot be part of a land exchange or sale, and ranchers have been asked not to develop water holes or place salt licks near the plant population.
• 43 CFR Part 3800—Mining Claims Under the General Mining Laws: Surface Management-Supplemental proposed rule: reopening of comment period on environmental impact statement.
The Bureau of Land Management reopened the comment period on the surface management proposed rule and the associated draft environmental impact statement. The comment period will be closing on February 23, 2000. Web address: www.blm.gov/nhp/news/regulatory/index.htm
The Bawl Mill
• Sick and tired of being sick and tired—I need a vacation!
• Straight from the horse's mouth
• The federal budget is about to SNAP
• Taxation without (insurance) representation
Melman on Gold & Silver
I find it difficult to recall a period when the world has encountered so many simultaneous threats which “should” have driven gold and silver higher, and yet the precious metals markets—so far—have failed to rally to any significant extent.
Ask The Experts
Hydraulic remnants or just lose material?
Sierra County Gold—Part II
...we will continue our examination of the rich streams and mining districts, and then take a look at some of the big nuggets that have been found here.
Melman on Gold & Silver
Once again international terrorism became the focus of much of the world as the British Isles were swept by two major stories. First, two vehicles were found with high explosives in London and it was only the smoldering fuses that gave away the contents of the vehicles before they exploded.
Original Issue Now Available as a Free Download
An original copy of our very first issue was recently found at the North Star Mining Museum in California by Carol Marshall, and the museum was nice enough to return it to us! (Read the full story.)
The issue is now available as a free pdf download. The file is approximately 7Mb.
(A black & white reprint is also available for $6.00 plus postage.)
Click here to download a copy.
Ask The Experts—Columbium/Niobium
Q: I have samples that have assayed 45-75% columbium/niobium. What is it used for? Do you know anyone who is actively processing this ore? Where should I go from here?
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Clinton Declares Three More National Monuments
• McCain Derides Clinton Forest Policy
• Foreigners Lure Mining Partners
• Pacific Island Gov'ts Focus on Undersea Mining
• Options Narrowed for Managing Chugach National Forest
• Company Notes
• Diamond Fever
• Gold in Jasperoid
• Underground Geologic Mapping
• New Quarry Regulations in West Virginia
• Ash Fork Calm After Explosives Theft
• Picks & Pans: Mining in Ghana
• Little Rocky Mountains, Montana
• Collector Reaches New Lows to Find Bottles
• Chinese Camp, California and the Tong War of 1856
• Millie's Tailings
• Visionaries, Scoundrels, and Gamblers
• Executive Defends Special Mill Site Exemption
• Chasing the Ghosts of Forty-Niners
• Washoe County Balks at Black Rock Desert Plan
• State's Only Gold Mine Processes Last Precious Ore
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Looking Back
Free:
