Legislation & Regulation
Legislative and Regulatory Update
December 2013 by Scott Harn
BLM has again increased fees associated with mining claims. On September 1, 2013, BLM raised mining claim fees for new claims to $194 (up from $189) for the first 20 acres of a placer claim, mill site and/or tunnel site. Placer claims are still an additional $140 for each additional 20 acres.
The processing fee has also increased from $15 to $20.
• Critical minerals bill
A bill addressing critical minerals has been introduced in the US Senate. This would be a companion bill to HR 761, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act, which passed in the House on September 18, 2013.
China has “cornered the market” on many of the critical minerals and metals, and currently produces over 95% of the rare earth elements.
Like the House version, the Senate bill would seek to streamline permitting and remove some of the roadblocks to getting a mine up and running when the commodity being mined is deemed to be critical or strategic.
• Sage-grouse habitat
Draft Resource Management Plans have been released for managing sage-grouse habitat in the western states.
The BLM will be seeking restrictions on millions of acres of public land across many western states in an attempt to preserve sage-grouse habitat. Public comments on the plans are due by January 29, 2014.
Plans have been split into regions, and you can view all of them from a central location online at www.blm.gov/sagegrouse/
Scroll down the page to the bottom and look for “November” to find links to the regional Resource Management Plans. Public meetings are scheduled for late November, December and January. There are too many public meetings to list them all here—please visit the website listed above to find the meetings in your area.
MMAC & PLP Update
On July 4, we are reminded of the sacrifices our Founding Fathers made to establish this great country of ours, and in that spirit, the Minerals and Mining Advisory Council (MMAC) has created a draft Declaration of Miners.And MMAC has been hard at work writing a bill, with the unwavering support of several members of Congress, to reaffirm the rights of miners operating in traditional mining districts.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Idaho miners will challenge new EPA permit at rally
• California proposes to amend definition of a suction dredge
• Proposed rule redefines "navigable waters"
Significant Progress for California Suction Gold Dredgers
It was a milestone day in the battle to maintain the rights of miners to dredge on federal mining claims in California.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
Ask the Experts
• Reopening closed areas
BLM Raises Location and Claim Fees
The Bureau of Land Management announced an increase in location filing fees and annual maintenance fees for unpatented mining claims, mill sites and tunnel sites.
EPA Reopens Comments on Pebble Project
The settlement did not grant an immediate approval for the project, but it did begin to clear the way for the company to apply for federal permits—a path the Obama administration previously had thwarted.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Ask the Experts
• Sierra County Gold—Part I
• ICMJ's Annual Index
• Ophir—Possibly the Best Kept Secret in Alaska—Part II
• Hunting for Hardrock: The Basics
• Gold in the San Francisco District Oatman, Mohave County, Arizona
• Heavy Glacial Rocks and Gold in the Midwest
• Strategic Metals—Part II
• The Amazing Mineral Tourmaline
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
It's the Bottom of the Ninth—And Not Just for California
• Our 29-Troy-Ounce Golden Blessing
