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Legislative and Regulatory Update
July 2007 by Staff
• Assembly Bill 1032
This is the California anti-dredging bill we reported on last month.
The bill summary states, “…waters designated as wild and heritage trout waters shall be closed to suction gold dredging, except as authorized by permit approved by the Fish and Game Commission, and expands the Department of Fish and Game’s authority to close other waters to suction dredging when necessary to protect wild trout or other sensitive native aquatic or amphibian species.”
The bill was passed in the California Assembly and has moved to the Senate. Businesses, clubs, individuals and counties have been requested to submit letters to their state legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger. The matter was scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on June 26, 2007.
If the bill is signed into law, a lawsuit will be necessary to restore the rights of miners.
We will report on further developments next issue.
• Cache County v. USFS
Cache County, Utah, is fighting it out with the US Forest Service. At issue is ownership of existing historic roads.
The county council passed resolutions stating it owns 197 miles of roads in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and it intends to claim an additional 150 miles in the near future.
Council member Cory Yeates said the council has heard complaints from citizens because forest roads are often blocked and poorly maintained.
The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a southern Utah case two years ago that state laws dictate the meaning of existing roads. In Utah, the law says that “existing” roads are those that had 10 years of continuous use before 1976.
Yeates said Cache County has documented 10 years of use to back up its claims to the roads.
“We have histories going back to the 1870s. Most of these were built with county funds,” said Yeates.
The county doesn’t intend to take the Forest Service to court to prove its claims, but will if it finds its rights infringed, he said.
• CMA appeals cyanide ban
The Colorado Mining Association (CMA) has asked the Colorado Supreme Court to review a lower court decision regarding a ban on the use of cyanide to process ore.
A three judge panel of the Court of Appeals sided with Summit County’s prohibition against the use of cyanide, though one judge dissented.
CMA asserted that the prohibition violates state law, which provides uniform standards for the environmental regulation of mining operations. The state of Colorado also filed a brief citing the need for statewide regulation of mining and outlining the effectiveness of state performance and reclamation standards.
A Sleeping Giant
For those who have the courage and resources to challenge the environmental opposition, I’d like to bring to their attention a potential new mining district in Montana that was suggested by an exploration project of The Bunker Hill Company about 30 years ago. I have no financial interest in the property or its future but feel the story should be told so that future generations might benefit from the mineral potential.
Oregon Miners Still Fighting
On October 19, 2015, the Waldo and Galice Mining Districts (of SW Oregon), along with several Oregon mining organizations and individuals, filed a Complaint in the United States District Court in Medford…
Prospecting Knowledge -- Pass It On!
I had two of the guys go down into the creek and each one picked out a small island of bedrock. I had them detect their piece of bedrock and then gave a critique to all on how they did.
The Bawl Mill
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Detecting at Old Hydraulic Mines
I finally got out recently for my first full, long weekend prospecting trip of the year. Normally I would have been out much sooner, but we had a real late spring in the Sierra Nevada this year with lots of late rain and snow continuing through all...
Ask The Experts—Compensation for closed mining claim?
Q: I have a gold claim that the BLM just closed. Should I get compensation for the value of the claim?
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask the Experts
• More Tips for Evaluating Ores
• The Mountain Gate Mine
• The Basics of Small-Scale Heap Leaching with Cyanide Part I—History, Suitablility and Permitting
• Oregon Suction Dredge Permit Update
• In Pursuit of Gold and Silver in the Sierra Madres—Buying the Pilot Mill
• Life in the Alaska Gold Rush
• More Small-Scale Miners Attracted by Gold Prices
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• Looking Back
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