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.
 

by Staff

Miners Rally Successful

November 2005
Planning for the Northwest Miners Rally 2005, held August 19-20, began with a rocky start in March, with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announcing that it would like to move the rally out of Oroville, Washington, and out...

Germany Developing Gold Vending Machine

July 2009
It’s a novel twist on the vending machine: in go the coins, out comes a nugget of gold.

Melman on Gold & Silver

June 2007
Unfortunately, death seemed to occupy a major role in recent major headlines—and it came in several different directions.

Persistence Leads to Over a Pound of Gold

April 2019

I have figured out over the years that the winning combination is hard work, persistence, knowledge, and a little luck. This leads me to describe one of my best finds ever, a “honey hole” of placer gold, if you will.

Give That Club Claim A Chance

August 2015

My first trip to the claim was the tip-off that there might be larger gold to be found. I brought my puffer drywasher and my dad to a local prospecting club outing that was held at the claim.

N.Y. Congressman Introduces Utah Wilderness Bill

June 1999
For the fifth time in the last decade, New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey has introduced legislation to set aside wilderness in Utah.

House Resources Committee Addresses Environmental Scare-Tactics —by House Resources Committee & Chairman Richard Pombo

August 2003
As self-serving, so-called environmental organizations ramp up their scare-tactics to raise money, Americans will be pleased to learn that the sky is not falling, nor are their rivers on fire. These are facts to keep in mind when reading the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) partisan “scorecard.” The House Resources Committee report shines sunlight on the shady LCV political rhetoric by outlining facts and accomplishments on current environmental endeavors.

Subscription Required:
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   • Gold in New Zealand   • Ready “Ore” Not, Uranium Boom is On Again   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices   • Looking Back

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