Legislation & Regulation
Legislative and Regulatory Update
April 2017 by Scott Harn
• Bills introduced to stop federal management of greater sage grouse• WOTUS under review
• Congressional Review Act
Selenium, Mercury and Suction Dredging—Studies Contradict CA State Water Resources Board
Federal and state regulatory agencies often cite mercury and methyl mercury in our waterways as a major factor for further restrictions on placer mining, and on suction gold dredge mining, in particular. However, these regulatory agencies are minimizing selenium and its neutralizing effects.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
Suction dredging court cases in California linger on
SB 838 and the Salem Witch Hunt
In every sense, this was a witch hunt with a preconceived agenda to heavily restrict or outright prohibit most small-scale mining in Oregon.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Additional access restrictions proposed in Arizona
• Oregon senators introduce bill to place state rivers and streams off-limits
Reminder: Annual Claim Filings and Fees Due
Mining claimants who wish to retain their mining claims on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands through the 2022 assessment year must pay a maintenance fee or file a maintenance fee waiver certificate on or before September 1, 2021, to prevent forfeiture.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- House appropriations bills introduced
- Two Minnesota hardrock mining leases reinstated
- Equal Access to Justice Act
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.
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• Ask The Experts: Is an XRF gun useful for prospecting and mineral identification?
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• Weathering, Erosion and Placers
• The PIGMI—a DIY Crevice Tool
• Diary of a Diamond Prospector
• The Ups and Downs of Nugget Hunting
• Epithermal Gold and Silver Deposits
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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