Legislation & Regulation
Legislative and Regulatory Update
March 2019 by Scott Harn
• Massive 660-page lands bill passed in the Senate
Senate Bill 47 (S47), the Natural Resources Management Act, introduced by Senator Murkowski (R-Alaska), was chock full of land conveyances, mineral withdrawals, park boundary adjustments, and gifts to various Senators to get their support. Our biggest concern is that it included permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is the primary vehicle used by the federal government to place more public lands off-limits to mining.
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced an amendment in an attempt to limit authorization of the LWCF to a period of four years.
In support of the LWCF limits, Senator Lee stated, “...the program has regrettably drifted far from its original intent and has become rife with abuse.
“Indeed, the Land and Water Conservation Fund—or LWCF, as it is often described—has instead been used as a primary tool for more Federal land acquisition rather than to actually help people access or to help the government care for the land we already manage.”
Senator Lee also noted the federal government currently administers 640 million acres and there is an $18.5 billion maintenance backlog on federal lands.
Senator Lee’s amendment was defeated by a vote of 68 to 30.
S47 received a full, recorded vote on February 12, and it passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 92-8. The eight Senators who voted against the bill were Cruz (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Johnson (R-WI), Lankford (R-OK), Lee (R-UT), Paul (R-KY), Sasse (R-NE), and Toomey (R-PA).
The bill now awaits consideration in the House.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- EPA declines to impose additional regulations and financial requirements on hardrock miners
- “Baffling” ruling in suction gold dredging court case
Obama Administration Moves to Block Mining Near Yellowstone
Republicans and industry representatives have criticized the administration’s eleventh-hour actions to limit development and promised to seek their reversal once Obama leaves office.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- Bill to limit Antiquities Act
- PLF seeks relief from Endangered Species Act abuses
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Partial win for miners
• California suction dredging
• Feds continue to push for more public lands
• Idaho suction dredging
Colorado Disputes Key Part of EPA Mine Report
King’s letter is a blow to the EPA’s contention that outside technical experts supported its plan to push a drainage pipe through debris covering the entrance to the Gold King Mine…
MMAC & PLP Update
I’ve received quite a few inquiries from miners who are beginning to realize that traditional Mining Districts are powerful entities and they are looking to get their district organized if it’s in disarray.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• The good, the bad, and the ugly
• California and Oregon dredge permits
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Any references on gold formation?
• Ask The Experts - Finalizing an agreement with a mining company
• The Basics of Exploration Leases and Contracts—Part II
• Pumping Water With Solar Power
• My Introduction To Gold Prospecting
• Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—Safety Is No Accident
• Mining Claims: Breaking All The Commandments
• The Importance Of Mining Critical Minerals In The USA
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Gold Is Where You Find It
• Detecting for Gold: A Return to Familiar Ground
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
PLP Update
