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Legislative and Regulatory Update
April 2020 by Scott Harn
• Washington State copies California’s wayward regulations
On March 9, the Washington State legislature sent a bill to Gov. Inslee’s desk that will prohibit all forms of motorized mining in streams where Endangered Species Act listed fish are present. The governor is expected to sign the measure.
House Bill 1261 passed 60-35, while companion bill SB 5322 passed in the Senate 37-10, with votes passed along party lines; Democrats were in favor, while Republicans were against it.
The bill would make all motorized prospecting and mining illegal in ESA-designated waterways. Uneducated legislators swayed by extreme environmental groups continue to ignore the benefits provided by suction gold dredgers.
The evidence is clear that dredge miners remove heavy metals like mercury and lead and create desired thermal refugia as they clean our waterways. Dredging “seasons” were already in place so that dredging operations did not interfere with spawning seasons.
Bills like these passed in Washington State are the reason why we continue to focus our efforts on changes at the federal level. Utilizing federal preemption on federal mining claims, we believe these types of frivolous regulations can be overcome, and we continue to advocate for changes at the federal level during our trips to Washington, DC with Public Lands for the People. (You can read more about our efforts in the “PLP Update” column.)
Locating a New Nugget Patch
Finding a new spot that is rich in gold, but has not already been exploited by other metal detector operators, is a goal of many prospectors. Sometimes it takes a lot of looking and research to find such a place because a lot of prospectors are out there...
Ask The Experts
What is claim relocation?
A Guide to Overlooked Gold Deposits—Part II
The following are situations that the modern prospector would do well to research. Some specific areas are described, but more importantly they present background into what the author feels are worthwhile and generally overlooked situations...
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Bill to address RS 2477
• Roadless Rule update
Dredging for Monazite in Idaho
The advent of the nuclear age, after World War II, aroused concerns in government circles when officials realized the United States was entirely dependent upon foreign sources of supply for rare earth elements. This prompted the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to enlist the US Bureau of Mines Special Minerals Investigation Branch to evaluate monazite-bearing placers in the United States in 1948.
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.
Gold Miners Become Tungsten Miners
The story begins in the early 1940s in Vance County, North Carolina, on a farm that belonged to the Hamme family. During spring plowing in 1942, one of the brothers accidentally plowed up an odd looking rock and took it home to show his younger brother who was studying geology at Duke University.
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The Bawl Mill
• Sampling for Success—Part II
• Ask The Experts - Investing: How do you know which companies have potential?
• Miners Fight Back When BLM Says 'Your Claim Is Too Long'
• It's Another 'Ben Day'
• How to Research Prospecting Locations and Mining Claims
• Some Tips and Tricks for Dredgers: Determining Pulley Size and Belt Length
• Where Will The Gold Price Go From Here?
• Holcomb Valley Gold, Southern California
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The Good Luck and Bad Luck of Prospecting With Animals
• Lode Miner Continues to Find Pocket Gold
• Judge Backs Minnesota's Twin Metals Mine in Lease Dispute
• Over the Divide: Rick Lague
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
