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Legislative and Regulatory Update
November 2006 by Scott Harn
• Bill to address RS 2477
Representative Steven Pearce (R-New Mexico) has introduced a bill in an attempt to clear up the issue of who controls RS 2477 rights-of-way across public lands.
Revised Statute 2477 was passed by Congress in 1866, and it simply states, “The right-of-way for the construction of highways across public lands not reserved for public purposes is hereby granted.”
For a more detailed explanation of RS 2477 rights-of-way, see “RS 2477 Fact vs. Fiction” on page 14.
Pearce’s bill, HR 6298, has two parts. The first part of the bill would declare valid all RS 2477 routes that appear on government maps between 1866 and 1976 that did not have a prior reservation, such as a prior national forest or national park designation.
The second part of the bill would create a new procedure for state and local governments to validate unmapped rights-of-way.
It is doubtful the current Congress will address the bill before their session ends this year. If the Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives we may never see action on HR 6298.
• Roadless Rule update
The Clinton-era Roadless Rule is back in the headlines again.
In late September 2006, US District Judge Elizabeth Laporte (9th Circuit—San Francisco) reinstated the Roadless Rule, which former president Clinton signed during his last days in office. The rule placed over 58 million acres of national forest off-limits to development, including mining.
A total of six federal judges have weighed in on the Roadless Rule, three for it and three against it. US District Judge Clarence Brimmer (10th Circuit—Wyoming) declared the Roadless Rule invalid back in 2003. Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank has already filed a motion to reinstate Judge Brimmer’s invalidation of the Clinton Roadless Rule.
US Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey said the Bush administration was considering whether to file its own appeal, but noted the government disagreed with a number of the findings, particularly the need to do an environmental impact statement.
Zeballos Gold Camp, British Columbia
The mining and logging camp of Zeballos (pop. 272) is located on an arm of Esperanza Inlet, on the southwest side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Vancouver Island is 301 miles, by road, and reaches elevations as high as 7,249 feet.
New Silver and Zinc Mine Slated for Montana
Arizona-based International Silver Inc. is proposing an underground silver and zinc mine in Montana and has asked Butte-Silver Bow County to lease them the surface and mineral rights to hundreds of acres.
Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: A Claim to Die For
I noticed an area which I could crawl through to keep going in a straight line. I got about three feet into the pile and Bob yelled for me to stop…
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- Oregon miners petition US Supreme Court in Bohmker v. Oregon
- Wheeler receives hearing as EPA administrator
Diamonds in the Rough in Montana
The bright green rocks jutting through the prairie soil were hard to miss, but Tom Charlton still couldn’t believe his eyes. It was kimberlite, the molten rock in which diamonds are found, and preliminary tests had yielded a microscopic diamond.
Melman on Gold & Silver
...while the conference and some economic data were working to restore optimism, the world continued to receive a flood of negative economic news, some of it with ominous implications...
Glen's Big Find
One of the largest gold nuggets ever found with a VLF metal detector: I got a huge signal, and I was thinking it was just another piece of junk—perhaps an old can or piece of a shovel.
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The Bawl Mill
• International Wayside Resurrects Gold Rush in British Columbia
• Prospecting in Northern Sierra County, California
• Government Says New Mine Will Benefit Bears
• RS 2477 Fact vs. Fiction
• The Nome Goldfields
• Basic Sniping: Prospecting With a Pan & Simple Hand Tools
• Over the Divide
• Trio Accused of Stealing $1.7 Million in Gold
• Ivanhoe Partners With Rio Tinto
• The Business of Mining: Swap, Trade, or Exchange
• Wyoming Expects Profits from Uranium
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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