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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.
Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Mother Lode Gold, California
Included here is a portion of an article entitled “The Mother Lode of California” written in 1898 by Ross E. Browne. He was a son of J. Ross Browne, adventurer and writer, who won fame for his reports to the US Congress on the mineral resources of the...
Understanding Geologic Deposit Models
Geologists have long noted the similarities of certain types of mineral deposits all across the globe. Similar minerals, similar country rocks, and similar grades of mineralization may occur in several different parts of the world.
Eight Reasons To Release Oil From The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
President George W. Bush lifted the executive moratorium on oil drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which was first established by his father, President George H.W. Bush, in 1990. The current president has argued that the United States should be “drilling for more oil here in America to take the pressure off of gasoline prices.”
San Diego County Tourmaline
San Diego County, California, has long been considered the finest source of pink tourmaline in the world. The Pala, Mesa Grande, Rincon, and Ramona districts in the northern portion of the county have produced tourmaline, kunzite, and other gems in great quantities, much of it jewelry and museum-quality specimens.
And the Survey Says...
A recent online survey on our homepage confirmed what we expected...
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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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