Legislation & Regulation
Legislative and Regulatory Update
January 2022 by Scott Harn
• WOTUS definition is changing again
It seems that the definition of “Waters of the United States” changes every four years or so, and we now have another proposal from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA to revise the definition yet again to increase restrictions on land owners under the guise of “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.”
You can view the latest proposed changes online at https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0602-0001. Public comments are due by February 7, 2022.
• BLM HQ on the move again
Tracy Stone-Manning, the former member of eco-terrorist group Earth First and now confirmed director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), announced she is moving forward with plans to return BLM headquarters from Grand Junction, Colorado to Washington, DC.
Former BLM acting director William Perry Pendley had moved much of the hierarchy out of DC, relocating staff and supervisors at field offices throughout the Western States and at the new HQ in Colorado, putting them closer to the public lands they oversee and the public they serve. The move out west was also a huge cost savings for taxpayers due to the much lower cost of living as compared to DC.
MSHA Moves Ahead on Silica RFI But Leaves All Options Open
For now, MSHA is just collecting information. However, the information it collects will shape what comes next.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Judge orders reconsideration of “bi-state” sage grouse population in California and Nevada
• Environmental groups attempt to reinstate hard rock rule
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.
US Rare Earths: We Have & We Have Not
America’s premier source of strategic REEs were regulated out of business and 300 employees lost their jobs. For almost fifteen years America has been dependent on the communist Chinese cartel.
Mining Community Loses A Great Leader: Gerald "Jerry" Hobbs
He certainly wasn’t afraid of a fight or a court battle, and he didn’t back away from calling out those who tried to compromise the rights of miners.
Emergency Dredging Closures in Washington State
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) issued emergency rules without public comment just prior to our publication deadline.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Geophysics or drilling? Which is best for this project?
• Ask The Experts - How closely are black sand and gold related?
• Why Is The Gold On Bedrock—Or Why Is It Not?
• Breaking Boulders With Explosives
• Colorado to California for Gold
• Historic Dredge Uncovered in North Carolina
• Setting Up A Placer Operation
• Grizzly Flats, California—Another Mother Lode Gold Rush Town
• Drywashing Without A Drywasher
• Late Fall Drywashing
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
PLP Update
