• Massive 660-page lands bill passed in the Senate

To reach this goal, our federal government would need to designate another 45.7 million acres as protected lands every year.

“We feel that we can clean up an area that has been abandoned after 100 years of mining,” Lyon said.

All 28 groups listed agree that Section 402 of the Clean Water Act does not apply and no dredge miner should be asking a state or federal agency for such a permit.

I hope this case inspires some of you. It shows that miners can and do succeed when they are persistent and well-prepared, even when representing themselves against state and federal attorneys in a court of law.