Magazine

All Articles

PLP Needs Our Help

March 2009 by Scott Harn

Public Lands for the People is taking on the government on behalf of miners to prevent more closures of public lands to mining and to stop excessive regulations, but they require more help from miners and mining-related businesses to face new challenges.

PLP President Jerry Hobbs summarized their activities in a recent letter addressed to fellow prospectors, mining clubs and mining-related businesses.

PLP is currently involved in two prolonged court battles. The Karuk Tribe of Northern California is going back to court to try to prevent the State from issuing suction dredge permits. The Siskiyou Education Project’s attempt to force the Forest Service to require a Plan of Operation for all suction dredge mining is now in the 9th Circuit Court on appeal after the miners won in District Court.

And there are three new lawsuits pending, along with several anti-mining bills in Congress. PLP would like to intervene in all of these cases to protect the rights of miners, but funds are desperately needed.

As many of you are aware, the USFS is closing thousands of miles of roads across the West through the use of Travel Management Plans. The Eldorado National Forest was the first to complete an Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision on the closures. PLP has prepared their own lawsuit against the Eldorado National Forest to stop the road closures, and it is ready to be filed. Their goal is to win this first case and set precedent for other National Forests.

We at the Journal are certainly aware that many miners and prospectors are going through tough economic times. However, we recognize that if we don’t support this effort, there will be few places left to mine or prospect in the United States. To get things started in the right direction, we answered the call for help with a $5,000 donation to PLP in February 2009.

Please consider a contribution to PLP to join the fight.