PLP Update

October 2019 by Scott Harn

As we reported last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attempting to force Don Smith of Idaho to obtain a Section 402 permit  for suction dredge mining under the guise of the Clean Water Act. This is despite the fact that the Clean Water Act clearly states there must be the “addition” of a pollutant to trigger the need for such a permit.

Public Lands for the People (PLP) and I assisted Smith with an appeal which included a petition for rulemaking to clarify there is no addition of a pollutant with a suction gold dredge.

Anyone who has ever operated a suction dredge for gold mining is aware that there is no addition of a pollutant. In fact, a suction dredge is an extremely efficient reclamation device that removes pollutants—including heavy metals like lead and mercury—along with any gold the miner might come across, while adding nothing that wasn’t already present in the waterway.

States like California have an agreement with the EPA to handle these types of permits, but if you consent to the permit you would be labelling yourself as a polluter while agreeing to their outrageous conditions and fees. Under the language of the Clean Water Act, there should not be a requirement for a Section 402 permit nor for any similar type of permit issued by a state agency, and we are seeking clarification from the Trump Administration.

Tom Kitchar of the Waldo Mining District learned of Smith’s petition effort from PLP. With a little assistance from PLP and your editor here at the Mining Journal, Kitchar composed a well-crafted letter (shown) to support Smith’s petition for rulemaking. Kitchar also sought the support of additional mining organizations, associations, mining districts, businesses and local governments. 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.

We encourage your group or business to join this effort. Please contact us by phone or email and we will help you craft your letter.

by Scott Harn

Detecting: Small Creek Yields Good Gold

November 2016
Most of our gold recoveries have been in the cracks of the bedrock. Hot rocks in the form of dikes cross the creek at various locations, causing us to skip those areas.

Our Readers Say

February 2014
• Prospecting for Diamonds in Kimberlite by W. Dan Hausel
• Miners referring to their activity as “recreational”

The Winning Hand

January 2017
The operation and techniques employed are highly successful in producing free gold with minimal work involved while maintaining an environment protection process through the use of recycled water and a settling pond.

Drywashing Arizona Gold

January 2016
His findings were not exaggerated—after running 82 buckets of gravels in two days we had a remarkable 27.8 grams of gold!

Finding Gold with a VLF Detector—Part II

May 2014
It is this ability to hear and respond to the faintest of audio signals that I believe separates the best nugget hunters from everyone else.

Think You Got It All? Guess Again!

May 2016

Is your gold recovery actually 95%, 90%, or even a really poor 50%? If you are not testing to know what it really is, you just don’t know. Some do regular testing, but most do not.

Ask the Experts

March 2014
Breaking cemented gravels

Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill   • Ask The Experts - Do you have more info on Silver Peak?   • Ask The Experts - Forest Service blocking claim access   • Green Valley's Fine Gold Patch   • Hard Rock and Placer Gold of Manhattan, Nevada   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Powerless   • Revisiting Old Haunts   • How to Refine Silver—Pt II   • Where to Start: Advice for the Beginning Detectorist   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices

Free:
Legislative and Regulatory Update   • MSHA Moves Ahead on Silica RFI But Leaves All Options Open   • Traders At JPMorgan Chase Indicted For Rigging Metal Prices