PLP and Mining Districts
PLP Update
August 2020 by Scott Harn
Face-to-face meetings in Washington, DC, with Trump administration officials and members of Congress are still on hold due to the coronavirus, but Public Lands for the People is continuing to work on mining-related issues via phone and email.
Clark Pearson of PLP and I have both been in regular contact with DC officials regarding the best path forward to provide regulatory relief despite the gridlock in Congress.
We submitted several written proposals to jump-starting mining on a federal level and provide regulatory relief to miners—both small- and large-scale—to friends in DC over the past month, and they are currently under review. These proposals deal with everything from streamlined permitting and access to federal lands to federal preemption.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support PLP financially for their efforts. The raffle drawing for 2020 was held after our press deadline, so we do not have a list of winners to report, but you can find them on the PLP website by the time this issue is out. The next raffle is underway, and PLP is also hosting an Oktoberfest gathering, to be held in Kern County in Southern California, October 9-11. You can find more details in their ad on their website.
MMAC Update
In May 2017, the district participated in a meeting with representatives from several state and federal agencies where they educated agency officials about the authority of Mining Districts, Mining Law and miner’s rights.
MMAC & PLP Update
The legislators soon came to the realization that Mining Districts and our proposed bill can solve many of the problems they currently face in their home states.
MMAC & PLP Update -- 2015 Minerals and Mining Regulatory Reform Act
Is there any hope for a solution? Yes, there is, and we’ve been working with Public Lands for the People, the Minerals and Mining Advisory Council, attorney James Buchal and others on that solution.
Mining Districts in Montana Get Organized
Those miners present immediately recognized the benefits of becoming members of MMAC and joined up on the spot. I spent some time answering a few questions, and then the miners took over.
MMAC Update
Within these districts, some of the roads and trails have been reopened for access, critical habitat designations have been scaled back, and a few Mining Districts were completely removed from proposed withdrawals.
MMAC Update
This is the third trip MMAC has made to DC this year, so some of the congressional staff members are gaining a better understanding of the current problems miners face and how MMAC-assisted Mining Districts can alleviate those problems.
Update on MMAC & PLP
Public Lands for the People is working on a Miner's Bill of Rights with the support of several members of Congress.
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