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.
PLP Update
Priorities will include meeting with the EPA regarding suction gold dredging permitting and with the Forest Service regarding revisions to CFR 228A regulations related to mining and access on public lands.
MMAC Update
Pearson called the trip, “The most productive so far. We are courting over a dozen potential sponsors now. We had some members call us back for additional meetings and several of these lasted over an hour.”
PLP Update
“In light of the results of the midterm elections our focus will be with the US Senators and their staffers that we have already been working with.”
PLP Update: The Path for Legally Re-Starting Suction Gold Dredge Mining in 2021
Present conflicts and realizations having to do with dependence on China have illuminated the fact that suction dredge miners have a vital role to play and are an ignored and untapped domestic resource—until now.
MMAC Update
This will provide the opportunity to meet with many of the members of Congress in a more informal setting at several meetings, luncheons and dinners. And we have been offered the chance to meet with President Trump’s staff.
Proof Mining Districts Work!
If you need more proof that having an organized Mining District can help you, look no further than the recently proposed Methow Headwaters Withdrawal in north-central Washington State.
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.
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