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PLP Update
February 2022 by Scott Harn
We have not made any trips to DC with Public Lands for the People (PLP) to speak to legislators in an attempt to fix the overbearing regulations on miners, and there are not currently any scheduled due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and restrictive regulations regarding in-person meetings. However, we continue to hold video conference meetings with our like-minded supporters in DC. (As I write this, our next video meeting is tomorrow.)
Following are some excerpts from PLP’s recent newsletter:
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PLP and Reclamation Suction Dredging are Cleaning Up CA:
PLP’s hard work to bring regulatory relief in California is bearing fruit. Many folks have been using their suction dredges to clean up California waterways, removing trash and pollutants. This year should be a banner year with the word getting out about legal reclamation suction dredging in the state for those following PLP’s path, which we demonstrated publicly in the summer of 2021. There have been no citations of PLP members who are following the instructions on our reclamation dredge card.
Here is a recap of our Dredging Demonstration last summer:
Last Father’s Day near Campton-ville, California, with a couple of dozen members present, PLP performed a demonstration on how to legally perform reclamation dredging. Ron Kliewer, President of PLP, introduced Clark Pearson, PLP’s Legal Researcher, who gave a talk on how this works and why. Clark talked about the history of dredging in California over the last couple of decades, the legal fight PLP has been involved in, and how in the last few years PLP has paved the way for this activity by winning a case in California state court and one in federal court. One might think that this was just a publicity stunt if you are new to PLP or do not follow the legal cases we have won for our members, but long-timers in PLP know full well that we have beaten the odds before and we keep doing it.
PLP says the science is on our side because suction dredging is a net benefit to the environment. Now that we have the case law on our side, we have stepped out publicly with a dredge demonstration and shown that dredging does, in fact, remove trash and pollutants from the waterway. During our public reclamation dredging demonstration we dredged a piece of legacy iron trash and some mercury. We left the waterway cleaner than when we found it before the demonstration. We put some small pieces of iron in front of the nozzle and showed how they traveled up the hose and were trapped in the sluice box for easy removal from the waterway.
You can follow our monthly updates in ICMJs Prospecting & Mining Journal and see a full list of the PLP Grand Raffle prizes in the this monthly magazine.
PLP has sponsored a scientific study like no other. This study is pointing out the green benefits of suction dredging and that it could be the best tool to combat the effects of atmospheric mercury transport from China. The published study will be out very soon! This costs a lot to produce, and we need your help in paying off the balance to make this asset available for use in proving why dredging is beneficial to the environment. We are asking members to go above and beyond and donate a little extra to help make this a reality.
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If you like the work PLP does please help PLP help you on the path towards legally resuming suction dredge mining and reclamation not just in California but in the State of Oregon and across the West! Many other states will benefit from the dredge study as well. As we get time and volunteers—which is beginning to happen in Oregon—we can expand the reclamation dredging to other states.
Supporting PLP’s Grand Raffle also helps us continue to fight for your rights.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Celebrities take over hearing, and at least one senator is fed up
• Ruling Upholds EPA's authority to address Garcia River, other waterways polluted by runoff
• US Supreme Court: Sokaogon Chippewa can set water standard
• 1872 Mining Law under attack
• Waiting for a decision about 43CFR 3809
Gangue Minerals - What Do They Tell Us?
There are a large number of different kinds of gangue minerals, and each of them has its own tale to contribute to the story of the chemistry and geology of a deposit.
New Rules to Impact the Lease/Buy Decision
Whether to buy or lease is a question facing many small-scale operators and prospectors even as credit becomes more readily available. While there is no one correct answer that fits every mining operation or business, compared to the simplicity of buying, leasing is far more complicated and may be getting more complex.
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.
As Millennium Nears, Copper No Longer King in Arizona
At the start of the 20th century, copper was king in Arizona, with one of every four workers employed in the mining trade. On the brink of a new millennium, however, the industry is no longer the cornerstone of the state's so-called "Five Cs" economy—copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate.
Ask The Experts: “Energy” coming from black sand?
Q: I have a question/request regarding some black sand left from my Dad’s prospecting days.
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