Legislation & Regulation
Update on MMAC & PLP
June 2015 by Scott Harn
The Minerals and Mining Advisory Council (MMAC) is still seeking administrator applicants for a few states. The overall goal is to get the traditional mining districts in working order so miners can obtain Coordination status to prevent federal agencies from disregarding our rights.
First, I want to correct the listing of states where the 1872 Mining Law applies. In “What’s All This Talk About Mining Districts?” (April 2015 issue) we originally listed the following states:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
However, we neglected to include two additional states with public lands: Virginia and West Virginia.
California has the most applicants so far with thirteen. Several states do not have sufficient applicants to hold a vote—a minimum of three is required. Click on the Mining Districts link at mmacusa.org and select the state where your mining claims are located to see the names and short biographies for those persons applying for an administrative position.
Administrative applications will still be accepted for states that have insufficient numbers. If you’re interested in getting in on the ground floor and can attend a meeting or two each month to get the ball rolling, please visit the “Forms, Laws, Jobs & Docs” link at mmacusa.org and click on the “Administrative Application” link.
Mining claim owners are encouraged to review the administrative applicants and vote.
Public Lands for the People is working on a Miner’s Bill of Rights with the support of several members of Congress. This Bill of Rights will be presented to the Bureau of Land Management to give them the opportunity to reach a Memorandum of Understanding with MMAC regarding reasonable regulations. If no MOU agreement can be reached with BLM, then the issue will be put through Congress. We will report more on this topic in our July 2015 issue.
_______________
Our fundraising drive for Public Lands for The People continues. For those of you unfamiliar with PLP, they have been at the forefront in fighting for the rights of miners, battling to restore the rights of suction gold dredgers and other miners.
How it works: A one-year PLP individual membership is normally $35. You can get a one-year subscription to our monthly publication for $27.95 and include $25 for a PLP membership and we’ll contribute the additional $10 for your one-year PLP membership. If you already have a subscription you can certainly choose to add another year to your subscription to take advantage of this offer.
Here are the subscribers who have recently stepped up and taken advantage of this offer through April 13, 2015:
- Earl Mattson—Boulder Creek, CA
- John Hammer—Saint Joseph, MO
- David Hall—Omak, WA
- Barry Potter—Bakersfield, CA
Give us a call if you would like to add your name to this list!

© ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal, CMJ Inc.
Next Article »« Previous Article
Additional articles that might interest you...
Legislative and Regulatory Update
June 2019
- House appropriations bills introduced
- Two Minnesota hardrock mining leases reinstated
- Equal Access to Justice Act
Study Confirms Mercury Levels Safe in California's Gold Country
July 2013
While the Water Board documented the selenium levels in fish and noted they exceed the levels of mercury, they have yet to acknowledge the numerous scientific studies that show selenium effectively neutralizes the effects of mercury.
While the Water Board documented the selenium levels in fish and noted they exceed the levels of mercury, they have yet to acknowledge the numerous scientific studies that show selenium effectively neutralizes the effects of mercury.
Fighting and Winning Without a Lawyer
August 2013
This article may not be as interesting as someone describing a big nugget find in Australia...but right now the biggest obstacle to mining is our government.
This article may not be as interesting as someone describing a big nugget find in Australia...but right now the biggest obstacle to mining is our government.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
January 2015
• Some positives in spending bill
• Judge puts brakes on the EPA in Alaska
• Judge to rule in favor of suction gold dredgers
• Some positives in spending bill
• Judge puts brakes on the EPA in Alaska
• Judge to rule in favor of suction gold dredgers
Legislative and Regulatory Update
December 2015
• EPA rule blocked
• EPA rule blocked
Legislative and Regulatory Update
March 2012
• California suction dredging regulations
• Draft Coho recovery plan for Southern Oregon, Northern California
• Sage-grouse
• California suction dredging regulations
• Draft Coho recovery plan for Southern Oregon, Northern California
• Sage-grouse
Feinstein Pushes for Million-Acre Land Grab
November 2015
Met by jeers and cheers from more than 1,000 people, US Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) made another pitch to create three new national monuments in the deserts of southern California recently.
Met by jeers and cheers from more than 1,000 people, US Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) made another pitch to create three new national monuments in the deserts of southern California recently.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Ask The Experts
• Companion Gold
• The Smell of Gold—Part I
• A Few Tips and Tricks for Beach Mining
• The Basics of Froth Flotation
• Direct and Constructive Notice
• Moore Creek, Alaska—Then and Now
• Nome Offshore Dredging Creates Challenges
• Mining Journal Wins Again!
• The Montanore Copper and Silver Project
• Family Wins Back Seized Gold Coins
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices








