Legislation & Regulation

Companion bills set to be proposed by state lawmakers and US Rep. Betty McCollum seek to block copper mining on federal lands…

• Biden’s incoming administration has green agenda
• Habitat definition finalized

• Nevada miners get reprieve
• Georgia Senate race may set the stage for mining regulations
• New Executive Order on critical minerals
• Interior Department makes adjustments to LWCF

I found I could not go prospecting in areas where I did not have a mining claim and the Forest Service thought my mere presence was a danger to the forest.

• Pendley nomination withdrawn but will remain BLM director for now
• Comments needed for Midas Gold project in Idaho

• Nevada proposal to cap tax deductions for mining businesses stalls
• NEPA gets a much needed update
• Army Corps to release review of Pebble Mine

Mining claimants who wish to retain their mining claims on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands through the 2021 assessment year must pay a maintenance fee or file a maintenance fee waiver certificate on or before September 1…

• US Supreme Court declines to hear dredging controversy
• Why Senate Bill S3422 is bad for America
• Comment deadline extended for new California dredging regulations

• New California suction gold dredging regulations released—and they are just as bad as we predicted
• Dredgers file US Supreme Court response in Oregon case
• Washington State pushes same suction gold dredging narrative
• Pentagon reverses decision on rare earth projects

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.

• Congress deals with other priorities
• Alaska miners get relief on state lands

We are at a crossroads; either we establish the mining, production and refining of rare earth elements here in the US or we remain subjected to the whims of the Chinese government.

BLM stated we had 30 days to amend our claim so that it fit within one 40-acre square or we would forfeit the claim.

I want to stress that this is just the first step to fixing many of the regulatory issues we identified in discussions with the current administration. There will be plenty more to come.

• NEPA comments due
• Update on latest US Supreme Court suction gold dredging appeal
• Washington State tries to restrict suction gold dredging

We’ve heard from miners in Arizona about federal agencies closing off historic roads that provide access for miners, and we need your input.

US uranium mines produced less than 174,000 pounds in 2019, according to the February Energy Information Administration report. That’s down from 4.9 million pounds in 2014.

• Comments needed regarding proposed NEPA improvements
• Efforts underway to fix the ESA