Legislation & RegulationFree / Legislation & Regulation PLP UpdateMarch 2020 by Scott Momentum continues to build on our proposals to provide regulatory relief for miners. We are encouraged by the recently proposed changes to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, which include some of the recommendations Clark Pearson (Public Lands for the People) and I presented to the Trump administration and members of Congress during our many visits to DC in 2019 and in prior years. We’ve continued to network with other like-minded groups, including the California Logging Association. Additionally, OurEnergyPolicy—a Washington, DC-based, non-partisan organization that facilitates dialogue on energy policy issues—featured our critical minerals report in their March 3 weekly newletter. They also added it to the OurEnergyLibrary, a resource library with policy-relevant reports from across the sector for energy professionals. I’m scheduled for my next trip to DC from March 30-April 4 with Clark Pearson, where we will be focusing on several important issues to provide immediate relief for miners. Getting Suction Dredge Miners Back to Work When we meet with the EPA, we’ll be bringing along endorsements from many organizations, businesses and independent miners, which we’ve collected over the past several months. Maintaining Access to Mining Claims Road Closures in Arizona Congressman Gosar has met with us personally several times over the past four years. He’s on the House Natural Resources Committee and is the chairman of the Western Caucus, which is comprised of 74 members of the House who are committed to western values. He’s been a huge supporter of miners and mining-related issues. What We Need From Miners in Arizona You can email this information to me at editor@icmj.com. (Put “Arizona access issue” in the subject field.) Or you can send them to me via mail to: ICMJ—Arizona access issue Keep in mind that I must receive this information by March 25, 2020, in order to compile the letters and complete a report for members of the Trump administration and Congressman Gosar before I head out to DC. We—and Public Lands for the People—thank you for your continued support. © ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal, CMJ Inc. |