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May 2019 Newsletter

May 2, 2019

Back in DC
We are again in Washington, DC, our fifth trip this year, in our quest to obtain regulatory certainty and regulatory relief for miners.
 
The ICMJ staff is with me this time, and our office will reopen on Tuesday, May 7.
 
IMPORTANT: Petition Drive
We want to show members of the House and Senate that their constituents are supporting regulatory reform. Public Lands for the People set up an online petition in support of our proposed federal legislation. We would love to bring in a very thick printout of those supporters names, including their hometowns and states, to show legislators they have the support to move this legislation along.
 
Please visit the online petition page and add your name to the list of supporters.While there, you can read the proposed legislation and many of the endorsement letters we have received so far.
 
Keep in mind that while "Critical Minerals" and "China" are in the title, the proposed legislation will benefit miners big and small.
 
And please pass along this link to your friends and relatives—the more support we can demonstrate, the better.
 
EPA Clarification
We are scheduled to meet with President Trump's appointees at the EPA regarding clarification of the rules related to in-stream mining. Specifically, we are seeking EPA clarification regarding "incidental fallback" and situations where there is no addition of a pollutant to provide relief for suction dredgers on the federal level. We will obviously provide you an update on this development in our next (June) issue of ICMJs Prospecting and Mining Journal .
 
Oregon v. Bohmker
The US Supreme Court has denied to review Oregon's ban on in-stream mining. This seems to leave only one option--getting federal legislation passed to restore reasonable regulation to the mining industry in America.
 
From Jonathan Wood, Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation:
"This morning, the Supreme Court denied further review in Bohmker, leaving the Ninth Circuit’s decision in place. I thought Kaycee wrote an excellent brief on behalf of us but, as I’m sure you all know, the odds of the Supreme Court taking a case are extremely long. It only hears 2-3% of the cases presented to it.
 
"There continues to be a split among the circuits on this issue, so we’ll have to keep looking for opportunities to present the issue to the Court, especially in the Eighth or Tenth Circuits (AR, MO, IA, NE, SD, ND, MN, WY, UT, CO, NM, KS, OK). For those of you with members or contacts in those states, you might keep an eye out for state or local mining bans in those states."
 
Our proposed federal legislation addresses the overreach by state regulators, but we are not waiting for it to pass. We will meet with President Trump's appointees at the EPA this week to discuss how to remedy the situation in Oregon, California, Washington and Idaho.
 
What Can I Do?
We've had some very significant meetings this year with legislators, staff members, Pentagon officials and members of the Trump Administration.
 
Keep in mind that even though our proposed legislation has "Critical Minerals" and "China" in the title, it applies to all miners, including gold miners and dredgers.
 
What you can do to help move this process along:
 
1) Read our proposed legislation. Although it is titled "Critical Minerals..." the changes will benefit all miners. You can find it online here .
 
2) Check to see if your legislator is on one of the key committees. We are only listing those who have expressed their support. All of the Senators listed are on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources and/or Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining:
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) (chair) 202 224-6665
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) 202 224-5444
Senator John Barrasso, (R-Wyoming) 202 224-6441
Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) 202 224-2752
Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana) 202 224-2651
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) 202 224-5824
Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) 202 224-5941
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) 202 224-5054
Senator Martha McSally (R-Arizona) 202 224-2235
Senator John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) 202 224-2551
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) 202 224-4944
Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) 202 224-3954
Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) 202 224-6253
Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) 202 224-6551
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) 202 224-2353
Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) 202 224-5842
Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) 202 224-3254
Senator Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) 202 224-6342
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) 202 224-3004
Senator David Perdue (R-Georgia) 202 224-3521
Senator Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) 202 224-2043
Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) 202 225-5274
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) 202 224-5154
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) 202 224-6142
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) 202 224-5922
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) 202 224-5972
Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) 202 224-4721
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) 202 224-2541
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) 202 224-5251
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) 202 224-3041
Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) 202 224-4224
Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) 202 224-6121
 
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) 202 225-2315
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) 202 225-6155
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-North Dakota) 202 225-2611
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) 202 225-1555
Rep. Jim Baird (R-Indiana) 202 225-5037
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) 202 225-4901
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-South Carolina) 202 225-5301
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) 202 225-3035
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) 202 225-2311
Rep. Paul Cook (R-California) 202 225-5861
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-California) 202 225-3076
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California) 202 225-2511
 
3) If your legislator is on this list, please give them a call . Be polite. Let them know that you support the legislation proposed by Public Lands for the People titled "Critical Minerals: National Security Amendments to the NDAA — Breaking China’s Grip on America’s Mining and Production of Critical Minerals." Please ask them to support this crucial piece of legislation and give them the title so they know exactly which proposed legislation you are calling about.
 
4) Please pass this message along to your fellow miners. The more volume we can generate, the better the results. Members of Congress want to know that their constituents support this proposed legislation.
 
5) As part of our ongoing efforts, we have started recruiting businesses and individuals who might want to contribute financially toward this effort. Trips to DC are not cheap. Airline tickets, hotel rooms, taxi rides and Uber fees add up quickly, and we are already on our 5th week-long trip this year. If you know of someone who might contribute toward this effort, please contact me (editor@icmj.com) and I can send them (or you) a copy of the educational/legislative packet along with a sponsorship form.
 
6) If you are part of a group, company, or entity that would like to submit an endorsement letter for inclusion in this effort, please do so and forward it to me (editor@icmj.com).
 
We'll give you another full report on our progress in the June 2019 issue, and we thank you in advance for your help.
Our May 2019 issue is available online for those with an online subscription and has been mailed to those with a print subscription. Just use your email address to log in and the "forgot my password" link if needed.
 
May 2019 Issue
 
 
In this issue :
  • The Bawl Mill
  • Legislative and Regulatory Update
  • Ask The Experts
  • The Geology of Diamond Deposits
  • Keep Watch for The Unexpected
  • Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—Gold At Last!
  • Imagining the Ultimate Prospecting Adventure
  • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Cold Gold
  • Gary, It's There
  • PLP Update*
  • Following the Clues (includes online video)
  • A Generous Lesson on Detecting Bedrock
  • Crossword
  • Melman on Gold & Silver
  • Mining Stock Quotes
  • Mineral & Metal Prices
 
(* free article)
 
 
These 6.1-ounce ultra cotton pocket t-shirts are available in black, navy or white.
 
We've been featuring a new column for the past few months called "Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse."
 
If you are a reader who has a funny or slightly unfortunate, factual prospecting/mining experience to share (of any length, with or without photos), send it to us so we can share it with others. A bit of laughter and some prospecting wisdom is good for all of us! 
 
Writers of published stories will be compensated. 
 
Website Problems?
If you are finding that there is an extra scroll bar present when you are on our website, that bug was removed. You might need to do a "hard reset" to get rid of it. While you are on the page causing a problem, hold down both the control and shift keys while pressing the letter "R" to reset that page in your browser!
Upcoming Events
 
GPAA Gold & Treasure Show
May 4-5, 2019
Fort Worth, Texas
 
66th Annual Gem, Jewelry & Mineral Show
May 4-5, 2019
Everett, Washington
 
SWATH 31st Treasure Hunt
May 17-19, 2019
Benton City, Washington
 
AIMS 2019 2nd International Conference
June 13-14, 2019
Aachen, Germany
 
Underground Miner's 16th Annual Gold Show
June 15-16, 2019
Alleghany, California
 
2019 WWATS Rendezvous
June 21-23, 2019
Mancos, Colorado
 
For complete details on these events and more : Miner's Calendar

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