The effort to reset the playing field continues. There have been a few more refinements to the Minerals and Mining Regulatory Reform Act—A Clear Path Respecting Mining Rights. This is the bill we’ve been working on in conjunction with Public Lands for the People and the Minerals and Mining Advisory Council to restore the rights of miners. We are up to revision 41. You can view the bill in its entirety at mmacusa.org
The main revision has to do with the elimination of the US Department of Mines and Minerals (USDMM) and their oversight. After much discussion it made more sense to have appeals go through individual Mining Districts rather than through the USDMM.
I’ve received quite a few inquiries from miners who are beginning to realize that traditional Mining Districts are powerful entities and they are looking to get their district organized if it’s in disarray.
The first step in that process is to locate the original rules, regulations and bylaws. These original documents can often be found by visiting your local historical society, museum, library or county recorder’s office.
Once the original bylaws have been located, the next step is to publish a Public Notice to gather the miners and claimholders in the district at a meeting to elect officers. We (ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal) have offered to do this free of charge. Once officers are in place, then bylaws can be amended as needed.
I was able to track down original bylaws for quite a few Mining Districts and I will continue to post these on our website as time permits. You’ll find them by clicking on “Bylaws for Traditional Mining Districts” under the “Resources” tab on our website, www.icmj.com.
I’ve included the original bylaws for the Upper Yuba Mining District in Yuba County, California, as an example. It will be immediately obvious to you that these bylaws are very outdated. Once an elected board is in place, the bylaws can be updated to better conform to existing circumstances within the district. If you need assistance, feel free to give me a call.
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As part of our ongoing support of PLP, we here at ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal have been offering a discounted membership to PLP. It works like this:
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 taken advantage of this offer. Thank you for your support!
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.
February 2015 Have you ever wondered what it is going to take to stop the insanity of politicians and environmental groups from taking away our rights?
July 2016 …what I’d like to focus on in this update is the assistance they provided to a suction gold dredger in Idaho being harassed by an environmental group.
February 2013 Fishing, camping and the protection of American Indian artifacts along a 30-mile section of the North Fork of the Clearwater River outweigh the desire of placer miners to search for gold, an attorney representing the US Forest Service said.
November 2016 Within these districts, some of the roads and trails have been reopened for access, critical habitat designations have been scaled back, and a few Mining Districts were completely removed from proposed withdrawals.