PLP and Mining Districts
PLP Update
February 2021 by Scott Harn
I admit I was sitting on pins and needles, waiting to see if President Trump would sign the proposed Executive Order we presented with Public Lands for the People (PLP) prior to the expiration of his term in office.
Even the news organization Reuters believed that another Executive Order related to mining would be issued, stating on January 8:
“Administration officials tell Reuters they plan to publish a raft of decisions on January 15 that will expand miners’ access to federal lands... Biden will able to reverse some of Trump’s changes...but some of Trump’s steps will either be irreversible or require Biden to restart the rule-making process...”
While administrative approval was given to Resolution Copper’s large project in Arizona on January 15, no other major mining-related orders or decisions were issued.
When Democrats won the two outstanding Senate elections in Georgia, this created a 50-50 party split in the Senate which allows for Vice President Harris to provide the deciding vote should a tie vote occur. This throws into serious doubt whether Senator Barrasso (R-Wyoming) will be seated as the chair of the Senate Energy and Resources Committee.
Clark Pearson of PLP and I are hoping to get back to DC as soon as this pandemic allows so we can meet and strategize with our friends in DC. I assume the goal will be to return to our previous strategy of getting our much-needed regulatory reform inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA has been one of the few bills that passes each year with huge bipartisan support.
The bottom line remains the same: The federal government must assert control from overzealous state regulators over regulations pertaining to federal mining claims in order to bring some regulatory certainty back to mining in America for both small and large operations. This is the only viable method to wrest control back from China, and to put suction dredges back in the water.
And we are not about to stop until we reach this goal.
PLP Update
While progress with Congress has been slow, the Trump administration has taken the lead to start making needed changes at the Department of Interior and US Department of Agriculture to support miners…
PLP Update
Happy New Year!
The New 2023 PLP Guide Cards Are Now Available!
PLP Update April 2023
MMAC Update
After many decades of closures, land-use restrictions, and over-regulation, miners and all other public land users may finally see some real relief due to the efforts of MMAC.
PLP Update
PLP has developed a plan to get dredgers back in the water by embracing the fact that suction gold dredgers can provide a valuable service by reclaiming waterways.
MMAC & PLP Update
May 2016PLP had been attempting to raise funds to hire a lobbyist. The excessive cost made it prohibitive, so Clark and Joe packed up their bags and headed off to make this trip themselves.
PLP Update & Legislative and Regulatory Update
I’m combining these columns this month because there is an overlapping issue I wanted to address -- the new Interior Department “working group” on mining reform
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Where did the gold go?
• Ask The Experts - True north or magnetic north?
• Ask The Experts - How do I avoid claim jumping?
• Ask The Experts - Are closed placer and lode claims worth my time?
• Gold Geochemistry: Where Does Gold Come From?
• Goal Setting and Rock Tossing
• Principles of Designing Your Mill Production System, Part II: Mill Design
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: A Claim to Die For
• Tips and Tricks: How to Make Your Own Gold Bars Without Burning the Place Down
• Understanding Rock Formations: Petrology for Prospectors
• Minnesota Lawmakers Move to Stop New Mines
• Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part I
• Seven Troy Ounces of Premonition?
• I Was Looking for Gold But I Found Jade
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
