GOP seeking waiver of environmental laws at border

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents trying to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border say they're hampered by laws that keep them from driving vehicles on huge swaths of land because it falls under U.S. environmental protection, leaving it to wildlife — and illegal immigrants and smugglers who can walk through the territory undisturbed. A growing number of lawmakers are saying such restrictions have turned wilderness areas into highways for criminals. In recent weeks, three congressional panels, including two in the GOP-controlled House and one in the Democratic-controlled Senate, have moved to give the Border Patrol unfettered access to all federally managed lands within 100 miles of the border with Mexico. Two of the panels expanded the legislation's reach to include the border with Canada.

The votes signal a brewing battle in Congress that will determine whether border agents can disregard environmental protections as they do their job. Dozens of environmental laws were waived for the building of the border fence, and activists say this is just another conservative attempt to find an excuse to do away with environmental protections. But agents who have worked along the border say the laws crimp their power to secure the border.

 Call Congress to cut funds for EPA Corps wetlands regulations

You must take immediate action! Deadline Friday, November 11. If you miss the deadline, continue to make the calls until Congress acts. By acting quickly, you can cut off the EPA money supply. You can stop them from going forward with their new Clean Water Act Wetlands regulations. You did it with Salazar’s “Wild Lands” Wilderness land grab. You took away their money. Now it is time to do it to EPA and the Corps of Engineers. Don’t wait. Call now! Senate working on money bill right now. Call your Congressman and both Senators.

• Call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121.
• Call any Senator at (202) 224-3121

DFG interprets new anti-dredging law

The following email from the California Department of Fish and Game was issued today (July 26, 2011):

Today, July 26, 2011, Assembly Bill 120 was approved by Governor Brown. This legislation amends seven different codes within California State law including the Fish and Game Code. Two paragraphs in this bill refer to suction dredge mining and have substantial impacts on the process to conduct environmental review and adopt amended regulations guiding suction dredge mining in California.

Dredging doldrums drag on

The mining community has dug in its heels on proposed legislation that could cripple the small-scale suction dredge mining in California. Assembly Bill 120 has tried the nerves of gold prospectors following a two-year statewide ban under Senate Bill 670 on suction dredging that is still in effect, pending a court-ordered environmental Impact Report.

Recently, California Gov. Jerry Brown, struck language from Senate Bill 87 — that would have denied funding to the Department of Fisheries to complete the mandatory eIR, which would have meant an additional five-year moratorium on suction dredging. Meanwhile, AB 120 remains in committee and the fate of dredging remains unclear. The mining community throughout California has been conducting an email, fax and phone campaign asking Gov. Brown to veto the bill.

Editor’s Note: California Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 120 into law Tuesday, July 26 despite the protests of the mining community.

Voice your opposition to Assembly Bill 120 today

It appears that the anti suction-dredging lobby is trying to win AB120 by hitting the Governors office with a landslide of "click n send" postcards. The mining community needs all the support we can muster now! Please continue to fax or call California Governor Jerry Brown and get your oppposition on record this weekend. Simply state that you are calling about AB120, suction dredging, and that you oppose the legislation. How many buddies can you help make a fax or phone call? Each and every voice counts now! Here is the latest anti-suction dredge mining spin: Link to trout underground
Contact Gov. Jerry Brown:
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160

Anti-dredging bill violates your right to prospect

Attention all private property owners and Federal land users in California:

You’re in a race. The Center for Biological Diversity and other extreme environmental groups are waging a campaign to get California Governor Jerry Brown to sign a draconian bill, AB 120, that would destroy an entire industry and cost thousands of jobs in the economy.

We  urge you to call, fax and e-mail California Governor Jerry Brown today and each week for the rest of July. Urge him to veto AB 120 which would destroy thousands of recreation and mining jobs and jeopardize the economic ecosystem of local communities. What’s the problem and why should you care? Look below to see how you can stop AB 120 and save thousands of jobs. A secret backroom legislative deal in Sacramento helped pass a bill (AB 120) and attach it to a money bill that would destroy small-scale and commercial suction dredge mining throughout California and in the process destroy thousands of jobs while hurting the economy. All the miners, small companies, equipment manufacturers, restaurants, hotels and many others up and down the mining food chain would be damaged or completely put out of business in rural communities throughout California. Click “Read more“ for contact indformation.
 

Miners donate to RS 2477 legal defense fund

Fairbanks Alaska – On the Fourth of July at the annual meeting and picnic in Chicken, Alaska, the Fortymile Miners Association and the Anchorage Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America and their members donated $2,000 towards the mounting legal expenses of fellow miner Carey Mills, who filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management to protect and enforce the public rights-of-way on the Fortymile Station-Eagle Trail. (Case No.: 4:10-CV-00033-RRB).

"The Alaskan small-scale miners have started to put their money where their mouth is regarding the RS 2477 rights-of-way fight with the Federal Government and the Bureau of Land Management,” Mills said in a press release. “They also recognize that a victory will be a victory for all Alaskans who wish to preserve their historical recreational and commercial access rights.”

Here is a pre-made fax form to let Gov. Jerry Brown know how you stand on dredging in California. Simply add  "TO: Governor Jerry Brown" at the top of the form, fill in the card and fax it to (916) 558-3160.
 

A message from Rachel Dunn

Rachel Dunn has been in Sacramento and fighting to get the dredging moratorium in the state of California lifted. She and groups such as Public Lands for the People have been fighting to keep public lands open to prospecting and to keep the waters in CAlifornia opne  to suction dredging. Here is what she wrote:

Please see the attached draft of our letter addressed to Governor Brown regarding AB120. The legislation is seeking unobtainable requirements for our Program, which exceed CEQA rules! Since we've won a VETO on SB87 last week, our adversaries are now conducting a campaign to the Governor's office to SIGN the AB120 legislation against us. Our adversaries do NOT have the science nor the rule of law on their side, but what they do have is a nationwide base of members who can fill out an on-line comment card and try to dwarf us at the Governors office! Please communicate to the Governor today either by copying the letter below or writing your own statements of your OPPOSITION to AB120, Section 12.

Update on the fate of dredging in California

The following is a letter from California Department of Fish and Game Environmental Program Manager Mark Stopher:

Interested Parties,