Jul 11

Written by:
7/11/2011 8:42 PM 

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.

That means more stress on an already hemorrhaging California economy. It means less tax money to support local services so you have to pay more to make up the difference. AB 120 will cost you money.

Gov. Brown has no business signing such a draconian bill in these economic times.

The green movement doesn’t care if they destroy jobs. They are showing again they really don’t care about the economy.

If they are successful in getting Governor Jerry Brown to sign AB 120 they will hurt you. Only few thousands jobs and the lost wages often stand between a local rural economy being able to survive or go under.

No more ghost towns. AB120 will hurt jobs. We urge Gov. Brown must veto AB120.

What’s more, once the environmental extremist groups finish off this recreation and small business industry, they will come for your recreation and your use. You either stand together now or you will embolden your enemies to destroy you later.

Following is the background information about California AB120, Section 12, and why it needs to be vetoed.

AB120 is a Resources packet which has two paragraphs of language regarding suction dredge mining, which were inserted in the packet through the budget process in order to expedite it’s passage without the public being able to comment.

This secret process is not the way to pass legislation. Such a far-reaching bill should be open and transparent. If the radical environmental groups like the Center for Biological Diversity are successful passing AB120, you could be next. They will
kill off more recreation access, more federal land uses, more industries and more communities unless you draw a line in the sand and say, ‘ No more!’

The intent of this legislation is to kill the suction dredge gold industry. Indeed, it will produce that outcome if Governor Brown signs the bill.

This important recreation and economic industry contributes 23 million dollars annually to more than 14 sectors including fuel, restaurants, camping supplies etc. If AB120 passes, it will permanently end 4000 individual miners' jobs and will affect an additional 15,000 inter-related jobs.

Additionally, this legislation will also cause consequences of exponential harm to taxpayers and landowners throughout California, who have nothing to do with suction dredging for gold.

If AB120 becomes law, the directive to “fully mitigate all identified significant environmental impacts” will create a new standard which requires that the California Department of Fish & Game works outside of CEQA (California Environment Quality Act) requirements!

This deviant legislation will create a financial Pandora’s Box for the State, by establishing a threshold that exceeds CEQA
requirements!

More broadly, it could open up all projects to be subjected to this new standard that are conducted in, near or around California waters, whether those waters are on public or private lands!

AB 120 has been passed in both houses on party lines, and is now en route to the Governor for his signature or veto.

Action Items:

Please forward this e-mail to everyone you know in California.

Please forward this message to all your allies in multiple-use, recreation and mining. This plague will spread if
successful.

Please call, fax and e-mail California Gov. Jerry Brown today to request that he veto AB 120, Section 12.

Contact information:

Governor Jerry Brown
Fax (916) 558-3160
Phone (916) 445-2841
Website: www.gov.ca.gov

Please call, fax and e-mail California Gov. Jerry Brown’s staff urging a veto of AB120.

Gareth Elliot, Legislative Affairs Secretary
Phone (916) 445-4341
Fax (916) 558-317
Email: gareth.elliot@gov.ca.gov

Nancy McFadden, Exec Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and
Policy, Jamie Callahan, Assistant
Phone (916) 324-7039
Fax (916) 323-9991
Email: Jamie.callahan@gov.ca.gov

Joshua Groban, Senior Advisor for Policy and Appointments
Phone (916) 324-7745
Fax (916) 323-0918
Email: joshua.groban@gov.ca.gov

Jim Humes, Executive Secretary for Administration
Phone (916) 324-7745
Fax (916) 323-0918
Email jim.humes@gov.ca.gov

John Laird, Secretary of Natural Resources Agency
Fax (916) 653-8102
Phone (916) 653-5656
Email: j.laird.resources@gov.ca.gov
AB120, Section 12:

Background:

(12) Existing law designates the issuance by the Department of Fish and Game of permits to operate vacuum or suction dredge equipment to be a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and suspends the issuance of permits, and mining pursuant to a permit, until the department has completed an environmental impact report for the project as ordered by the court in a specified court action.

Existing law prohibits the use of any vacuum or suction dredge equipment in any river, stream, or lake, for instream mining purposes, until the Director of Fish and Game certifies to the Secretary of State that (a) the department has completed the environmental review of its existing vacuum or suction dredge equipment regulations as ordered by the court, (b) the department has transmitted for filing with the Secretary of State a certified copy of new regulations, as necessary, and (c) the new regulations are operative.

AB 120 would modify that moratorium to prohibit the use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment until June 30, 2016, or until the director's certification to the secretary as described above, whichever is earlier.

The bill would additionally require the director to certify that the new regulations fully mitigate all identified significant environmental impacts and that fee structures in place will fully cover all costs to the department related to the administration of the program.

For more information, contact:
racheldunn2010@yahoo.com
Rachel and Mike Dunn
Gold Pan California
(925) 825-GOLD (4653)
www.goldpancalifornia.com

Brad Jones
GPAA Editor / Content Director
Gold Prospectors Association of America
Gold Prospectors/ Magazine
bjones@goldprospectors.org
(951) 699-4749 Ext. 164
GPAA website: www.goldprospectors.org

American Land Rights Association
P.O. Box 400
Battle Ground, WA 98604
(360) 687-3087
alra@pacifier.com
www.landrights.org

Chuck Cushman
Executive Director
American Land Rights Association
(360) 687-3087
ccushman@pacifier.com


Please forward this message as widely as possible. The more allies ALRA has the more we are able to help you protect your property rights, your use of Federal and state land and your community.

Thank you for taking immediate action to save jobs and rural communities. If we let them destroy these jobs, yours may be next. This needs to be a one for all – all for one battle. Join in and prevent this regulatory plague from spreading to your job, industry or recreation activities.


Social Networking Update:  The American Land Rights Association has a page on Facebook. Please sign on as a Friend or Fan. If you like our page or information, check the Like box too. Also Executive Director Chuck Cushman is on Facebook.com. You can also find American Land Rights and Chuck Cushman on LinkedIn.com. We are especially active on LinkedIn.com so send an invitation to connect and join up. American Land Rights is on Twitter as AmLandrights. Chuck Cushman is also on Twitter under SaveYourLand.

Check out the Gold Prospectors Assocation of American facebook fan page. (If you like our page or information, please check the “Like“ box tio help us boost our Facebook presence.

www.facebook.com/Gold Prospectors