The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft permit drawing up regulations for small-scale suction dredgers in Idaho approximately one year ago. Then, in early April the EPA released its finalized permit, requiring dredgers to apply for the organization’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The permit covers small-scale suction dredgers operating “intake nozzles five inches in diameter or less and engines rated at 15 horsepower or less.” This requirement is no different than what the Idaho Department of Water Resources currently asks of dredgers; however, the state and federal permits do part ways in other areas.
“Making permits doesn’t do anything except create more legal hassles,” said Gold Prospectors Association of America member Jim Young, who lives in Biloxi, Miss. but owns a mining claim in Idaho. “I don’t see anything positive for miners or prospectors. Most of us are in compliance anyways as far as the water quality. There’s already regulations and the reality is when you’re running a dredge you aren’t putting anything in the water that wasn’t in there to start with.”

The Galice Mining District has petitioned the federal district court to hear a lawsuit against the State of Oregon over its a recent raft of proposed anti-mining legislation.

Galice Mining District President Kerby Jackson has led the charge with allegations leveled at Governor John Kitzhaber and three state senators: Sen. Peter Courtney, Sen. Jackie Dingfelder and Sen. Alan Bates.

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By Brad Jones
GPAA Editor / Content Director

The Gold Prospectors Association of America 2013 Gold & Treasure Expo spring circuit is well underway and is drawing a new breed of younger, eager gold prospectors and more families.

The GPAA Gold & Treasure Expo is being held in Las Vegas this weekend, April 27-28. It is the biggest event of the year! Don’t miss your chance on Sunday to win a trip of a lifetime to the GPAA’s Cripple River Mining Camp in Alaska.

One noticeable change in 2013 has been the shift from Gold & Treasure Shows to Gold & Treasure Expos.

“Expo tells you straight up that we’ve got vendors ready to sell you products,” said Trade Show Manager Gary Sturgill. “That’s where you’re going to find the latest and greatest new equipment and the vendors are going to demonstrate how to use it.”

Sturgill said education has played a pivotal role this year with much more focus on teaching people how to prospect and pan for gold.

“We have a few different guest speakers who we haven’t had before,” he said. One noticeable change in 2013 has been the shift from Gold & Treasure Shows to Gold & Treasure Expos.

“Expo tells you straight up that we’ve got vendors ready to sell you products,” said Trade Show Manager Gary Sturgill. “That’s where you’re going to find the latest and greatest new equipment and the vendors are going to demonstrate how to use it.”

Sturgill said education has played a pivotal role this year with much more focus on teaching people how to prospect and pan for gold.

“We have a few different guest speakers who we haven’t had before,” he said.

My name is Alan Olsen, and I am a member of the Oregon Senate, representing District 20. I am also Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. This will be the third legislative session I have served on this committee, and I am still consistently surprised by the type of policy that I see moving through the committee. Last week the committee voted on two bills to ban legally permitted small-scale mining operations on Oregon’s waterways. SB 838 will impose a five-year moratorium on small-scale mining with suction dredge equipment, and SB 401 will declare 14,000 miles of Oregon waterways as “scenic waterways.” I voted against both bills for one simple reason; not once during the many hours of public testimony was the committee presented with scientific evidence that the practice of small-scale suction dredge mining is damaging to fish populations or the environment.