Upcoming trip to Washington, DC (trip to the swamp)
May 10, 2018 9:01:53 GMT 12
Post by RKC on May 10, 2018 9:01:53 GMT 12
G'day,
Upcoming trip to Washington, DC
…we need letters of support from miners.
Second, we are looking for immediate relief for miners who have been denied access to their mining claims on lands administered by the Forest Service. We’ve been in negotiations to make this happen and we’ll have another meeting in DC on this topic in a few weeks.
Third, we are scheduling a follow-up meeting with a deputy secretary at the EPA to seek clarification on suction gold dredge permitting. The EPA is allowed to regulate discharges and require permits for discharges under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The “trigger” for requiring a permit is the addition of a pollutant. Of course, suction gold dredgers do not add anything to the environment, but they do help clean the environment by capturing mercury, lead and other heavy metals. This was litigated in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, et al., and in 2012, the US Supreme Court confirmed that an addition is necessary to require the NPDES permit. However, this ruling was handed down during the Obama Administration and the EPA has not changed their policy accordingly. Our follow-up meeting with the EPA will be to assist the agency in rescinding the NPDES permit requirement to comply with the court’s ruling. (Don Smith of Idaho garnered the support key members in the Idaho State Senate and House in this effort, and we hand-delivered a letter to the deputy director at the EPA on their behalf.)
And fourth, we’ll be meeting with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regarding a possible exemption for small operators. MSHA recently solicited comments regarding their regulations in an effort to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order 13777, titled, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.” EO 13777 directs each agency to review existing regulations, assess compliance costs, and reduce the regulatory burden.
There are two methods to make changes in DC. One involves throwing lavish parties and making hefty campaign contributions; the other involves showing those in charge why changes need to be made and demonstrating the support of constituents.
www.icmj.com/resources/news-and-events/miners-news/a-note-to-our-subscribers-and-advertisers-about-our-upcoming-trip-to-dc-on-behalf-of-miners-385/
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
Upcoming trip to Washington, DC
…we need letters of support from miners.
Second, we are looking for immediate relief for miners who have been denied access to their mining claims on lands administered by the Forest Service. We’ve been in negotiations to make this happen and we’ll have another meeting in DC on this topic in a few weeks.
Third, we are scheduling a follow-up meeting with a deputy secretary at the EPA to seek clarification on suction gold dredge permitting. The EPA is allowed to regulate discharges and require permits for discharges under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The “trigger” for requiring a permit is the addition of a pollutant. Of course, suction gold dredgers do not add anything to the environment, but they do help clean the environment by capturing mercury, lead and other heavy metals. This was litigated in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, et al., and in 2012, the US Supreme Court confirmed that an addition is necessary to require the NPDES permit. However, this ruling was handed down during the Obama Administration and the EPA has not changed their policy accordingly. Our follow-up meeting with the EPA will be to assist the agency in rescinding the NPDES permit requirement to comply with the court’s ruling. (Don Smith of Idaho garnered the support key members in the Idaho State Senate and House in this effort, and we hand-delivered a letter to the deputy director at the EPA on their behalf.)
And fourth, we’ll be meeting with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regarding a possible exemption for small operators. MSHA recently solicited comments regarding their regulations in an effort to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order 13777, titled, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.” EO 13777 directs each agency to review existing regulations, assess compliance costs, and reduce the regulatory burden.
There are two methods to make changes in DC. One involves throwing lavish parties and making hefty campaign contributions; the other involves showing those in charge why changes need to be made and demonstrating the support of constituents.
www.icmj.com/resources/news-and-events/miners-news/a-note-to-our-subscribers-and-advertisers-about-our-upcoming-trip-to-dc-on-behalf-of-miners-385/
Regards,
Rob (RKC)