Eliminate Small Miners Waiver???

[Au-N-Rod]

There was just a post in a Facebook group I am a member of. It says that the BLM is requesting that the maintenance fees be raised and the small miners waiver be deleted. He quoted the request but has not linked yet to where he got the info. Apparently, he says this is part of their budget requests.

Anyone heard of this ?

Rodney

 

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[Clay Diggins]

Every year Rod for about 20 years now. Nothing new.

Heavy Pans

 

[Clay Diggins]

The BLM is requesting Congress change the mining laws. Every budget year they request mining claims be abused, leased, taxed out of existence and eliminated. Considering this would cut their income and functions it's obviously a greenie move from inside the agency.

Mining is a big lobby in the United States. Congress isn't inclined to rock that boat.

Heavy Pans

 

[Goldwasher]

Constantly?...I don't think that's an accurate term?

 

[Clay Diggins]

Not too sure about that . The BLM doesn't seem to have any problem with raising fees constantly and making them retroactive to boot.

The BLM did not raise the fees, Congress did. The fees were not retroactive.

Heavy Pans

 

[Hard Prospector]

Writing letters to congressional reps. works OK but what really gets their attention are signed petitions from groups of unhappy of constituents. Something to consider at your next club meeting.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Mining rights lost: dredging, highbanking. Highbanking is now considered dredging in Ca. unless the discharge is 300 ft from a stream. Ask the New 49'ers about this. What type of mining do you do and in what state?

That is an issue specific to California. No federal mining rights have changed. If you live in California I suggest you write your State Senator, no federal agency is to blame for the idiocy of California's silly regulations. States do not define your mining rights, federal law does and it has not changed your mining rights.

The BLM is allowed by a law passed by Congress to raise their base fee ($15 currently) every five years to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The BLM does not control the Consumer Price Index nor do they raise fees every two years.

Heavy Pans

 

[Goldwasher]

Constantly......AMAZED

 

[okbasspro]

Your problems are where your claims are located. The California system is broke not the BLM. I can dredge highbank drywash swing a detector all I please on mine. I can cover my small miners fees in 10 min of WORKING my claim. If $212 to file a claim is killing you then you need better ground or need to join a club where they pay the big fees.

 

[rodoconnor]

Ghostminer ,I can sure empathize with your situation. The deck is damn sure stacked against a small/medium sized operation. No deep pockets, no alibis. This is one of the better ,miner friendly web sites. There are some individuals who may not seem that way sometimes. Good Luck

 

[Goldwasher]

Still didn't and why you don't file your waiver

 

[Goldwasher]

We pay like 80 bucks a year to keep our claim. It's costs up front but has paid us ever since. there are numerous small operations turning a profit in my region. They keep it small and simple. would be nice to run 50 yards a day....at that rate our claim would be done in about three months

 

[okbasspro]

$212 is not killing me. We are mining with large equipment running 50 yds/hr. That's not the point. We are talking about BLM fees. We are talking fairness for the small miner. Maybe I should stake a claim in Oklahoma. How's the gold there?

First you can not file a claim in Oklahoma. Second the gold sucks here all sub 100 but you are welcome to come try your hand I will even give you my spots. My claim is out west not Oklahoma. At 50yrds a hour your flirting with the big boys congrats on a deposit worthy of that. As stated before the BLM request the same crap every year. Also stated before is the actual cost per acre for the minerals is still cheap. At 10 claims (200 acres ) it is only $100 to BLM for the small miner. The other fees vary by state and county. Some pay property tax others dont. Some of the people that answered this post are some of the most respected people in the mining industry and do a lot of work for the big boys they know there stuff. It really is a great bunch of people here.

 

[bobw53]

As for getting all the minerals we want, I can tell right off you are not a mining claim owner or a miner.

Saying I was a miner would imply that I know exactly where to dig.... But I do like digging for gold, and I do have a claim, and quite honestly, at 4.2cents an acre
per month to lease the mineral rights, with no royalties... Its a fricken bargain. I guarantee there isn't a single piece of private property in the world where they would
let you extract wealth from the ground for less than a nickel per month per acre, especially without royalties.

We are not locking out others off the claims, they are accessible to the public. You can hike on them, camp on them, whatever BLM allows you to do on any of the Federal land they control. You can camp on them right next to me if you wanted. You'd be allowed two weeks and guess what, that's all I'm allowed also. We are not leasing the land, we are leasing the mineral rights.

I know I am allowed there, as is everybody else, because I own as much of that land as you do. Yet I can't touch the minerals there, only you can, for 4.2cents an acre per month. And if you're mining, I believe the
2 weeks doesn't apply.

How are you getting screwed. You have the same opportunities in life that I have, it's what you do with them that counts.

That's my land, as much as it is your land. For 4.2cents per month per acre you get to take any and all valuable minerals you can get your hands on.. There are 300million plus of us (including you)
that get to split those 4.2cents per month, and YOU get to keep all the gold, and the 300 million of us(including you) don't even get a cut of the action...

I'm not saying that $10 per 20 acres is wrong, or its not enough.. Mining public lands is part of how this country was built... I'm just pointing out that you are complaining about pennies, you
should feel fortunate that you live in a country that allows that, I am.. There is absolutely no way you could ever find that same deal on private land.
As far as your California problems... I didn't vote for 'em.

When I joined Treasurenet I thought it was a mining friendly community but I'm beginning to think I was wrong.

It is, and I want you to go out and make a ton of money mining on OUR public land, I really do... I think you need to categorize your issues, you're just lumping it all together
and complaining about everything at once... $10 a year (or even $155) for exclusive mineral rights(with no royalties) on 20 acres is basically free... The other issues you
bring up, I would say they deserve a discussion, several of them. $150 a year for you to have exclusive access to the mineral rights on 300 acres... I can't get behind that
complaint.. Sounds like a good deal to me, and in no way do I want to take it away from you...

They certainly have never run a small mining company.They have no idea what it is like to lay it all on the line for a dream and give up everything to get it.

Hate to tell you but 7.5% of the people in this country are business owners, which is low historically and compared to the rest of the world.. You don't have to be a miner
to lay it all on the line for a dream... I'm a small business owner myself, and I should be out on the shop floor making some money, but instead I'm yacking on a message board.
I know EXACTLY what it means to lay it all on the line for a dream, and there are millions of others out there that know the same thing... I'm not going to feel sorry for you,
I'll sympathize with you, but I won't feel sorry for you.. I'll feel bad if you fail, and even though I don't know you, I'll personally be happy when you succeed, but I won't feel
sorry for you.

I'm going to give you some advice, something I have a hard time with at times.. Calm down, organize your thoughts, and then lets have a discussion on the issues one at a time.
Ranting and raving feels good, it really does, but it doesn't get anybody anywhere. I've been dealing with a problem for quite some time, that has had me in a state of
constant PISSED OFF for the good part of a year... People have been telling me the same thing this whole time, but one day a friend told me "dude, let it go", and it took
me a few days to process the info, and I had a few conversations with others about it... And I still get mad, I'm still fighting the fight, but I made the decision that I'm not going
to let the situation get me mad, I'm not going to let it consume me.... Even though it effects me personally, my life, my livelihood, my business, I am now approaching the problem
in a rational, emotionless manner, and its made my life a lot better... I'm sleeping better, I've finally started having good dreams again, I'm more productive and I've actually
made more progress on the problem, maybe not in the real world, but the stuff going on upstairs is better organized... This isn't a trivial problem, life, livelihood, business, lawyers
and everything, and its not a divorce, I think its worse...

Calm and rational, its how you solve problems, and I've found the ones where you want to rant and rave and beat things and get nasty and even violent, those are the problems that
call for being calm and rational the most, and that is when its the hardest to be calm and rational... Talking things through with my Dad, and I'd start getting aggravated,
ranting and raving... And he would put on his best Joe Friday voice (Dragnet) and say "Just the facts Ma'am, just the facts"...

Just my thoughts.... I've been living my dream for 19 hours straight today, I'm beat, I'm going to have a few beers and go to bed and have happy dreams.. I suggest you do the same, lay down
with happy thoughts, have good dreams and then get up and go get some GOLD.

 

[goldenIrishman]

I'd suggest that you go back and try to find the info as first quoted on the BLM getting rid of the SMW Ghostminer. Get verification of the source before you go off half cocked. The SMW has been there all along and I for one am surprised that you haven't taken advantage of it before. To me, that would only be good business sense. I'm a small scale operator that left California years ago because I could see the writing on the wall and knew which way it was going to go there.

As far as Clays' accuracy goes... I have never seen him give bad advice here to anyone. EVER!!! When we first met here I checked what he was saying out and found it to be 100% right every time. Knowing what is going on in the mining world has been part of his real world work for a LOT of years and he knows his stuff inside and out. If there is any one on this forum whose word you can take as accurate when it comes to mining laws it's his. I can honestly say that between him and BeJay, they've forgotten more about mining and the laws that go with it than the majority of people here will ever learn. He's made it his mission to educate us as best he can on the laws that go with mining and we as a group should be very glad to have him here. I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power and that a well informed and educated miner has the best chance of success, besides being the best defense against those that would take our rights to mine away from us.

 

[winners58]

its old news being brought back by the environmentalists ie. Trout Unlimited and others the try to revive an old story.
The Durango Herald 02/22/2016 | Updating 19th century mining law proves hard as rock
& https://coyotegulch.wordpress.com/2...the-1872-mining-act-to-fund-mine-reclamation/
there doing the same thing with dredging, showing an OPB documentary on dredging in Washington state like its a new story but its just last years news

the BLM budget for 2016 included proposed legislation for hard rock mining and converting new claims to leasing.
https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/f...propriations/2016/highlights/upload/BH007.pdf

the one introduced has gone nowhere, its good to keep pressure on our representatives, I dont think the sky is falling, best answer is get the vote out.
H.R.963 - Hardrock Mining Reform and Reclamation Act of 2015

BLM 2017 budget anyone?;
https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/FY2017_BLM_Budget_Justification.pdf
overview same wording as 2016;
http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/b...ments.Par.33862.File.dat/FY2017_BIB_BH007.pdf

 

[goldenIrishman]

I'm beginning to think that you're related to (or possibly working with?) another well known member here that is argumentative to no end. Do you really think that all of us are easily duped by an individual? I've been in the mining game for some years now and I know the laws pretty well. I've check the info being put out by Clay and have NEVER found him to be wrong when it comes to mining. Go do your thing and we'll wish you well in your efforts. When you feel that you can contribute something constructive and factual to the conversations here, feel free to come back. Until then...Adios!

(Mods... please feel free to redact this post as needed.)

 

[Hefty1]

THE END.

 

[chlsbrns]

Ghostminer... Many members and visitors read but do not post. We get it but many who do post never get it. You can show them documentation and they still do not get it!

For example.. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/453731-claim-broker-shysters.html

Its a must read!

Im going to assume that you are in CA, that you have a backhoe and portable commercial equipment. It is not only lawful, it is required that you sample at numerous locations within a potential claim site and find a large valuable, profitable deposit that is capable of paying all expenses and turning a profit before you file and claim.

Use USGS files to go directly to large gold deposits. Dig trenches with your backhoe and portable commercial equipment to sample. Multiple trenches around the USGS location. Sample sample sample to see which direction, if any, that the pay streak goes. Reclaim/fill in your backhoe trenches and move on to the next large USGS deposit and do the same! No fiing claims unless a large part of the area contains a significant amount of gold that can be mined profitably.

In AZ there are over 50 locations where USGS files sampled at 1,000ppm gold. 32oz to a ton! Take a backhoe and equipment and dig/sample trenchs all around starting from where the USGS samples were taken.

Dont waste your time searching lr2000 files. Its a waste of time! The files themself are not up to date due to their workers. The fact that people have 90 days to file in itself means the files are never up to date. You have to put boots on the ground and look for required corner and discovery monuments in the area surrounding the USGS gold sample location.

 

[Goldwasher]

We did that. If you go to beginning of thread you'll see someone raised the question of the BLM eliminating the Small Miners Waiver. BLM fees and possibility of BLM eliminating the waiver is what this is all about.

then why are you complaining about fee's you don't even have to pay?!!??