kuger
Gold Member
- Nov 6, 2007
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- ,M.X.T.& Tesoro Tejon
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- All Treasure Hunting
Well word has it Brown Vetoed it!!!!I hate to be pessimistic but the CEQWA which is the next hurdle is going to be tough,because it is ridiculous(I am currently receiving training in it because it will effect any construction over 1 acre)
Governor Brown eliminated budget language that would have stripped funding from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), making it impossible for the Department to complete a court-mandated study on the effects of "suction dredge" mining. Without the study, suction dredge mining would have effectively been banned in the state.
"The Governor saw through the budget trick that was going to kill off this industry and didn't stand for it," said Gaines.
There is currently a moratorium on suction dredge mining in California. With the funding now in place, DFG can complete the required study and potentially implement new regulations that will end the moratorium, protect the environment and get the miners back in the water.
But gold mining isn't completely out of the woods yet. Another potential roadblock the miners may face is Assembly Bill 120, currently making its way to the Governor. This bill would add unattainable new requirements to the DFG's California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process now underway. If those requirements aren't met, it imposes a five-year ban on suction dredge mining, regardless of the funding mechanism that is now in place.
"This is a day to celebrate for the miners, but we want to see this through to the end. We will be monitoring AB 120 very closely,” said Gaines. “California and gold go hand-in-hand and we must honor that rich history of our state."
Governor Brown eliminated budget language that would have stripped funding from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), making it impossible for the Department to complete a court-mandated study on the effects of "suction dredge" mining. Without the study, suction dredge mining would have effectively been banned in the state.
"The Governor saw through the budget trick that was going to kill off this industry and didn't stand for it," said Gaines.
There is currently a moratorium on suction dredge mining in California. With the funding now in place, DFG can complete the required study and potentially implement new regulations that will end the moratorium, protect the environment and get the miners back in the water.
But gold mining isn't completely out of the woods yet. Another potential roadblock the miners may face is Assembly Bill 120, currently making its way to the Governor. This bill would add unattainable new requirements to the DFG's California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process now underway. If those requirements aren't met, it imposes a five-year ban on suction dredge mining, regardless of the funding mechanism that is now in place.
"This is a day to celebrate for the miners, but we want to see this through to the end. We will be monitoring AB 120 very closely,” said Gaines. “California and gold go hand-in-hand and we must honor that rich history of our state."
Thanks Kuger 
I guess it is true,we may be fighting this alone!! 
At the boom of the California Goldrush, miners began dredging to separate gold from mercury. However, years after hydraulic mining was no longer performed, mercury was found in river ecosystems, which has had serious consequences for water quality, fishing, and river ecology. Some dredgers argue that they are removing mercury through this process but it is possible that smaller particles are suspended in the water and may be carried downstream, increasing the possibility of the dangerous substance entering the food web. Methylmercury, the potent form of mercury most often found at dredging sites, has been known to impair the nervous system, especially in young children and fetuses. Due to a court order banning dredging, as well as CEQA regulations, dredging has been banned while the EIR is completed. The current EIR draft suggests further restrictions which need approval by the Department of Fish and Game.
