EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
MARCH 2020
Volume 366
EASTERN OREGON MINING ASSOCIATION MEETING
Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month. The next meeting is Friday, MARCH 6TH at the Baker City Hall. The building is located at 1st and Auburn Streets in Baker City. The Board meeting starts at 6:00 PM. The general meeting starts at 6:30 PM. As usual, there will be a drawing for a $50 silver medallion at the meeting!
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE-OPPORTUNITY TO BUY A M7 WAVE TABLE
Bill and Sandy Johnson have donated an Action Mining M7 Micron Wave Table to EOMA. This table is in good shape, and would work for any operation, large or small. Action Mining sells tables similar to this one new for over $9,000. We will be selling the table to make money for EOMA. The money will go to support EOMA, and the estimated starting value is around $3,500.
I have recently bought one of these M7- wave table (1998 model) and this used table works great. I have been using mine for clean-up, since it will concentrate extremely fine gold that my Blue Bowl misses. The Wave Table can recover gold particles from 10 mesh down to microscopic. My table works well on 30 mesh material and I plan to screen to 100 mesh and see how that works. For a production setup, some miners use two to three or more of these tables in sequence.
The unit we are selling has two adjustable water spray bars, and requires approximately 5-12 gpm of water. The adjustable table top and hopper are constructed of fiberglass, and this table was used inside their shop. The finish is vacuum-sealed and gel-coated in blue finish. The motor is a ½ HP electric motor drive, 110V AC, 60 Hz. It has a steel frame with yellow powder coated epoxy paint. The dimensions, (L x W x H) are 61 in. x 32 in. x 39 in. The weight is 409 lbs.
EOMA members are getting a first shot at purchasing this table before we advertise it further. If interested call Ken or Jan Alexander at 541 446 3413, or e-mail to alxk@ortelco.net
MSHA ANNUAL REFRESHER MARCH 13, MARCH 14
The March 13 and 14 annual refresher classes will be held at the OTEC Office conference room, 4005 23rd St., Baker City. There are still a few seats left in each class.
New Miner training on April 17, 18 and 19 will be held at the Hereford hall, and this class is almost full. Call Jan Alexander at 541-446-3413 if you wish to attend any of these classes. Hours are 8:00AM-5:PM each day.
EOMA ELECTIONS
Elections will be held at the March meeting. Send in your ballot or bring it to the March meeting. We will have extras at the meeting if you need one.
ED HARDT VOTED LIFETIME EOMA BOARD MEMBER
At our last meeting, Ed Hardt was voted Board Member, at Large for life. In the past, Ed served many years as EOMA President, then as a Board Member, and he has worked tirelessly for the rights of miners to access, prospect and mine their properties. As a lifetime Board member, Ed will continue to lead our organization in promoting mining throughout the West.
DOGAMI EXCLUSION CERTIFICATES-SB1579
Because the State law in place at this time does not provide a lower limit for when an Exclusion Certificate (EC) is required, (“the extraction of 5,000 cubic yards or less of material or affects less than one acre of land”), technically, every gold miner who takes a shovel full of gravel is in violation without a EC in place.
BLM and Forest Service consider these weekend pick and shovel operators “casual use”. The small-scale mining and prospecting activities of Baker County miners, as conducted under regulation and monitoring by the Federal Agencies, possess no environmental risks of any regulatory significance to rational State regulators. Small-scale operators on Federal lands using mechanized equipment, are under Notices or Plans of Operation, are administered by Federal agencies, and reclamation bonds are in place. All small-scale miners, whether on private or federal lands, must keep their operations under DEQ Water Pollution Facility Permits (WPCF) cap of 1,500 cubic yards/year.
DOGAMI does not have the personnel to administer these very small-scale operations, and DOGAMI is certainly not interested in pick & shovel operations. EOMA suggested a lower limit of 1,500 cu yds/yr be added to the law, to be consistent with DEQ’s WPCF General 600 permit.
SECTION 1. ORS 517.753 is suggested to be amended to read:
517.753. (1) Notwithstanding the yard and acre limitations of ORS 517.750 (16), a person shall
obtain an exclusion certificate from the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
for each surface mining operation that, within a 12-month period, results in the extraction of between 1,500 and 5,000 cubic yards of minerals.
Ken and I, as well as other miners and legislators spent a lot of time trying to correct this omission in the law, but it is beginning to look like nothing will happen to change it this session.
SB1579 INCREASES DOGAMI PERMIT FEES
DOGAMI has been struggling financially these last few years, since apparently some of the fees paid by miners for mining permits were used to fund the environmental side of DOGAMI (i.e. earth quake and tsunami studies and mapping).
The increased fees ($2,000 for either an Exploration or Mining Permit) come as no surprise as the Mined Land Division tries to keep afloat.
MOVE OREGON’S BORDER FOR A GREATER IDAHO-Meryl Kornfield
Seven years ago, keen for a more conservative lifestyle, Mike McCarter, a firearms instructor in La Pine, Ore., considered moving to Idaho. But McCarter, 72, diagnosed with stomach cancer, decided not to. Now he’s thinking he might just move Idaho to him.
The Republican is a leader of a group called Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho, which thinks Oregon’s government has become too liberal and would prefer to transfer Oregon’s rural areas to Idaho’s authority.
While Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won Oregon in 2016 with 50.1 percent of the vote, then-Republican candidate Donald Trump swept up Idaho with nearly 60 percent of the vote.
McCarter’s group is asking 18 Oregon counties to approve their petitions to open communications with Oregon’s legislature. Three have in the past week, McCarter said. Once approved, the group still would need to collect signatures of about 6 percent of the counties’ populations for local voters to see the referendum on their November ballots, the Oregonian recently reported.
Baker County, along with the 12 surrounding counties, has signed onto the Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho concept. Salem may start getting the idea that we are tired of west side politics impacting our lives.
EOMA & FAFA DONATE MONEY FOR THE PURCHASE OF EAST EAGLE BRIDGE
At the February EOMA meeting, a motion was made and passed to donate $10,000 toward the purchase of the new East Eagle Bridge. Previously, FAFA voted to donate $5,000. Tom Griffin has donated his bond money in the amount of $5400 to the bridge project, and many individuals have donated lessor amounts.
It is an important project for certain. This is an RS2477 right of way that the Forest Service was trying to close. Bill Harvey, Baker County Chair, reported that the other commissioners voted to purchase the new 80,000 pound bridge because of the support of the community and other organizations.
Local citizens have donated their time and machinery to improve and widen the roadbed and bridge approaches. The County Road Department will install the bridge.
Tom Griffin has not seen his $5400 bond (money the Forest Service seized to take out the old bridge) but in meetings with the Forest Service locally and at the Regional Office, Bill has been assured that the bond will be returned to Tom, who in turn, will send the money to Baker County.
EXCERPTS FROM TOM GRIFFIN’S LETTER TO THE FOREST SERVICE
I understand from Baker County Commissioner Bill Harvey that you are planning to return my bond in the amount of $5,400. Mr. Harvey has agreed to conduct any additional reclamation needed at the site, however, if additional reclamation is needed, I will get it done when I am on site next summer.
As soon as I receive the $5,400, I will forward it to the Baker County Road Department. It is my understanding that the County has purchased an 80,000-pound bridge to replace the one I installed. My old bridge will be used by the county where needed.
SENATOR FINDLEY AND CAP AND TRADE
Senator Lynn Findley (R-Vale) joined over 2 million Oregonians in opposing the harmful legislative proposal, Senate Bill 1530 also known as “cap and trade”, by protesting the process in which this legislation is being pushed through the short session.
“I refuse to allow the super-majority to abuse their positions of power by steamrolling this legislation throughout without a fiscal analysis or economic impact statement of the bill. Not only is it unfair to our constituents for us to take such a significant vote without all the information we need, it’s not wise policy making,” said Senator Findley.
“This legislation will do more harm to hardworking Oregon families and small businesses than almost any other legislative proposal this state has seen before,” he continued. “It unfairly and unnecessarily targets our already struggling agriculture, timber and natural resource communities.”
Twenty-six of Oregon’s 36 counties have opposed this legislation through county proclamations or resolutions, including all but one of the counties in Senator Findley’s district which geographically encompasses over 36% of the state.
“I cannot in good conscience represent the citizens and constituents of Senate District 30 or the 2 million other Oregonians who have rightfully opposed this legislation and allow it to go through. It is my job to represent them—not special interests or out-of-state deep pocket donors—and that’s what I am doing,” he continued. “If my colleagues will not allow for a fair process in the building, then I will represent my constituents from outside the building.”
Sen. Findley opposed previous versions of this proposal while a state representative for House District 60 during the 2019 session and has consistently advocated for different options, including a referral to Oregon voters in the next election. “We don’t have the right information to be making this decision. This issue is not one that should be deliberated during the short legislative session and the antics to push this legislation through without more information and the refusal to gather that information and refer this to vote of the people are nothing short of an abuse of power.”
As a member of the Senate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources, he proposed multiple amendments to this legislation to lessen some of the negative impacts on Oregonians, but those amendments were ignored or dismissed during the committee processes.
“Oregonians have made their positions clear and their voices heard. I stand with them and for them today by opposing this bad policy and an even worse process.
PROPOSAL TO MODERNIZE NEPA REGULATIONS-AEMA
The American Exploration & Mining Association applauds the CEQ for this much needed and long overdue proposal. NEPA is, and always has been, a procedural law that creates a process to seek public comments, consider alternatives, and disclose impacts. Unfortunately, NEPA is now broken. It has become increasingly more cumbersome, time consuming and expensive, with real world consequences.
A couple of years ago, we conducted a survey of our member companies with projects undergoing the federal permitting process. The numbers we found were staggering.
Among the companies responding to the survey, nearly $4 billion had already been invested, with an additional $9.2 billion waiting to be spent. More than 16,500 direct and indirect high-paying jobs were waiting on the sidelines. And $5 billion in state and local taxes could be generated by these important projects. Unfortunately, an inefficient permitting system is holding them back and, in many cases, the blame lies with a broken NEPA process.
NEPA sponsor, Senator Henry Jackson, thought an EIS would be a 6-8 page document. With respect to most mining projects, they have mushroomed into thousands of pages. Who in the public, other than antimining groups, are going to take the time to read a 1,000 page or more EIS?
NEPA is no longer the planning tool it was designed to be, nor does it inform or facilitate meaningful input from the public. Instead, it has become the tool used by obstructionist groups who oppose responsible and lawful mineral development on federal lands.
Therefore, we agree with the CEQ’s proposed revisions:
• reaffirming the procedural intent of NEPA; • enhancing coordination of environmental reviews by codifying key elements of the One Federal Decision policy; • clearly defining the roles of lead and cooperating agencies; • establishing and adhering to strict timelines and page limits; and creating senior agency leadership accountability to ensure that these requirements are met • focusing the scope of review on significant issues; • avoiding duplication and allowing for the application of the functional equivalence doctrine; and, importantly, • increasing project proponent involvement in the NEPA process.
Mining and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive. Our members take great pride in responsibly producing the minerals America needs for the items we use every day, to rebuild our infrastructure, to make conventional and renewable energy possible, and to contribute to our nation’s economic and national security.
Reforming the NEPA process is critical to the competitiveness of the domestic mining industry, job creation, and decreasing our reliance on foreign sources of minerals. We thank CEQ for this thoughtful and practical approach.
EOMA SILVER MEDALLIONS FOR SALE
As most of you know, EOMA did not mint 2019 medallions, nor will we mint 2020 medallions. However, we still have 2018 medallions available, as well as some medallions from previous years. They are currently selling for $50.00 apiece plus $5.00 shipping, handling, and insurance. (Prices are subject to change).
You can order your medallion from the EOMA website and pay by pay-pal. Or, you can send $50 plus $5.00 shipping and handling to EOMA, Medallions, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814, or call 541-523-3285. Also, you can buy them at our EOMA meetings.
EOMA ADVERTISING AND SALE LISTINGS
WANTED-GOLD
Gold Specimens and Gold nuggets, mostly from Oregon mines. Fair prices paid. Also selling Gold nugget jewelry, specimens, nuggets and more. For an interesting and informative experience explore www.northernnevadagold.com. Call Robert 775-455-6470.
WANTED-MINE RAIL
Wanted 40 to 60 feet of narrow gage mine rail (8 lb. preferred) with connectors. Various lengths are needed; used, and rusty are fine as long as it is straight!
Contact Frank at 724-840-2179 or flotito1@verizon.net.
GOLDEN ANGEL PLACER CLAIMS FOR SALE
Located on Pine Creek, adjacent to the High Bar (Gold Rush) claims, the four 20 acre Golden Angels have an approved Plan of Operation in place. Good County road access, water for processing, WPCF permit goes with the sale. For information, call John at 541-620-1177.
FOR SALE
Ed Hardt is selling his placer mining equipment. Ed's trommel is 20 feet long, 5 feet in diameter, gear driven, positive drive. It will process up to 100 yards a day, will not slip or spin out. Also, one three-inch pump, a two-inch pump, two and three inch flat hose, and a generator. Call 541-377-9209 or email Ed at twohardts@hotmail.com. Price for all is $15,000.
GOLD CLAIMS FOR SALE (3)
6 unpatented placer claims (180 acres) located on Elk Creek near Baker City.
Sale includes all equipment (2 excavators, dump truck, trommel, pumps, generators, etc).
Site was featured on the cover of ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal (August 2014).
Approved Plan of Operation with US Forest Service in place and can be transferred (expires 2021). DEQ process permit goes with the sale of the claims. For price, pictures and details, call Don Enright, 509-860-1145 or email: donaldenright25@gmail.com
FOR SALE TWO 80 ACRE ASSOCIATION PLACER CLAIMS (5)
Because of health reasons, we are selling our two 80 acre Association Placer Claims. These two claims are the last two claims on the top end of Elk Creek, a short distance from Baker City. A road goes through most of it. Sell for $7,000 each, or best offer. Will take gold, silver or will sell for a lesser price for cash. Call Ken Anderson at 541-519-9497 or Chuck Chase at 541-310-8510.
NATIVE SPIRIT 60 ACRE CLAIM FOR SALE
This claim is located on McCully Creek on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest just west of the town of Sumpter. Good access, off-channel water is available for processing. DEQ process permit goes with the sale of the claim. Plan of Operation is scheduled to be approved for 2020 work. Call Charles Stewart at 541-910-5435 for more information.
BLUE SKY PLACER MINE $7,500
Three mining claims, two on Bull Run Creek, and one on Swamp Creek, a tributary of Bull Run Creek. The mine has a Plan of Operation and is set up for a trommel and backhoe operation. Can assume the plan and the $1,400 Bond. Six off channel ponds. Number six pond is the fresh water pond and number five you can discharge into. Can pan gold out of the tailings. Quite a bit of testing done and assay work; has all of the 17 Rare Earth Minerals. Call (541-310-8510)
SUE PLACER FOR SALE-$12,000
The Sue is located on the North Fork Burnt River, which is open for suction dredging, and is accessed by a good county road. The North Fork has a long dredging season-July 1-October 31 each year. I am selling the 20-acre Sue claim, along with two dredges (a 4” and a 6”), two trailers for them and accessories, two wet suits with weight belts, one repair kit and a few other items. There is also an approved Plan of Operation with the Forest Service for using a trommel and mechanized equipment beside the river. The equipment alone is worth over what you will be paying for the total package, it's like getting the claim for free. For information call Stan Baker 541-938-8353 HM 509-386-7465 CELL swbrockett@msn.com.
SUBSCRIBE TO MINING JOURNAL FOR UP TO DATE NEWS
ICMJ’s Prospecting and Mining Journal is your monthly source for news, legislation, how-to articles and more. A full year (12 issues) is still only $27.95; or get a print and an online subscription for just $31.95, and get access to our last 16 years of articles online too. Published monthly since 1931. Visit us at www.icmj.com or call at (831) 479-1500 to get your subscription.
ACTION MINING SERVICES, INC.
AMS is selling out all assay supplies, screens, chemicals and labware! Call for quote and mention this ad for 35% off! Assay supplies, concentrators, impact mills, technical books (for the beginner to the advanced mill man), & more! Call for our free catalog or visit us online! Check out their website for information on wave tables. PO Box 1913, Sandy OR 97055 Phone: 503 826-9330 • 800 624-1511 sales@actionmining.com • www.actionmining.com
|
