Public Lands for the People (PLP) is conservatively projecting a path for legally reopening gold suction dredging
mining starting in 2021 provided that two obstacles are resolved, which are:
1) Prohibitive state regulatory programs that have become dysfunctional and prohibitive to the suction
dredge industry.
2) Inconsistent applications of the Clean Water Act (CWA) federal & state administered section 402
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
To overcome these two obstacles, two things will need to be completed that PLP is helping to guide:
1) Federal Preemption regulations set out to deconflict duplicative & prohibitive state regulatory programs
on federally administered lands under the surface jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management. Status: Petition accepted, and Rulemaking process started May 2020
2) Clarifying regulations that are jointly issued by the federal EPA and Army Corps that state that suction
dredging does not as a matter of practice produce an addition within the meaning of the CWA 402 NPDES
program and is not a point source discharge while reaffirming longstanding deminimus unregulated
movements under the CWA 404 program. Status: 2019 Don Smith Petition under pending
consideration
Up until now, PLP had been reluctant to release this strategy until the proper legal, scientific, and political
foundations have been laid and solidified. PLP believes it is now time to release this information and clarification
given based upon our alliances within the industry, key working relationships within the Trump administration
that were established over the course of the last three years, and to so apprise and reassure our membership and
alliances within the industry.
Prohibitive State Suction Dredge Regulations and Programs
Several years ago, PLP had to make the tough decision to face the reality that fighting in state courts on certain
premises was not productive when one has no control over the narrative. The narrative had been set by extreme
environmentalists that suction dredging is bad and never mind the science that proves otherwise. PLP and all the
other mining groups were totally outgunned at the political level in these Western states – namely, California,
Oregon and in Washington. Funding to PLP dropped when miners could not work their claims to help to support
the cause let alone the other groups who were still fighting in the courts to help preserve our way of life. The sad
fact of today is that the present state regulatory systems regulating suction dredging has killed our industry – by
design. That is why PLP started thinking outside the sluice box and into the national security supply chain over
three years ago. Present conflicts and realizations having to do with dependence on China have illuminated the
fact suction dredge miners have a vital role to play and are an ignored and untapped domestic resource – until
now.
See: State Agencies, Courts Undermine Efforts to Free US From China’s Stranglehold on Rare Earths (Bonner Cohen, The Epoch Times, published March 30, 2020)   https://www.theepochtimes.com/federal-state-agencies-and-courts-undermine-efforts-to-free-u-s-from-chinas-stranglehold-on-rare-earths_3291254.html 

Initially, when PLP started going to Washington, D.C., we had difficulty establishing and communicating the
reality that our industry was being decimated by so-called reasonable state programs when lobbyists from big
mining were saying that they want state regulations rather than federal. We warned the BLM and Forest Service
over three years ago that the prohibitive state suction dredge regulations that started in California would expand to
Oregon then Washington and beyond if the federal government did not take affirmative preemptive measures
through the rule making process. It took some time, but we were successful in changing that perception at least
for the subject of suction dredging regulations. We will continue to push for non-duplicative regulations as it has
become clear that “duplicative mining regulations produce intolerable conflicts in decision making”. (Quoting
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Powell in CA Coastal Comm. v Granite Rock, 1986)
Regulatory Relief is in the Pipeline!
PLP is happy to report that the petitions sent in by Waldo Mining District and supported by PLP and numerous
other mining organizations are being processed for proposed preemption rule making by the BLM (then it should
be duplicated by the Forest Service soon thereafter). As of the date of this writing May 18th, 2020, the BLM
has assured us that the proposed rulemaking on preemption will be released for comment within a month.
PLP is happy to report that the Forest Service has been pushed namely by the American Exploration & Mining
Association (AEMA) to replace the 36 CFR 228A mineral regulations to make them as close as possible to the
more certain and more workable BLM 43 CFR 3809 mineral regulations. PLP would rather the Forest Service
minerals program be scrapped and folded under the BLM’s regulatory jurisdiction because if not for the 9th
Circuit Court, the Forest Service really lacks the legal jurisdiction to manage the minerals upon federally
managed land of the United States. That is because of the 1905 Transfer Act (16 USC section 472) that states in
part: “…the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall, from and after the passage of this Act, execute or
cause to be executed all laws affecting public lands…excepting such laws as affect the surveying, prospecting,
certifying, or patenting of any such lands.”
The other reason PLP would rather the Forest Service minerals program be scrapped and folded under the BLM’s
regulatory jurisdiction is because of the huge and horrible track record of abuses the Forest Service has against
the miners and their pattern of unjustified delays.
The new Forest Service draft regulations and EIS should be available for comment by the end of the year
2020. PLP will be making more comments on this when the draft EIS is available and the comment period
reopens on the draft regulations.
Clarifying the 402 CWA NPDES Program at the Federal Level
As many miners are aware, the Clean Water Act (CWA) is an enactment by Congress for the regulation of our
nation’s waters. The 404 section of the CWA pertaining to dredge and fill operations to disposal sites is regulated
exclusively by the U.S. Army Corps. Some miners are mistaken, and it is important to note that the Army
Corps 404 permitting authority cannot waive the application of the 402 permitting authorities—whether it
is being administered by the federal EPA or its delegated state administrators such as the CA State Water
Quality Control Board or the Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This is further discussed
below under the topic of “Some miners are sending a mixed message about suction dredging.”
Let’s be clear, these are two separate and distinct programs—one program cannot cancel out the application of the
other program or its enforcement.
Over 8 months ago PLP assisted Idaho member Don Smith in his Appeal and Petition to the EPA and Army
Corps that his suction dredge operations should not trigger the application of the 402 NPDES CWA program, in
addition to his Idaho Joint Application general permit between the IDWR and Army Corps. That Petition has
gained overwhelming support from over 28 leaders in the industry and many individuals and counties. An
investigative report (see link earlier in this paper) has revealed that deep within the regulatory swamp certain
individuals employed in the EPA and Army Corps are purposely denying the miners (Donald Smith 402) petitions
to be seen by top level Trump appointees of those two federal offices.
Thanks to our great contacts in DC, we are in the process of bringing in the big guns within the Trump White
House in order to help drain the swamp within namely the EPA for starters. A big thank you will be in order soon
for the Washington DC-based National Center for Public Policy Research who has helped this issue along, and to
have accountability within the EPA opposing President Trumps deregulatory agenda. Please stay tuned on this
ongoing effort every month in ICMJs Prospecting & Mining Journal.
At the same time, Waldo Mining District leader Tom Kitchar is leading the charge, taking the 402 suction dredge
controversy from Oregon to the U.S. Supreme Court with the expertise of the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF).
The Pacific Legal Foundation has a stellar record of winning before the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS).
Unfortunately, due to delays from the Oregon DEQ, the soonest we will know if SCOTUS will even take up the
case or decide the case now will most likely occur in the fall of 2020.
Some miners are sending mixed messages about suction dredging:
“I don’t pollute, but please give me my pollution permit”
A small group of suction dredge miners are sending a mixed message about suction dredge mining and are
actually playing into the premise that suction dredges add a pollutant (playing into the environmentalist’s trap).
Most all suction dredgers are now saying, “Hey, my suction dredging does not add a pollutant,” but their actual
actions do not follow their words. Let us explain.
The California State Water Quality Control Board (by delegation from the federal EPA) administers the 402
CWA program. This 402 program is called the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). If a
miner asked for a permit from this agency, he is consenting to a falsehood that suction dredges produce an
addition of a pollutant in need of elimination. Simply said: Those miners are saying, “I don’t pollute, but please
give me my pollution permit.” Those that advocate this kind of message will never give miners reasonable
dredge regulations. This is also a very dangerous path that places the miner in a position of liability to the agency
and subjects the miner to lawsuit by environmentalists who can take advantage of the miner’s error in judgement.
Don’t make that mistake! Don’t feed the environmentalist’s cash cow because that’s how their sue and settle
system functions.
It may come as a big surprise to some miners to know that the citizen suit provision of the CWA has always given
the environmentalists the legal authority to enforce penalties even when the agency fails to act. Suction dredge
miners can be cited or sued at a rate of over $51,000 per day, as has already happened to a California miner
dredging in Idaho who defied the present 402 NPDES program administered in Idaho, yet had consented to (and
advocated for) its application to a suction dredge in California and thus faces over $3 million dollars in fines and
attorney fees because of this admission (posted on his own social media website by the defendant and is now
entered into the court’s record by plaintiffs).
If the miner does not think he needs the 402 permit for his suction dredge, but instead wishes to get a waiver of
the 402’s application, he must Petition the agency for a rulemaking change to say that it should not apply. Good
luck on that in California, right? Who is supposed to be the oversight of the 402 federal CWA program to see that
it is rightfully carried out by the state? Answer, the federal EPA who delegated the 402 program subject to
federal law and oversight. Case in point, the Donald Smith Petition in Idaho illustrates the proper legal path to
challenge a programs misapplication absent litigation.
PLP has heard that some miners believe that if they could only get the Army Corps to give them a 404 dredge and
fill permit or waiver their problems will be solved. This is not true. The Army Corps does not have the legal
authority under the 404 program to waiver the separate legal duties of the CA State Water Quality Control
Board’s job of administering section 402. One program cannot replace the other, and both are separately carried
out as the law is currently written and intended by Congress. This is the same type of unfortunate thinking that got
the California dredge miner mentioned earlier in trouble in Idaho and now facing devastating penalties. Needless
to say, do not challenge the CWA authorities unless you are legally and financially prepared.
The CA Water Board releases the draft Suction Dredge (Pollution) Rules and they are as expected – UGLY!

Recently released draft rules by the CA State Water Board over the section 402 permit for suction dredging are as
PLP expected, very ugly and prohibitive. Permit applications will cost $2,572. Permits will not be available for
streams, rivers and lands that have historically produced gold because of the potential to encounter mercury.
Permits will not be available for ESA potential habitat. So basically, the board will only issue a permit to nongold producing areas. Anyone that is crazy enough to obtain a permit can and will be sued by environmentalists
under the ESA and CWA for a multitude of reasons at a rate of over $51,000 per day in fines if they fail to report
monitoring requirements of the permit, as well as suction dredging without the requisite permit.
PLP views working with the CA State Water Board as a waste of time because of the political bias that was built
into the process by well-funded eco-frauds.

On a more positive note, PLP estimates that if the Trump administration can stay in for a second term and
complete the deregulation agenda, that in all likelihood suction dredging could legally resume in year 2021 at the
earliest—assuming that a federal preemptive and clarification process is complete. This means that suction
dredging would be controlled exclusively under federally-administered BLM and Forest Service lands under new
federally preemption rules to replace state rules that we all know were driven by biased and crazy politics rather
than science and national security needs.

If you like the work PLP does please help PLP help you on the path towards legally resuming suction dredge
mining and reclamation!
Supporting the PLP Grand Raffle helps us continue to fight for your rights.
A book of 12 tickets is only $10. We have a lot of great high value prizes. You can’t win if you don’t enter!
Tickets are available through July 26th to purchase by phone for the July 28th, 2020 Grand Raffle Drawing.
You can call our toll-free number (844)-PLP-1990 which is (844) 757-1990 or Mail a Check by July 20th (to
the address below) and specify the number of ticket books you wish to have mailed to you.

Thank you for your steadfast support through troubling times.

Your Board of Directors