Tuesday, July 28, 2009 • Supes ask governor to veto mining bill

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, July 28, 2009, edition of the Lassen County Times.

Don’t stop new suction dredge gold mining in California. That’s the message contained in letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved by the Lassen County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 21.

The letter, signed by Lloyd Keefer, chairman of the board of supervisors, asks the governor to “veto SB 670-Wiggins or any trailer bill seeking to place a moratorium on suction dredge gold mining in California. This activity is important to the economy of Lassen County.”

Proponents allege suction dredge mining is “a rather crude technology” that releases mercury into river water and harms salmon and the fish’s spawning grounds.

According to the Sierra Club California, an environmental group that supports the bill, “It simply does not make sense to jeopardize an entire fishery and to ask commercial fishermen to sit idle while allowing ongoing environmental harm for a recreational hobby.”

The Regional Council of Rural Counties opposes the bill and claims “existing regulations are sufficiently restrictive and protective and allow individuals to legally mine their claims of precious minerals.”

The New 49’ers, a mining advocacy group argues there is no scientific evidence to show suction dredging as the cause of the collapse of the salmon population. They allege the collapse is due to “ocean conditions and an over-reliance on hatchery fish.”

The supervisors noted an environmental impact report on the issue has been ordered by the courts and subsequently funded by the state, but the study has not been completed.

And, according to the letter, the director of the California Department of Fish and Game recently rejected a petition from anti-mining activists requesting emergency regulations because there is no evidence to support the request.

“There is no scientific evidence to support shutting down a legal and legitimate enterprise before the EIR is completed,” the supervisors’ letter reads, “particularly when prior studies fail to demonstrate any link between local salmon populations and suction dredge mining.

“Much of the millions of dollars brought into California by gold prospectors is spent in local, rural communities like Lassen County where mining is popular. Tax revenues generated from expenditures such as fuel, groceries, camping and mining supplies mean that rural counties and the state of California benefit as well.”

Lassen County’s state representatives — Senator Sam Aanestad and Assemblyman Dan Logue — both voted against the bill. Despite their objections, the bill passed 31-8 in the Senate on May 26 and 63-11 in the Assembly on July 9.