Mining

President Biden Attempts to Gut Oil and Gas

On April 22, 2021, President Biden announced at the Leader’s Summit on Climate a target for the United States to achieve a 50 to 52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution by the year 2030. Notably, and without any evidence, the Biden Administration’s announcement states this goal will provide jobs […]

Mark Chatterton Appointed as California Deputy State Director of Energy and Minerals

On April 7, 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the appointment of Mark Chatterton as the Deputy State Director of Energy and Minerals in California.  (See https://www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-welcomes-two-new-members-leadership-team-california.)  In this new role, Chatterton will be responsible for oversight of oil, gas and geothermal development as well as hard rock mining for metallic and industrial […]

San Francisco Chronicle: Gold Fever May Strike Again

The San Francisco Chronicle issued a positive article interviewing Ben Mossman, CEO of Rise Gold Corp., and discussing the Idaho Maryland Mine’s history and local supporters. Mitchell Chadwick is helping permit this historic mine in Nevada County. The mining project will bring over 300 high-paying jobs to the County, and have a very minimal impact […]

U.S. Supreme Court Deals Oregon Small Miners A Blow

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has declined to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Bohmker v. Oregon, holding that Oregon’s five-year moratorium on the use of motorized mining equipment in rivers and streams that contain essential salmon habitat is not preempted by federal law. The Oregon law was passed following California’s revisions to California Fish […]

California Court Places a Limit on the Expansion of Legal Nonconforming Mining Operations

On March 6, 2019, the California First District Court of Appeal, in Point San Pedro Road Coalition v. County of Marin (2019) 245 Cal.Rptr.3d 580, considered whether import of asphalt grindings was within a mine’s legal nonconforming use or whether it was an impermissible expansion or enlargement. The court found that the import improperly expanding […]

Barrick Gold Proposes Purchase of Newmont Mining Corp.

Barrick Gold Corp. proposed a merger with Newmont Mining Corp. based on an unsolicited, all-share deal. The offer values Newmont at $17.85 billion and would combine the world’s two largest gold mining companies. Barrick argues that the merger will allow the company to trim costs while combined assets, especially in Nevada, will open up additional […]

Mining Companies Fight Tribal and Environmental Groups’ Challenges to an Issued BLM Permit

Constantine Metal Resource Ltd., Alyu Mining Co. Inc., and Haines Mining & Exploration Inc. fought back last Thursday against the Chilkat Indian Village and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council’s claims that the BLM violated NEPA when it issued Constantine a permit for mineral exploration in Alaska. The environmental and tribal groups believe that the permit allows […]

Proposed Revisions to the Clean Water Act: EPA’s Veto Power Thwarted

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced on June 27, 2018 that Administrator Scott Pruitt wants to do away with the agency’s power to veto permits allowing material from mining and infrastructure projects to impact waters of the U.S. Pruitt directed the agency to put together a proposal to change regulations controlling the agency’s authority […]

Impact of Electric Car Demand on Copper Mining

Electric vehicles, an early harbinger of the adoption of greener technologies in many states, will be one of the largest drivers of the expected increase in demand in copper over the next five years, says commodity analyst Robert Edwards. Today, less than 1% of the world’s vehicles are electric, but experts believe that by 2040 […]

Two-year mining moratorium on millions of acres of federal land set to end this weekend

Consistent with President Trump’s rollback of several Obama-era moratoria on mining on federal lands, the Interior Department is expected to let lapse the two-year moratorium on new mining claims in several Western states. On September 24, 2015, former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell signed a federal administrative order withdrawing from new mining claims 10 million acres […]

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