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I'm sure all of you are aware that the California Legislature is trying to STOP SUCTION DREDGING forever in California.  We have been under a two year moratorium, by Court Order to the Dept. of Fish & Game to produce another Environmental Impact Report (EIR), then Revise the Suction Dredge Regulations based on their findings and then institute those new regulations before Suction Dredging is allowed to continue.

The EIR has been completed and DF&G Suction Dredging Requirements have been amended, sent out for Public Comment and are now in the process of being rewitten to incorporate some of the comments.  The Preliminary EIR Findings said that there are Impacts which can be mitigated by changing the Dredging Seasons on certain rivers.  It also said that there were some UNAVOIDABLE, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS that were out of the jurisdiction of the DF&G.

Enter the California Extremist Environmentalists...They get the Democrats (who control both the Senate and the Assembly in California) to add a Trailer Bill to the State Budget that would add another 5 - Year Moratorium to the suction dredging ban or until the DF&G can FULLY MITAGATE ALL SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS.

We fought hard to get it out of the State Budget and it is now contained in AB120. The Budget Bill that went to Governor Brown (AB98) has already been VETOED by the Governor. However AB120 had been sitting in the Engrossing & Enrolling since around June 14th. It was finally sent to the Governor on July 14th:

LAST HIST. ACT. DATE:  07/14/2011
LAST HIST. ACTION   :  Enrolled and presented to the Governor at  3:15 p.m.

The Governor went on vacation around July 13th, but he has the ability to Sign orVeto it "Electronically" I have been told that he will be back from "hiking in the Sierras" (with the Sierra Club, I presume, so they can coerce him into signing the Bill). If the Governor does nothing within the 12 day signing period, the Bill will automatically become LAW.  The date by which he must do something by is July 26th.

EVERY CALIFORNIA VOTER MUST CALL, FAX OR E-MAIL GOV.  BROWN'S OFFICE over the next week, starting Monday Morning. His Office starts answering phones at 9 A.M. and his contact info is:

Office Number is: (916) 445-2841

FAX NUMBER is (916) 558-3160

WEB ADDRESS: http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php

Unfortunately, it appears they have temporarily shut the E-Mail the Governor page down, but try anyway.

Anyone interested in keeping CURRENT on this issue can visit my WEB SITE AT:

http://prospectorsunite.shutterfly.com/

I created this site to see if I can get enough miners interested in having ONE PLACE TO GO, so we can discuss how we can present a "UNITED FRONT" against the Extremist Environmentalists, hence the name PROSPECTORS UNITED.

You will have to join (it is FREE), but since I am trying to keep the OPPOSITION out of the site, please tell me in your request to join, WHO recommended you, or your User Name on this site or the GPAA FORUM Site. 

Thanks,

Gary Goldberg