Buried deep in the 2012 fiscal year budget for the US Dept. of Interior is a proposal to reform hardrock mining on public lands. This is a new development that was published in Feb 2011 that, if enacted, will institute a leasing program for gold, silver, and other minerals rather than the current ability to claim under the General Mining Law of 1872.

Here's a summary...

Reform Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands – Interior will submit a legislative proposal to provide a fair return to the taxpayer from hardrock production on Federal lands. The legislative proposal would institute a leasing program under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 for certain hardrock minerals including gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, uranium, and molybdenum, currently covered by the General Mining Law of 1872. After enactment, mining for these metals on Federal lands would be governed by the new leasing process and subject to annual rental payments and a royalty of not less than five percent of gross proceeds. Half of the receipts would be distributed to the States in which the leases are located and the remaining half would be deposited in the Treasury. Existing mining claims would be exempt from the change to a leasing system, but would be subject to increases in the annual maintenance fees under the General Mining Law of 1872. Holders of existing mining claims for these minerals could, however, voluntarily convert claims to leases. The Office of Natural Resources Revenue will collect, account for, and disburse the hardrock royalty receipts.

ASTROBLEME

Those of us that have mining clames are in for rough times . How is this going to be controled?

That specifically mentions hardrock claims. I have placer claims.

Leonard

Thanks for posting this up Astrobleme, this is something all of us should be concerned with becasue if it's passed for hard rock then what would stop it from then engulfing placers as well?
The question here is ownership and the BLM/DOI doesn't have it!! They've never owned it since day one of their creation and the mining law clearly states that. We the citizens own that land and all it contains which is why we have a right to develope those deposits of minerals within those lands........our ancestors pioneered/founded the lands and we owned them (as citizens) prior to the lands even being part of the union!
They've never owned them and if we the citizens let them illegally take our ownership away through BS such as this, then we are all in deep schist!!


Please keep us all posted on the updates as you get them too Astrobleme, good work getting the word out!
CP

Seeing that the government has not passed a budget in a long time, is there really any chance of them passing this one and having this junk go into effect?