This Week in Hearings

There are two public hearings this week which are of interest to the prospecting and mining community:

1. January 30

Agriculture & Natural Resources - 01/30/08 8:00 AM - Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, Washington

Of interest is the fourth item on the agenda, namely HB 2871 - Regarding penalties for small scale prospecting and mining violations.

This bill, if passed, would reduce the penalty for a Gold and Fish Pamphlet violation from a gross misdemeanor to a "natural resources infraction."

If you plan on attending, be advised that parking is a major problem and you should probably plan on taking the shuttle to the building.

The meeting agenda is available here: http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/committees/agnr/agendas/

2. February 2

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
February 1-2, 2008, Commission Meeting
Natural Resources Building
1111 Washington St. SE
First Floor, Room 172
Olympia, Washington

Of interest here is item number 11 on the agenda (scheduled as the fourth item on Saturday right after the break), namely MINERAL PROSPECTING (a.k.a. “GOLD AND FISH”) REGULATION PROPOSALS UPDATE – BRIEFING.

The meeting agenda is available here: http://wdfw.wa.gov/com/feb0208.htm

The more prospectors and miners who attend these meetings the better for the small-scale mining community in Washington State. If you cannot attend these meetings, please contact the members of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee to express your support for HB 2871 and the Fish & Wildlife Commission to comment on the proposed rule changes for mineral prospecting. And remember, you can still send comments regarding the rule changes to WDFW until March.