Update on the Bills in the Legislature

SB 6343 - the beach mining bill - emerged from the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources today and was passed to the Rules Committee for its second reading.

HB 2871 - the bill to reduce Gold and Fish Pamphlet penalties - was in the executive session of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Ocean & Recreation yesterday morning. No word yet on exactly what action was taken.

Check up on these bills for yourself at SB 6343 and HB 2871. You may find something I've missed.

WPMA Link Down?

The link to the Washington Prospectors Mining Association web site is currently producing a page full of gibberish. I'm going to leave it up until the situation gets clarified one way or another.

Division of Geology and Earth Resources Launches New Web Site

Washington State's Division of Geology and Earth Resources has launched a new web site at a new address:  http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Divisions/GER/.  The old addresses which begin with http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/ are no longer valid.

The sidebar link on this page has already been updated.

Further Progress on the Two State Mining Bills

HB 2871, the bill to decriminalize violations of the Gold and Fish Pamphlet, is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Ocean & Recreation at 1:30 PM. on Monday, February 25th in Senate Hearing Room 2, J.A. Cherberg Building.

SB 6343, the bill to create a pilot program to examine the impacts of small scale mineral prospecting on coastal areas, had its first reading in the House today and was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources. In what appears rapid progress, the bill is scheduled for two hearings: the first is a public hearing in Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM on February 25th in House Hearing Room B, John L. O'Brien Building; the second an executive session in the same committee at 8:00 AM on the 27th and in the same room.

It appears that those interested in attending both public hearings on Monday the 25th will have to figure out a way to be in two locations at the same time; a neat trick if they can do it!

Stay tuned as the legislative follies continue.

Click these links for the latest on HB 2871 and SB 6343.

SB 6343 Clears the State Senate

SB 6343, which has been revised for 1st Substitute: Creating a pilot program to examine the impacts of small scale mineral prospecting on coastal areas, passed the State Senate today by a vote of 45 to 3 and is on its way to the House. Text of the substitute bill may be found here. Details of the vote and the latest information on this bill may be found at the website here.

Two Mining Bills Continue to Progress Through the State Legislature

HB 2871, the bill to decriminalize violations of Washington State's Gold and Fish Pamphlet, had its first reading in the State Senate today and was referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation.

Meanwhile, SB 6343, the bill to authorize limited small-scale placer mining on some Washington ocean beaches, was placed on second reading today by the Senate Rules Committee.

Mining Bills Progressing Through State Legislature

HB 2871, the bill to decriminalize violations of Washington State's Gold and Fish Pamphlet, passed the House yesterday by a vote of 96 to 0. Details are available on the Legislature's website. The bill is now headed for action by the state Senate.

SB 6343, the Senate measure to permit limited placer mining on some of Washington's ocean beaches on a trial basis, was made eligible to be placed on second reading yesterday as well. Details can be found here.

More posts will follow as developments warrant.

HB 2871 Update

HB 2871, the bill to decriminalize violations of Washington State's Gold and Fish Pamphlet, was placed on second reading by the Rules Committee today.

You can follow the action here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2871#0.

Or wait for further updates to be posted on this blog.

Weekend Report on the two Mining Bills in the State Legislature

There are two mining bills working their way through the Washington State Legislature. One is HB 2871 (sponsored by Representatives Kretz and McCune) which would decriminalize violations of the State Department of Fish and Wildlife's Gold and Fish Pamphlet. Under current law, a violation of the Pamphlet's provisions is punishable as a gross misdemeanor. As the law now stands, merely using a gold pan at the wrong time of year or in the wrong place could lead to a criminal conviction. HB 2871 would reduce such a violation to a civil transgression known as a "Natural Resources Infraction." On February 5th the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee of the House passed HB 2871 to the Rules Committee for its second reading.

The other bill, SB 6343 (sponsored by Senators Morton, Carrell, and Roach), would allow small-scale placer mining in selected locations on Washington's ocean beaches. Under current law, any such mining is prohibited. On February 7th the Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee of the Senate voted to pass a substitute bill to the Rules Committee for second reading.

The next step for both of these bills is for the respective Rules Committees to place the bills on the second reading of the calendar for debate before the entire body of the respective branches of the Legislature. At the second reading, each bill is then subject to debate and amendment before being placed on the third reading calendar for final passage. After passage, each bill would be sent to the opposite chamber of the Legislature to go through the entire process again. Once both chambers of the legislature have agreed upon, passed, and the leaders signed the same version of the bill, the bill then goes to the Governor for signature. The entire process is explained in detail here.

We shall keep a mindful eye on the progress of these two items.

Update on WDFW's Proposed Prospecting Rules

In the ongoing saga to revise Washington's small-scale prospecting and mining regulations, commonly known as the "Gold and Fish Pamphlet", we observe that WDFW now has the following notice posted on it's web page:

WDFW has extended the deadline for accepting written comments on the rules until further notice.

The good news here is: we all have more time to study the proposed rules and submit comments.

In news relating to the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting scheduled for tomorrow, WDFW is asking the Commission to "Delay the presentation of the proposed rules and the public hearing to a future date." According to a "Green* Sheet" from WDFW, this situation came about as a result of "significant discontent about the proposed rules not only among members of the prospecting community, but also among those prospectors that sat on the workgroup." This "discontent" was evidenced at the four public workshops and in the comments received by WDFW. The "Sheet" goes on to state that "Prospectors have expressed significant dissatisfaction with proposed work windows, numerous specific work requirements, and in the rule development process itself. Because of this, Habitat Program is delaying presentation of the proposed rules to the Commission until outstanding issues can be resolved."

It does indeed sound like the mining community is making itself heard.

* Interesting choice of word.

Update on HB 2871 - Regarding penalties for small scale prospecting and mining violations

HB 2871, the bill to reduce the penalty for a Gold and Fish Pamphlet violation from a gross misdemeanor to a natural resources (civil) infraction, is scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM on Monday, February 4th (subject to change - as always).

To keep up with the progress of this bill yourself, visit the Washington State Legislature's web page here.