Call to action:
A miner in Virginia reached out to us on a proposal in that state to evaluate the activity of gold mining in the state and determine if it should be basically regulated out of existence. We would guarantee those who submitted comments wanting this banned, have no clue what small-scale mining is and the benefits it has on the environment, for them it is about ideology and not facts or science.
One actually compared the small-scale mining activity to the Gold King mine spill (by the EPA) in Colorado.
We submitted a comment this morning and encourage you to take a brief 5 minutes, click on “submit a comment” and support the miners in VA. If we remain silent, they win.
Here is the notice the Dept. of Energy put out:
The Department of Energy is interested in receiving public comments relative to the gold mining study contemplated by HB2213. That bill, signed into law on March 30, 2021, directs the Secretariats of Natural and Historic Resources, Health and Human Resources, and Commerce and Trade to establish a work group to study the mining and processing of gold in the Commonwealth.
The work group shall (i) evaluate the impacts of the mining and processing of gold on public health, safety, and welfare in the Commonwealth; (ii) evaluate whether existing air and water quality regulations are sufficient to protect air and water quality in the Commonwealth from the mining and processing of gold, including evaluation of the impacts of different leaching and tailings management techniques on downstream communities; (iii) evaluate whether existing bonding, reclamation, closure, and long-term monitoring of sites for such mining or processing are sufficient; and (iv) report its findings no later than December 1, 2022.
To comment, click the link below and then click on “enter a comment”.