The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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Last updated: 04/04/03
May 19, 1997
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The Bureau of Land Management will hold a "scoping" meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 22 in connection with the Bureau's effort to revise its "Section 3809" regulations that govern hardrock mining on BLM-managed lands. The meeting will give members of the public an opportunity to offer their ideas about revising the Bureau's hardrock mining rules and to participate in the BLM's process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement relating to this regulatory effort. The BLM will maximize participation by using a small-group discussion format.
The Washington, D.C., meeting will be held at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 16th and K Streets, N.W., from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
BLM Acting Director Sylvia Baca said, "I encourage anyone with an interest in hardrock mining on BLM public lands to attend this meeting to help us develop new hardrock mining rules. We are particularly interested in suggestions on the use of best-available technologies or other technology-based standards for preventing unnecessary or undue degradation of the land. We are also interested in comments on operation and reclamation requirements."
The BLM's effort to modernize its hardrock mining rules comes in response to a directive from Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. The BLM has formed a task force to address several hardrock mining issues, including (1) the use of "best available technologies" to prevent "unnecessary or undue degradation" of public lands; (2) performance standards for the conduct of mining and reclamation activities; (3) alternatives to the current rules that apply to mining operations of five acres or less; and (4) ways to improve coordination between the BLM and state regulatory programs. The task force is headed by Bob Anderson, the BLM's Deputy Assistant Director for Minerals, Realty and Resource Protection.
The BLM expects to publish proposed revised Section 3809 regulations for public review and comment by April 1998. The agency plans to send final regulations to the Federal Register by March 1999.
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