A stream in Mariposa County
July 8, 2015 - Eureka! Gold was discovered and California exploded into existence. Since that time, miners have continued to search for gold either by panning, sluicing, or--until 2009--suction dredging.
As it stands now, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) no longer issues suction dredge permits. Like so many misguided government policies, what started out as a temporary moratorium in 2009, which allowed DFW time to conduct an environmental review of suction dredging, has morphed into a long-term ban.
Mining enthusiasts challenged the state’s ability to ban mining on federal lands and won--a decision the state is now appealing to the California Supreme Court. Now, environmentalists are pushing a legislative end-run around the court’s decision in the event that the ban is overturned.
Senate Bill 637 (SB 637) recently passed the Senate and is awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife. I voted against this bill in the Senate and hope it is defeated in the Assembly.
At a minimum SB 637 would severely restrict and possibly ban suction dredge mining. The legislation would require the approval of various state and federal water quality agencies before the DFW would be allowed to issue a permit for vacuum or suction dredge mining. It also would require the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) or regional water boards to adopt waste discharge requirements for suction dredge mining--actions that would severely restrict mining.
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has shown suction dredging has no significant long-term impact on fish or invertebrates and that sediment shifts or channel reconfiguration is insignificant as long as nozzle size is limited to six inches. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that “…below a certain size…the effects of suction dredging are so small and so short-term [that they do] not warrant…regulations being imposed…."
Evidence from three studies by Regional Water Quality Control boards between 2005-2014 indicate that mercury in historical gold mining areas has not been an issue and that mercury levels in wildlife in these mining areas were well below EPA thresholds.
In fact, the ban may actually increase mercury levels in gold mining rivers. U.S. Geological Survey data has suggested that mercury levels in rivers where gold is mined have actually increased since 2009, when the suction dredging moratorium took effect, because suction dredge mining removes, rather than deposits, mercury from rivers.
This de facto ban on suction dredge mining is another blow to the economies of rural areas. Slowly but surely coastal elites, with little understanding or interest in rural communities, are regulating away any chance rural economies have to thrive. Whether it is fishing, foresting, or mining, polices, such as the ban on dredge mining have severe economic ramifications on small communities—many of which have few well-paying jobs outside the mining industry or tourism. Businesses depend on the money generated by these industries to make ends meet. I would hope policy makers would actually look at the facts before allowing SB 637 to become law.
Source: Senator Tom Berryhill
