HERE for Miners Page

Following are TWO sample letters sent by a Klamath River miner to veto Assembly Bill 1032, which would exterminate California suction dredge gold mining, further decimating economies in our rural areas.

This travesty is compliments of the Karuk Tribe lawsuit

Write Governor Schwarzenegger before October 13th and support our miners!

Put the letter in your own words--just use the following as possible talking points:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Office of the Governor
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814                       

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I urge you to veto Assembly Bill 1032 (Wolk) when it comes before you.

Regardless of the recent amendments, this bill should be vetoed for the following reasons:

AB 1032 turns California’s environmental law upside down and denies the average citizen our right of appeal by not requiring any proof of harm or damage to species under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  The bill closes California rivers and streams to suction dredge gold mining without any environmental review. 

The closures in the bill are based upon the "opinions" of two Department of Fish and Game (DFG) biologists in a recent court case.  The judge did not accept these "opinions" and ruled that DFG must do an environmental review prior to any closures.

AB 1032 closes rivers and streams to suction dredge gold mining year round and then the environmental study will be done.  How can a study be done if the activity is banned year round in most rivers and streams?

Suction dredge gold mining is already heavily regulated in California.  For example, to protect spawning fish, suction dredge mining is only allowed for 3 to 4 months per year on most rivers in California. 

There are numerous studies that show suction dredge gold mining causes no harm to fish when they are not spawning.  Suction dredge gold mining is heavily regulated and limited now to only 2-3 months per year on most waterways.  There has never been proof that suction dredge gold mining has caused any harm to fish or other amphibian species when they are not spawning.

Many suction dredge gold miners have federal mining claims. These are real property rights.  By closing the rivers year round, the state will in effect "take" these property rights from the property owners.  There have been numerous Federal and state court cases which have upheld these property rights.  AB 1032 will undoubtedly result in more court cases against the state if it is signed into law.

The bill will destroy a vibrant part of California history, ruin the economies of rural counties, and deny citizens their property rights.  Passage of AB 1032 will undoubtedly lead to much litigation as citizens have their lien holds taken from them.

My family, myself and many other ordinary Californians enjoy this activity for both recreation and some also make extra money.  The allure of this activity is the same as that which brought the 49ers to California during the Gold Rush.  It is an important part of our state’s heritage.

This is not an inexpensive hobby or avocation.  I spend a lot of money on equipment, lodging and contribute to the economy of mostly rural California.

Many visitors come from other states and countries to enjoy this family recreation and for the possibility of finding gold.  AB 1032, if signed into law, would put an end to most of this economic activity in rural California.

Please veto AB 1032.

Sincerely,

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LETTER TWO

Assembly Bill 1032 has passed through the California legislature and is now on its way to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.

We need your help right now in sending a letter, fax or email to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, asking him to please veto this harmful bill.

In case you are not aware, AB 1032 is a bill that is intended to modify Section 5353 of the California Fish & Game Code to allow the Department of Fish & Game to arbitrarily close and/or curtail suction dredge activity along numerous waterways in California.

We must either kill this bill right now, or we will all suffer the consequences later!

To make it easier for you to create your own email, letter or fax, we have created a web page with a sample message and the addresses where your own message can be directed to make certain it reaches the Governor's desk. Feel free to copy text from our sample. Everything you need to know to help with this can be found at the following link:

http://www.goldgold.com/legal/1032actionalert_governor.htm 

We really need your help to kill this bill now!

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Letter by Jim Foley to Governor Schwarzenegger opposing AB 1032 Suction Dredge mining, comparison between mining and Trinity River Restoration Project, 9/29/07