700PM Permit Hearings

[MojaveJoe]

Just a reminder. Please attend if you possibly can, and be sure to send in your written comments too.
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Oregon DEQ is holding three (3) public hearings regarding the new proposed "In-Stream" mining permit. (NOTE: This permit, according to DEQ, will be required for all suction dredge operations, instream non-motorized sluicing, rocking, and non-recreational gold panning).

Below are the meeting dates, times, and locations:

PUBLIC HEARINGS:

MEDFORD:

Date: Thursday, May 27
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: Jackson County Courthouse Auditorium
10 South Oakdale, Medford

PORTLAND:

Date: Tuesday, June 1
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: DEQ headquarters, 10th Floor,
Conference Room EQC-A
811 SW Sixth Ave., (sixth & Yamhill), Portland

PENDLETON

Date: Thursday, June 3
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: St. Anthony’s Hospital, Cascade Room,
1601 SE Court Ave., Pendleton

Please attend one of the public hearings to get questions answered, and if you so desire, you may give oral comments. Written comments will be accepted through 5 p.m., June 8.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

DRAFT PERMIT:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/wqpermit/ ... Pdraft.pdf

FACT SHEET:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/pubs/fact ... tSheet.pdf

The public comment period ends on June 8.


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I will be at the Medford Meeting this Thursday.
If you see me, come over and say.. Hey!

[mendoAu]

Wish I could make the Medford meeting........I'll be there in spirit. So Joe, sounds like you had a successful trip, where abouts did you settle in?

[MojaveJoe]

Here is a working link that will take you to the Notice of Hearing and Request For Comments.
Use the clickable links to get to the Draft Permit and Fact Sheet.

http://www.deq.state.or.us/news/publicn ... eFinal.pdf

[MojaveJoe]

mendoAu...I will be heading back to CA Friday morning, after the Medford Meeting.

Hit the Myrtle Creek and Grants Pass areas over 2 weeks. Meet several swell forum members and got some great local info from them.

This was a scouting trip for me to plan a return trip to dredge here this summer with some more friends from CA. That is, if this 700PM Permit thing gets ironed out. Ive got to say that the 800 foot separation clause could kill our summer plans in OR. Sure hope that gets removed. What's the point of dredging with friends if it takes 10 minutes to get from your dredge to theirs in the water or through the brush. I don't know why DEQ is trying to kill dredging in this state, but Im sure they have their reasons. And Im sure the OR economy will take another big hit if they are successful.

I hope to be able to give some personal comments at the Meeting Thursday.

[kerbyjackson]

I'll be there (and at the Town Hall in GP).

By the way, I don't see the 800 foot separation in the final draft I uploaded to Waldo, so hopefully that's been wiped out.

Those of you who are planning to visit this summer, please take the time and send a note to Josephine County Commisioner Sandi Cassanelli. We are getting places here, but must keep the pressure up and Sandi is by far, our greatest ally in local government. All who are planning to come to this area from elsewhere, please take the time to let here know that you intend to mine in SW Oregon for your vacation and that you will be injecting at least some money into the county economy, even if you're just stopping in to buy fuel or food. Let her know that you appreciate her support for mining, but feel the new DEQ permit is so restrictive that it may mean that you may have to go elsewhere. Recommend that Josephine County needs to officially BOYCOTT this permit for the sake of the local economy.

E-mail her at: scassanelli@co.josephine.or.us

or write to:

Commisioner Cassanelli
c/o Josephine County Courthouse
500 NW 6th Street
Grants Pass, OR 97526

Meanwhile, I've got another idea about this permit on a local level, but we'll see.

[justinburnett]

Just scanned through again. The 800 foot separation was one of the points I found ridiculous, and I was happy not to see it, however there was a statement that you could not overlap "turbidity plumes" so if you wanted to dredge with a friend, they're still going to be too far away to see or talk to. Still don't like it, but it's moving in the right direction.

[Umpqua_E]

Yes, but plumes can be very small, especially from sluices (less than 5'), so this means a lot for the stream sluicers.

[Goldschlager]

Joe, I would like to thank you for taking the time to be involved in our fight. I know I am spread thin and maybe make excuses as to why I cant make this meeting or that hearing. But for someone from out of state helping is a classy thing to do and also inspires me to try and be more involved. I know you mine up here but that doesn't mean you have to be involved, it just shows what a stand up guy you are.

Thanks again, Troy Dean

[MojaveJoe]

No problem Troy. If I can help slow down or prevent the CA syndrome up here, I sure want to make an effort. Besides the out of state miners need a voice in this too. Just trying to do my 2 dwt worth

[golddigger]

ill try to make it to medford