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On Eve of Mining Season, State Legislators Push Reform

Elected leaders seek protections for Siskiyou Wild Rivers from outdated mining laws

State leaders echo federal Senators and Representative DeFazio in calling for action to protect critical salmon streams.

Suction dredge mining pack (photo by US Army Corps of Engineers)

In advance of the summer suction dredge mining season, Oregon state legislators today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting immediate protections for threatened rivers and lands in southern Oregon. The letter requests that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack protect the Siskiyou Wild Rivers region from the outdated 1872 General Mining Law.

The letter echoes efforts made earlier this year by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representative Peter DeFazio. Since 2001, over 800 new mining claims have sprung up in the Siskiyou Wild Rivers. The federal government has been slow to act despite imminent threats to key watersheds like the Chetco River and Rough and Ready Creek.

“People come from all over to experience the wild salmon and steelhead of southern Oregon,” added Representative Peter Buckley of Ashland. “Our economy and our way of life depend on protecting the pristine rivers and wildlands that allow these iconic fish to thrive. We cannot let misguided suction dredge mining destroy this unique southern Oregon treasure and the federal government should act to ensure that it does not.”

Oregon is not alone in facing threats from antiquated federal mining laws. Last year, the California legislature responded to an outbreak in suction dredge mining on sensitive northern California rivers by banning the practice in areas where salmon may be impacted. With the record-high price of gold, California miners are turning their sights to southern Oregon’s pristine streams.

In their letter, the Oregon legislators call out the need for reform of the 1872 Mining Law and for immediate protections in the interim.

“Just across the border, California has wisely limited destructive mining activity to protect vital fishery resources,” said Senate Environment Committee Chair Jackie Dingfelder. “If the federal government fails to act to safeguard southern Oregon’s pristine rivers and salmon, the Oregon legislature may have to consider similar options to keep the Siskiyou Wild Rivers safe.”

On June 8, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) closed the public comment period on the proposed permitting rules for suction dredge mining. The state hopes to finalize those rules by June 30. Conservation groups are pressuring DEQ to enact stronger protections and more diligent enforcement procedures when the rule is finalized.

While the price of gold is at an all time high, mining remains a small part of the southern Oregon economy. Far more important to local businesses are healthy rivers and forests. Recent economic data collected on southern Oregon’s famed Rogue River shows that west coast residents enjoy more than $1.5 billion in economic benefit from the Rogue River salmon and steelhead runs.

“As our state continues to work its way out of a recession, it makes no sense to disable our fishing and tourism industries in southern Oregon by allowing destructive mining in pristine rivers,” said Senator Alan Bates of Ashland. “Some places are appropriate for mineral extraction. Wild and scenic rivers, and wilderness-quality lands are not.”

Read a copy of the letter.

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