EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
JANUARY 2026
VOLUME 436
President……………………………………..Ken Alexander…….alxk@ortelco.net ……541-446-3413
Vice-President……………………………..Dan Johnson……………………………………..1-503-510-3281
Director of Governmental Affairs……… Terry Drever Gee……………………… 541-523-6228
Editor…………………………….. Jan Alexander………. alx@ortelco.net….541-446-3413
Mineral Policy Director……………….Jan Alexander………. alx@ortelco.net….541-446-3413
EOMA MEMBERSHIPS AND BOND PAYMENTS FOR 2026
ARE DUE THIS MONTH
You can send your payment to: EOMA, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814. Or you can pay at the meeting. You can also sign up and pay with a credit card on our website: EOMA.US
JANUARY 2nd, 2026 MONTHLY MEETING AT ELK CREEK ENTERPRISES
The EOMA monthly meeting is at the Elk Creek Enterprises building located at 890 Elm Street in Baker City. The Executive Board Meeting starts at 6:00 PM and the General Meeting follows at 6:30 PM. As usual, someone will be winning a 1 oz. silver medallion at the end of the meeting.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE-EOMA ELECTIONS 2026
Your efforts, and participation, are critical to achieving our goals. We are going to need your help to educate the public, and solve the problems that keep miners from providing minerals for our country.
The January meeting of the Eastern Oregon Mining Association will be open to floor nominations for Board Members and nominations for the Executive Board members. The names of nominated officers will be in the February newsletter along with an absentee ballot for those that can’t attend the March meeting. At the March meeting the absentee ballots will be counted along with the membership ballots from those who attend and vote at the meeting.
Those of you who send in absentee ballots with a dual membership or man and wife, must put two checks on their ballot, one for each member who votes. The outcome of the March vote count will be in the April Newsletter.
EOMP CAMP CREEK UPDATE -Jan Alexander
The Camp Creek mining operation will be impacted this spring, as the man/made dams constructed in the creek by the Powder Basin Watershed Council and the Forest Service back water up until it floods the mine site. If a miner cut trees beside a stream, or built dams to stop fish passage, that miner would be subjected to noncompliance and fines. But the Forest Service and Powder Basin Watershed Council, with the approval of ODF&W, did all this and then told us what a great project it was. The result of the illegal agency-activities will cause an even more illegal result, by materially interfering with a mining operation.
EOMA will be writing a letter to OWEB, the State organization that provided grants for this project from lottery funds. Lottery revenue for the 2025-27 biennium is down $100 million from the Close of Session forecast. EOMA’s letter will request that OWEB look more closely at grant applications, and not fund future projects like the one on Camp Creek.
ROSEMONT FIX-Doug LaMalfa, Mark Amodei
Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and Vice Chair Mark Amodei (NV-02) made the following statements after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1366, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, on a bipartisan vote of 219-198.
“Every product we use on a daily basis comes from the metals and materials we extract from the land. But wise extraction means knowing what’s actually in the ground,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “The bill we passed today will restore the intent of our mining laws, which were used successfully for over a hundred years. Environmental groups succeeded in getting a court to rule against decades of precedent supporting exploration for mineral deposits. This fix will be an important provision in all our future permitting reform legislations”.
“Strengthening our domestic mineral supply chain isn’t optional, it’s demanded to ensure we don’t fall further behind China,” said Vice Chair Mark Amodei. “Western states are sitting on a wealth of resources and this is a critical opportunity to break our dangerous reliance on foreign adversaries while powering our own economy. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores decades of established precedent, repairs a permitting process undermined by the Rosemont decision, and gives domestic mining operations the certainty they need to compete aggressively and win”
WHAT THE MINING REGULATORY CLARITY ACT (HR1366) DOES
(1) Allows nearby public lands to be used for ancillary, or supportive, activities of a mine site, regardless of whether economically viable mineral deposits have been confirmed.
(2) Establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund to clean up legacy mining sites, supporting the program created in Section 40704 of P.L. 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. (3) The fund will collect revenues from claim maintenance fees paid by the mining operators for the new ancillary mill sites authorized by this legislation.
AMERICAN EXPLORATION AND MINING CONVENTION-Dan Johnson
The first technical session I attended was on Mine and Exploration Permitting by Sierra Marke and Victor Ross. They emphasized that there is a national push that air emissions be minimized during mining operations. Many people think mining is just an industry for profit rather than a vital industry to reduce the risk to national security. The mining industry must work to promote the importance of our industry.
Something to remember is that many industry consultants and some companies are financially dependent on the current rules and regulations to not be changed. The more streamlined the process of permitting becomes, less will be spent by companies for permits.
Orla Mining of Elko, Nevada suggests building relationships with the permitting stakeholders, which has been a successful approach for their company. However, we in Oregon know Nevada is not Oregon!
An important point that we should consider is, that all taxes and benefits of mining stay within the county of origin like they do in Nevada. This is something to request from our legislators in Salem.
It is also important to build separate material stockpiles early on, so reclamation can be maximized.
Old ore bodies contain oxide and refractory. Even though many of these sites have become heritage sites, the potentials should be considered. All old sites are new potential sites due to the direction of the industry under this administration and the value increases of minerals. when previously they were non-economical.
Another consideration is that old mine sites can be improved by employing current reclamation requirements. In this way, the permitting process can be less rigorous than on new ground projects. The only way government agencies can improve permitting and turn themselves around, is to hire field experienced and/or retired mining expertise rather than hiring students fresh out of college.
Louise attended “The Risk Above: Assessing and Addressing Social, Geopolitical, Political, and Reputational Risk” by Adam Hawkins and “Multiple Use on Public Lands and the Nation’s Needs for Minerals” by Laura Granier and Janet Howe. Both sessions were similar to last year’s presentations. It was interesting to note, however, that Nevada has three Processes to navigate BLM: (1) Fast 41 Transparency Projects, (2) Fast 41 Covered Projects, and (3) Alternate Permitting Procedures Pursuant to the National Emergency Declaration (AKA Emergency Permitting Procedures).
AMERICAN EXPLORATION AND MINING CONVENTION CONTINUED
The luncheon speaker on Wednesday was Pat Risner, President of South32 Hermosa. He spoke of their company projects and the minerals manganese and zinc. The big companies are on the move to take advantage of the critical mineral needs as outlined by the federal administration. This includes taking advantage of the development funding that is available for REE production in the United States.
I also attended the session Tariffs, Trade Wars and Trade-Offs by Chris Dail, Peter Vikre, and Evan Lynn. The basic point was that there will be those who have tariff concerns, but the tariffs will, in the long run, produce opportunities to build new mineral agreements across the globe. The future must be solidified through trade agreements if the United States is to compete across the global stage. There is a daunting challenge at this time to neutralize the lead that China has in the mineral industry. However, China has pending issues within their internal economy and with those countries they have contracted with. This is an opportunity for the United States.
The Luncheon speaker on Thursday was Ned Mamula, Ph.D, Director U.S. Geological Survey. He is highly respected and known by many at this convention. Ned is interested in re-establishing the Bureau of Mines. The U.S. is the only major industrial country without such a bureau. Ned gave us the scoop on decisions he could share from the DOI and administration. He is very pro industry and indicated they are working non-stop to implement new regulations to make it possible to solve the mineral shortage created by the last administration. Many green projects have been defunded and funds are being made available for the expansion of coal, oil, natural gas, and metal mining. This administration is focused on tangible outcome projects that do not have a negative impact on existing industries, our economy, or the public in general.
On the last day of the Convention, Louise and I attended New Day For Mining in America. This session concerned current issues in mining and featured Ned Mamula and an economist. Both were very informative.
Several observations follow: Employment growth by sector-2025: Many sectors up but mining and logging down by -2.2%.
What it seems to boil down to is that the government agencies keep hiring from colleges and those persons that they end up hiring are not the top applicants. Due to hiring rules and procedures, government agencies miss out on the best students, since the private sector can hire in a timely manner and pay more than the government. Therefore, the best talent ends up in the private sector, where new hires learn from highly experienced men and women with years of industry knowledge.
This leaves us to wonder if it might be best for agencies to accept Plans of Operation developed by experts, avoid delaying these Plans, and then the government agencies can simply focus on compliance oversight once there is operational activity.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS MADE DURING THE CONVENTION
Mark Compton, Executive Director of AEMA. Discussed appointment to an AEMA committee and the issues we have with Oregon agencies interfering with Federal mining permits.
Sid Smith, AEMA Government Affairs Manager. Discussed the need for the Federal agencies to get involved with Oregon mine permitting on federal lands, since DOGAMI and other agencies are causing delays and failing to provide required permits. I mentioned that we would appreciate having DOI and USDA representatives attend a rural conference in Baker County. It was suggested I resend my previous request of February, 2025, for a conference in Baker County, since the timing might be better for consideration.
Ned Mamula, USGS. Asked him to call me about Oregon and the opportunities their mapping project will have on the discovery of new mineral sites. I provided my card with a note.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO WITHDRAW BIDEN-ERA PUBLIC LANDS RULE TO BLOCK ACCESS TO PUBLIC LANDS-RANGEFIRE
“The previous administration’s Public Lands Rule had the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land — preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West,” BLM Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement, “The most effective caretakers of our federal lands are those whose livelihoods rely on its well-being. Overturning this rule protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.”
HIGHWAY FUNDING REFERRAL-OCAPA
The organizers of the “No Tax Oregon” petition reported last week that they have gathered over 250,000 signatures; more than three times the 78,116 required. The petitioners have until December 30 to refer the recently passed transportation tax and fee increases to the ballot. They are challenging a transportation funding law, signed by Governor Kotek, which is projected to raise $4.3 billion over the next decade to support road maintenance and operations. It is important to note that Democratic lawmakers passed this policy during a fall special session to address an estimated $350 million shortfall within the agency, caused by declining gas tax revenue and rising maintenance and construction costs.
The petitioners are specifically opposing four elements of Oregon’s new transportation funding law: a 6-cent gas tax increase and a temporary increase in the statewide transit payroll tax from 0.1% to 0.2%, both effective January 1, as well as planned increases in vehicle registration and title fees scheduled for December 31.
UPDATE ON BLUE MOUNTAIN FOREST PLAN REVISION-Christina Witham
Over 800 comments were received from the last comment period. The BMFPR team was not furloughed through the shut down and thus, have been reviewing all comments.
The alternatives are being built and so far, it looks like three in total: this is a rough idea of what they may look like.
Alt. 1 No action.
Alt. 2 (most likely to pass), No added wilderness, IRA rescinding rule addressed, east side screens; modifying diameter limits/removing language, riparian areas; reducing “wicks” via fuel treatments and not cutting trees within active channels in riparian projects, increase outputs on timber, fuels reductions and grazing, mineral language updated; stating the importance of the 1872 mine law (recent ex. order) as well as elements of the 1990 BMFP and lastly, adaptive mgt., flexibility built in to the plan.
Alt. 3 Wilderness possibility on WWNF and/or Umatilla but not likely on the Malheur, east side screens guideline with exception to grand fir 30″+, inner and outer riparian zone rules, less outputs for timber, fuels reductions and grazing, mineral language updated; stating the importance of the 1872 mine law (recent ex. order) as well as elements of the 1990 BMFP and lastly, adaptive mgt., flexibility built in to the plan.
Draft EIS coming early 2026
Public meetings April/May 2026
Final EIS late 2026
Record of Decision (ROD) 2027
GOVERNOR’S RACE TAKES SHAPE-OCAPA
This week, Governor Tina Kotek officially announced her plans to run for reelection, setting the stage for a highly anticipated rematch against Republican State Senator Christine Drazen.
Senator Drazen had already launched her campaign in October. During her announcement, Governor Kotek stated, “The choice is between a governor who will stand up for Oregon and protect what we believe in, or a governor who will let Donald Trump do whatever he wants.”
Senator Drazen has not yet responded to the announcement. If she secures the Republican nomination, next November’s election will see these two long-term political rivals face off for the second time.
EOMA ADVERTISING AND SALE LISTINGS
WANTED-GOLD
Gold Specimens and Gold nuggets, mostly from Oregon mines. Fair prices paid. Also selling Gold nugget jewelry, specimens, nuggets and more. For an interesting and informative experience explore www.northernnevadagold.com . Call Robert 775-455-6470
MINING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
STILL AVAILABLE- 3” flat hose, sluice, Honda pump, scraper, clean-up table, road runner screen, screen, diesel tank and pump, two slurry pumps, clean-up room equipment, and additional flat hose. I can send pictures and can provide details on this equipment. I am willing to discuss offers. Call Bill at 503-781-4393. E-mail me at dei@teleport.com.
MINING CLAIMS FOR SALE
STILL AVAILABLE-I still have an association placer claim 40-acres in size, Gold Midas Association, and a 20-acre placer claim, Gold Midas 2. These are on Wilson Creek near the confluence with Elk Creek. I have moved out of the area and thus, need to sell these claims. They are up to date with BLM. Jan Alexander has some maps and information that I sent her on the claims alx@ortelco.net. For a price, please e-mail me at Rob Browning, robbrowning70@gmail.com.
TWO-CELL PAN AMERICAN STYLE JIG FOR SALE
Pan-American style, two cell, square, 42×42 inch jig. Includes 3/16” steel shot and 1/4” screens. Pan-American style jigs differ from other jigs as the diaphragm is located under the machine directly below the jig material bed. This increases recovery over other styles such as the “Denver” jig and various other “side pulse” jigs as it lifts the material equally across the entire material bed. Has an electric motor. I have not used this jig myself, and it has been sitting idle for several years. As is, $6,000 or make offer. Located in Unity, Oregon. Contact Ken Alexander 541-446-3413. Pictures can be provided on request.
65 KW ONAN GENERATOR FOR SALE
This is a 65 KW Onan generator mounted on a trailer with home-built cover. Has two junction boxes for power hookups. Comes with instruction manual and parts catalog. It is powered by a UV 401 International Harvester Co. engine with a gas tank hookup, but can be modified for LPG. The unit has only 339.6 Hrs. on the hour meter. Was used by USFWS as backup unit at a fish hatchery. Started and tested in October 2025. $2,000 or make offer. Located in Unity, Oregon. Pictures can be provided on request. Contact Ken Alexander at 541-446-3413.
TEST TROMMEL FOR SALE-$1500
This unit is mounted on a trailer and can easily be moved into a site for testing the deposit. Contact Bob at firebasebob@hotmail.com . My phone number is 541-473-2880
I can e-mail you pictures.
CAPITOL PROSPECTING-METAL DETECTING AND MINING SUPPLIES
We are located in Baker City at 2801 Broadway Street. We buy used equipment and sell both new and used equipment. Come in and see what we have, or call me at 503-269-8640. My e-mail is CapitolProspecting@hotmail.com.
We appreciate your business. Gary and Christina Earle
ACTION MINING SERVICES, INC.
AMS is selling assay supplies, screens, chemicals and labware! Call for a quote and mention this ad for 10% off! Assay supplies, concentrators, impact mills, technical books (for the beginner to the advanced mill man), & more! Call for our free catalog or visit us online! Check out our website for information on Wave tables. We are located in Plains, Montana. Please call 406.826.9330 to place your order. This way our staff can have it pulled and ready for pick up. Otherwise, we can always ship your order! sales@actionmining.com • www.actionmining.com
AMERICAN EXPLORATION & MINING ASSOCIATION
AEMA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition took place December 7-12, 2025. Dan and Louise Johnson attended to represent EOMA.
The Annual Meeting provides a dynamic platform for industry professionals, experts, and emerging leaders to collaborate, share new ideas, and build lasting connections. This conference fosters knowledge exchange, promotes innovation, and addresses key challenges within the mining life cycle through thought-provoking technical sessions, collaborative short courses, a sold-out trade show, and networking opportunities.
EOMA is a member of American Exploration & Mining Association, and many of our members are also individual members. American Exploration & Mining Association is a 128-year-old, 1,400-member, national association representing the minerals industry. With members in 46 states, AEMA is the recognized national voice for exploration, the junior mining sector, maintaining access to public lands, and represents the entire mining life cycle, from exploration through production to reclamation and closure.
You can become a member of AEMA by going to their website at https://www.miningamerica.org