– Eastern Oregon Mining Association
– 20210702
EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
JULY 2021
Volume 382
JULY 2nd , 2021 MEETING AT ELK CREEK ENTERPRISES
Many thanks to Alice Knapp for letting us continue to meet at the saw shop while City Hall is not available for meetings. We will have a meeting on JULY 2nd, 2021 at the Elk Creek Enterprises saw shop located at 890 Elm Street. The Board Meeting will begin at 6:00PM with the general meeting following at 6:30PM. Don’t forget, we will give away a $50 dollar silver medallion at the end of the meeting. Come to the meeting, buy a ticket, and support EOMA.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE-
The protest march in support of Carol Griffin on June 4, 2021 went off without a hitch. We had a good turn-out of EOMA members, FAFA members and other people who heard about the protest on the news showed up too. We started in front of the Federal Building, marched to the Geiser Grand, and then back to the Federal Building.
Carol could not be there, but she was overwhelmed by EOMA members support for her. She lost her husband, Tom, last winter, and is doing her best to move on with life.
Ed Hardt was the one who put the protest together. We got to talk to a lot of people along Main Street, and handed out information about how the Forest Service took Griffin’s reclamation bond money to remove Baker County’s bridge. Since it was a County bridge, Griffins could not remove it; and since it was a County bridge, the Forest Service couldn’t remove it either. The Forest Service didn’t care. They are keeping the bond money, with no indication that they plan to return the money to Carol.
MINERS’ JUBILEE JULY 16, 17 AND 18-Jan Alexander
The Park will be full of vendors, according to the Baker City Chamber Office. We miners will have the street across from the museum available for our booths. Anyone is welcome to set up a tent or table with mining related items for sale-equipment, rocks, jewelry etc. Set-up is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 1:00PM when the street will be closed to traffic.
A full three-day event is being planned, with music, bronc and bull riding, vendors throughout the park. More important for miners, there will be an opportunity to talk about mining, and talk about the reclamation we do. There will be panning for the kids and the State Panning Championships.
EOMA has a couple of great prizes for our raffle. Many thanks to Keith Magnuson for providing the metal detector, and to Richard Linrud for donating the high banker. Tickets will be $1 each, 12 tickets for $10, or 25 for $20. The winner can choose which piece of equipment he or she wants. The second ticket drawn will get the other piece. Winners do not need to be present to win, but pick-up must be in Baker City. We will not be mailings these items. If you remember to bring some address labels with you, you won’t have to make out a bunch of tickets!
If any of you have pictures of your mining operations, I will have enlargements made and these will be displayed at Jubilee. If you would be willing to take a shift at the booth, talk to the public, pan with the kids, it would really help. The Oregon Gold Panning Championships are planned on Saturday afternoon. We give cash prizes for first, second and third places for kids, intermediates and professionals. This might be the year you are a champion!
KENDALL CIKANEK REMAINS AS FOREST SERVICE DISTRICT RANGER
Last month it was incorrectly reported that Kendall Cikanek had been replaced by Brian Anderson, however, Brian has taken the job with the Forest Service in Enterprise, and Kendall is still the Ranger in Baker City.
I e-mailed Ranger Cikanek, asking him about the status of the Powder Mining EIS, however he has not provided any information. The Schedule of Proposed Action stated that he would be making a decision on these mining operations in April, but that did not happen. It would be beneficial if there were open lines of communication between the Forest Service and the miners and other Forest users.
EASTERN OREGON MINERS AND PROSPECTORS CONDUCT RECLAMATION
EOMP members conducted a nice job of reclamation adjacent to our Number 9 claim last weekend. Members were mining on Camp Creek, but took the time to come to the North Fork Burnt River claim to do some reclamation. Mining isn’t only about getting the gold, its also about being a steward of the land. Many mining areas were historically impacted, and under our current Plans of Operation there is ample opportunity to leave a mined-out area better than it was when you started.
PLP DEMONSTRATES HOW TO LEGALLY DREDGE IN CA-Clark Pearson
On Father’s Day near Camptonville, California, with a couple of dozen members present, PLP performed a demonstration on how to legally perform reclamation dredging. Ron Kliewer, President of PLP, introduced Clark Pearson, PLP’s Legal Researcher, who gave a talk on how this works and why. Clark talked about the history of dredging in California over the last couple of decades, the legal fight PLP has been involved in, and how PLP has paved the way for this activity by winning a case in CA State court and one in federal court. One might think that this was just a publicity stunt if you are new to PLP or do not follow the legal cases we have won for our members, but long-timers in PLP know well that we have beaten the odds before and we can keep doing it again.
PLP says the science is on our side, in that suction dredging is a net benefit to the environment. Now that we have the case law on our side, we have stepped out publicly with a dredge demonstration and shown that dredging does in fact remove toxins from the waterway. During our short reclamation dredging demonstration we dredged a piece of legacy iron trash and some mercury. We left the waterway cleaner than when we found it before the demonstration. We also dropped some small pieces of painted lead and iron in front of the nozzle and showed how they traveled up the hose and were trapped in the sluice box for easy removal from the waterway.
PLP RAFFLE DRAWING
It’s almost time for the huge GRAND RAFFLE Drawing! A generous PLP Member has donated 3 dredge trips in Oregon next summer! Get your tickets now; it’s almost the last minute! Ticket sales help us keep making progress on public land issues. Help us help you by buying tickets.
Supporting the 2021 PLP Grand Raffle helps us continue to fight for your rights. A book of 12 tickets is only $10. We have a lot of great, high-value prizes. You won’t win if you don’t enter! Tickets are available through July 11th for purchase by phone for the July 14th 2021 Grand Raffle Drawing.
You can call our toll-free number 844-PLP-1990 which is 844-757-1990 and specify the number of ticket books you wish to have mailed to you.
HOW ULTRA HIGH GRADE GOLD DEPOSITS ARE FORMED-McGill University
A new study by researchers from Canada’s McGill University states that ultrahigh-grade deposits form in years, months, or even days because the underlying mechanisms that lead to their creation produce an effect similar to that of souring milk.
“Our findings solve the paradox of ‘ultrahigh-grade’ or ‘bonanza’ gold formation, which has frustrated scientists for over a century. The paradox of bonanza gold deposits is that there is simply not enough time for them to form so they should not exist, but they do,” Anthony Williams-Jones, co-author of the study, said in a media statement.
GOLD DEPOSITS- Mining.com
In the paper he wrote together with PhD student Duncan McLeish and other colleagues, the researcher explains that most gold deposits form over millions of years, which is what it takes to fill with gold a single centimeter-wide crack on Earth’s crust once very large volumes of hot water have flowed through it. This is not the case, however, for ultrahigh-grade deposits.
Using an electron microscope to observe particles in thin slices of rock at Pretium Resources’ (TSX, NYSE: PVG) Brucejack mine in northwestern British Columbia, William-Jones and McLeish discovered that pretty much like in the process that turns milk sour, gold colloids – which consist of charged nanoparticles of gold that repel each other – are clumped together but when the charge breaks down, they flocculate to form a jelly. This jelly gets trapped in the cracks of rocks to form ultra high-grade gold veins.
“[Similarly], milk consists of little butterfat particles that are suspended in water because they repel each other, like the negative ends of two magnets. When the milk goes sour the surface charge breaks down, and the particles clump together to form a jelly,” William-Jones pointed out.
According to the scientists, this is the first evidence for gold colloid formation and flocculation in nature and the first images of small veins of gold colloid particles and their flocculated aggregates at the nano-scale.
“These images document the process by which the cracks are filled with gold and, scaled up through the integration of millions of these small veins, reveal how bonanza veins are formed,” William-Jones said. “Our results are important to the mineral exploration and mining industry in Canada and around the world.”
In the scientists’ view, now that the mystery of how bonanza deposits form has been revealed, mineral exploration companies can better explore for them and possibly for other gold deposits.
“We suspect that the colloidal processes that operated at Brucejack and other bonanza gold systems may also have operated to form more typical gold deposits,” William-Jones said. “The challenge will be to find suitable material to test this hypothesis. At Brucejack, the next step will be to better understand the reasons why colloid formation and flocculation occurred on the scale observed and reconstruct the geological environment of these processes. We have also been preparing gold colloids in the lab in an attempt to simulate what we discovered at Brucejack.”
The researcher also said that it is important to carry out genetic studies of Canada’s most fertile metallogenic districts in order to better understand how world-class mineral deposits form, and thereby develop more effective exploration strategies.
STRENGTHENING OUR SUPPLY CHAIN REQUIRES MINING-AEMA
There has been much discussion from the Biden Administration on the need to secure
domestic supply chains. President Biden’s America’s Supply Chains Executive Order
gave several Cabinet secretaries 100 days to conduct supply chain reviews for
semiconductors, high-capacity and electric vehicle batteries, critical minerals, and
pharmaceuticals.
The Administration’s early focus on domestic supply chains was the right thing to do.
After all, events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the freakish Texas storm, and shipping
disruptions when the Suez Canal was temporarily blocked have exposed our supply
chain vulnerabilities.
Recent articles implied the Biden Administration is rejecting domestic mining and
looking instead to other countries to supply the minerals and metals needed for
everything from infrastructure and health care to national defense, clean energy and
electric vehicles. This was a shocking statement to many, prompting a quick clarification
from the White House that their approach to meeting our mineral needs includes
responsibly developing domestic mineral resources.
I’m glad to see the Biden Administration’s commitment to responsibly developing our
mineral resources, because the fact is global mineral demand is skyrocketing. Minerals
like copper, lithium, cobalt, antimony and nickel are needed for clean energy
technologies to meet carbon emission reduction objectives to address climate change.
As noted in a recent report from the International Energy Agency, keeping global
temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels will quadruple
the demand by 2040 for the minerals needed to build wind turbines, solar panels and
electric vehicles. A faster energy transition — reaching net zero globally by 2050 as many, including the Biden Administration, have called for— would require critical mineral inputs to increase sixfold by 2040.
A recent Reuters article noted that President Biden has promised to convert the entire
U.S. government fleet – about 640,000 vehicles by 2030 – to EVs. That plan alone
could require a 12-fold increase in U.S. lithium demand to manufacture the lithium-ion
batteries that power EVs, according to Benchmark Minerals Intelligence, as well as
increases in output of domestic copper, nickel and cobalt. Tesla notes that “To ramp production to 500,000 cars per year, Tesla alone will require today’s entire worldwide supply of lithium-ion batteries.” Transitioning to EVs will require an enormous amount of lithium, copper, and other
minerals just to replace the 17 million conventional cars that were sold in the U.S. in
2020.
RECYCLING
As important as recycling is, it cannot meet the Nation’s huge demand for minerals. The IEA’s
report estimates that by 2040, recycling metals from spent batteries could only supply
about ten percent of the minerals that will be needed.
MADE IN AMERICA MUST INCLUDE MINED IN AMERICA- Mark Compton AEMA
Relying on adversaries and allies for the minerals needed for U.S. manufacturing has
created our currently unsustainable dependence on foreign countries for nearly 50
minerals. Made in America must include “mined in America” and sourcing minerals from
U.S. mines that use state-of-the-art environmental protection measures, put a premium
on worker health and safety, and have financial assurances that guarantee reclamation
when mining is complete.
The U.S. is blessed with mineral resources that we can mine using the world’s highest
environmental protection and worker health and safety standards. It’s imperative that
lands with important mineral deposits remain accessible to responsible mineral
exploration and development and that the federal and state permitting processes can be
completed in a timely manner.
Americans and the environment lose when we offshore our mineral requirements. It
makes absolutely no sense to create mining jobs elsewhere and import minerals from
countries with lower environmental and safety standards. President Biden’s
decarbonization aspirations demand that we minimize the carbon footprint of our
minerals by getting them from domestic mines rather than creating the substantial
carbon emissions to ship minerals from around the globe.
By keeping our existing mines operating and getting new mines in operation, the
economic impact ripples out far and wide: to employees, mine suppliers, local
economies and the downstream domestic industries we supply with our products. Not to
mention the tax revenues we generate for local, state and federal governments as a
result of this economic activity. Few industries pack such an economic punch.
Addressing climate change, creating union jobs, and pushing “Buy American”
requirements are pillars of the Biden Administration’s priorities. Mining is the foundation
upon which those pillars stand.
The President emphasizes the clean energy transition and addressing climate change
will create jobs. If we really want to create well-paying, family-wage jobs and strengthen
our domestic supply chains, then look no further than the mining industry.
DEMAND FOR ZINC, COPPER AND NICKEL GROWS-Jetti Resources
A report by market researcher CRU Group forecasts that demand for zinc, copper, and nickel will continue to grow in the next two decades, particularly in China where government stimulus may drive it to levels even higher than what was predicted in pre-pandemic forecasts.
The rest of the world, however, will continue to work towards recovering last year’s losses, particularly because Covid-19 remains the key risk in the short term in developing countries. Yet, the green revolution — despite accounting for less than 5% of global copper demand in 2020 — may throw some surprise punches and boost demand for the red metal and for nickel beyond expected levels, the report states.
In fact, CRU’s calculations see global copper consumption from renewables increasing from 700,000 tonnes per year in 2020 to 1.8 million tonnes per year in 2030, boosted by applications in wind and solar power facilities, electric vehicles, and new electricity infrastructure.
According to the consultancy firm, zinc demand could also benefit from renewables in the coming years because offshore energy is one of the more zinc-intensive clean energy sectors and is set to grow rapidly in the next decades, although from a small base.
Specifically, solar power is expected to account for an increasing portion of refined zinc demand going forward because the metal is commonly used in solar arrays that are mounted on galvanized steel frames and that cover vast areas. Zinc is also the key component of some utility-scale batteries, whose current market is small but in CRU’s view has the potential to become a fast-growing one, adding to overall renewables-related zinc demand.
Looking at the role of electric vehicles in base metals demand, the report forecasts that global EV-related copper demand will increase from around 300,000 tonnes in 2020 to over 4 million tonnes in 2040. The prediction is based on the fact that, in spite of the pandemic, 2020 seems to have been an inflection point for the electric vehicle industry, with European sales of electric plugins breaking the 1-million unit barrier. When it comes to copper, EV manufacturers tend to incorporate the metal in their designs, with the intensity of use at around 80 kilograms per vehicle, which is up to four times that for a standard internal combustion engine.
The battery sector is also seen as a major nickel consumer in the years to come, accounting for almost 60% of nickel demand growth out to 2040. This rise will come on the back of increasing penetration of electric vehicles in the automotive sector, using nickel intensive batteries.
Nickel is also expected to benefit from lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) battery chemistries cementing its position as the “industry standard,” considering that they provide higher charger densities than their non-nickel-based counterparts.
SAGE GROUSE MINERAL WITHDRAWAL TO BE RECONSIDERED-AEMA
This month the Department of Justice filed a status report in the ongoing greater sage-grouse lawsuit, Western Watersheds Project, et al. v. U.S Department of the Interior, et al. in Judge Winmill’s court in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.
The Biden Administration intends to initiate a new planning process for sage grouse conservation. Although no details about that planning process were included, it “would likely address inclusion of any new information and revisiting the deficiencies identified by the court.”
The Department of the Interior (DOI) also will re-initiate the NEPA process to consider whether the Obama Administration’s proposed mineral withdrawal of 10 million acres for “Sagebrush Focal Areas” is necessary for sage grouse conservation. Judge Winmill in February vacated the Trump Administration’s Interior Department 2017 decision to cancel the proposed withdrawal and remanded the action back to DOI. The government indicated in the status report that the “likely next step will be the circulation of a draft NEPA document for review.” The timing for that document is uncertain.
Also mentioned in the status report is the plaintiff’s claim challenging the Trump Administration’s compensatory mitigation policies. Interior Secretary Haaland’s Order No. 3398 rescinded the Trump-era secretarial orders regarding compensatory mitigation and directed staff to ‘review and revise as necessary all policies and instructions that implemented” the Trump Administration S.O.’s. As a result, the government anticipates that plaintiff’s compensatory mitigation claim will become moot.
The government requested the case be put on hold for 60 days, and the court this week granted that request. The next status report will be due July 9, 2021.
USDA APPOINTMENTS-AEMA
Jewel Bronaugh, Biden’s nominee to be the deputy secretary at USDA, was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote May 14. Bronaugh will oversee the day-to-day operations of USDA as the No. 2 in command.
On May 19, USDA announced that Meryl Harrell had been appointed deputy under-secretary for natural resources and environment. Harrell served in the Obama administration and most recently worked for the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards.
She will report to the under-Secretary for natural resources and environment, and will have a supervisory role over the Forest Service.
EOMA ADVERTISING AND SALE LISTINGS
THE OREGON CONCRETE AND AGGREGATE ASSOCIATION
EOMA is a member of OCAPA. This is undoubtedly the largest type of mining in Oregon. They have a very interesting and informative website that also may be of interest to metal miners. They keep track of the bills introduced in Oregon’s legislature that may affect all mining in Oregon.
It will be necessary to remind the Oregon legislators, who mainly come from the Willamette Valley, that not all of Oregon has a moderate climate. A bill such as SB 715 which mandates higher percentages of biodiesel doesn’t work for the people who live and work at higher elevations.
Check out their website: https://www.ocapa.net
EOMA SILVER MEDALLIONS FOR SALE
EOMA still has silver medallions available. They are currently selling for $50.00 apiece plus $5.00 shipping, handling, and insurance. (Prices are subject to change).
You can order your medallion from the EOMA website and pay by pay-pal. Or, you can send $50 plus $5.00 shipping and handling to EOMA, Medallions, PO Box 932, Baker City, OR 97814, or call 541-310-8510. Also, you can buy them at our EOMA meetings.
PUMPS FOR SALE
Two water pumps with belt driven clutch system (heavy duty) driven by a 2-cylinder Wisconsin gas engine for $250.
Also, a 5″ intake 7″ discharge Fairbanks and Morse high pressure pump. Driven by a 30 HP 3 phase electric motor for $450. Call Ken Anderson at 541-523-2521 or 541-519- 9497
FOR SALE EARTH MAGNETOMETER
This magnetometer measures the amount of magnetics in the ground, such as magnetite. Since magnetite is associated with gold, the magnetometer can help greatly with prospecting, since it will show you the amount of magnetite that may well be associated with gold in the ground. The more magnetite, the more gold. $400 or cash $350. Call Chuck Chase, 541-310-8510.
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.
SUBSCRIBE TO MINING JOURNAL FOR UP TO DATE NEWS
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Visit us at www.icmj.com or call at (831) 479-1500 to get your subscription.
ACTION MINING SERVICES, INC.
AMS is selling out all assay supplies, screens, chemicals and labware! Call for quote and mention this ad for 35% 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 their website for information on wave tables. Want to pick up an order in Plains Montana? We have moved to Plains, Montana…. please call 406.826.9330 to place the order on will call first, 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
A lot of information in this newsletter was obtained from the American Exploration & Mining Association newsletter. To stay up to date on mining issues, you can become a member of AEMA.
by going to their website at info@miningamerica.org
PLP RAFFLE DRAWING
E0MA supports the work PLP does for the small-scale mining industry. Tickets are available through July 11th for purchase by phone for the July 14th 2021 Grand Raffle. All money from this raffle will go to helping miners mine on Public Lands.
You can call our toll-free number 844-PLP-1990 which is 844-757-1990 and specify the number of ticket books you wish to have mailed to you.
SEND YOUR NEWSLETTER ITEMS
If you have informative or interesting articles about mining items to share in the newsletter, send them to Ken Alexander alxk@ortelco.net, or Chuck Chase CHASE3285@msn.com, or Jan Alexander alx@ortelco.net.
Be sure to indicate the source of the information you send.