EASTERN OREGON
MINING ASSOCIATION
MARCH 2025
VOLUME 426
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
PLEASE REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR EOMA DUES FOR THE YEAR 2025
JANUARY IS THE MONTH EOMA COLLECTS DUES FOR THE YEAR
You can send your dues 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
MARCH 7th , 2025 MEETING AT ELK CREEK ENTERPRISES
The EOMA monthly meeting is at the Elk Creek Enterprises saw shop 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. Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings. Last month we sent out ballots for the March election. You need to be a paid up member for your vote to count. As usual, someone will be winning a 1 oz. silver medallion at the end of the meeting.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Forest Service Chief Moore , will retire March 3, 2025. His last day in the office will be March 3rd. It is our understanding that the Department of Agriculture will announce who the next Chief will be by the end of this week, and that there will not be a vacancy in the Chief’s office.
The Forest Service is broken, and Randy Moore did little to change the Forest Service during the Biden years. Our forests and grasslands have been mismanaged to the point that the entire forest is ready to burn. The Washington Office, under Randy Moore, supported the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest decision to only approve exploration Plans of Operation and not allow any small-scale mining operations unless the operation can pass a validity test.
We are hopeful that the new Forest Service Chief will make changes to the agency that will benefit all Forest users, including miners, loggers, ranchers, and recreationists.
EOMA ELECTIONS ARE COMING UP MARCH 7, 2025
EOMA Executive Committee members serve one-year terms. Board of Directors members serve two-year terms, with half the Board members running for election alternate years. You must be a paid-up member to vote. A ballot was included in your last newsletter. Be sure your ballot is returned to EOMA, PO Box 932, Baker City OR 97814 before the March 7th meeting. Or better yet, come to the meeting and vote.
MINE SAFETY TRAINING IN MARCH AND APRIL-Jan Alexander
Trent Hahn will be our MSHA instructor for one more year, but plans to retire next year. Hopefully we will have another local instructor in the future.
Classes will cost $60 per day of instruction. Classes will be held at the Elk Creek Enterprises saw shop located at 890 Elm Street in Baker City. We begin at 8:00AM and are in class until 4:00PM or 5:00PM.
Annual Refresher on March 13, 2025.
New Miner Training will begin on Tuesday March 11 and finish on March 13. If enough people need their last day of underground, that will be on Friday the 14th.
Annual Refresher on Tuesday April 29th.
Please call Jan Alexander at 541-446-3413 if you plan to attend any of these training sessions.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOR FOR MSHA NOMINATED-AEMA
On February 11, President Trump nominated Wayne Palmer to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Palmer served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary during Trump’s first term and then served as the executive vice president of the Essential Minerals Association. AEMA strongly supports Mr. Palmer’s nomination.
MSHA SILICA RULE UPDATE-AEMA
AEMA and our coalition partners filed our opening brief in our challenge to the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) respirable crystalline silica final rule. We are not challenging the lowering of the “permissible exposure limit” (PEL) for respirable silica from 100 μg/m3 to 50 μg/m3 during a shift. Rather, we are challenging the implementation measures MSHA has in place.
The government filed their brief the Friday before inauguration day. This case is not yet stayed, but we have received an extension for our reply brief, which is now due March 21. We will keep you apprised of any developments.
DEQ TO DELIST NORTH FORK BURNT RIVER BUT NOT FOR THE 2025 SEASON -Jan Alexander
What a joke. As I reported in you in our last newsletter, Lesley Merrick from DEQ looked into the 303(d) listing for the North Fork Burnt River and told me DEQ had made a mistake in listing the North Fork Burnt River as 303(d) listed for sediment. However, last week, when I asked why the river is still shown as closed on the DEQ map, Beth Moore informed me that “there is a process that has not happened yet.”.
She said that the Water Quality Assessment Program is in the final stages of preparing the 2024 Integrated Report for submittal to EPA, and errors will be included for delisting the North Fork Burnt River in the submittal. EPA will have to agree to the delisting, since it was done in error, but on page 5 of the permit, under Water Quality Limited Streams 303(d) list, the suction dredge permit states “The 303(d) list as approved or established by EPA that is in effect as of January 1 of each year will be used to determine if coverage is available”. Because it is February, they have to follow the “Process”. No dredging until 2026, and only if we keep bugging them about this.
MESSAGE FROM JAY GEAR AEMA PRESIDENT-AEMA
With a new administration in place, we have an opportunity to build on this momentum, push for smart regulatory reforms and to strengthen control over the U.S. mineral supply chain. We are also advocating for streamlined permitting processes to shorten project timelines and provide clarity for planning, investment, and business operations, while preserving responsible mining practices. The excessive time it takes right now to permit a new mine in the U.S. is just not sustainable if we want to meet the rising demand for critical minerals and to support domestic mining at home. We need policies that support fair and practical regulations for exploration, mining companies, and operators.
2025 is already off to a strong start and AEMA has been very active representing the industry in Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Vancouver, Arizona, and beyond. Our various committees have convened and are pushing forward, the AEMA Society Program is underway, and planning for both the summer summit and annual meeting has already begun. There is much work ahead of us but with the strength of our members and the momentum at hand, I’m confident we’ll keep advancing the industry forward.
AEMA ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE-AEMA
Exciting things are in store for the 2025 Annual Meeting, happening December 7–12, 2025, at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, NV. Reserve Your Exhibit Space Today! The exhibit hall is a prime opportunity to connect with decision-makers, showcase your products and services, and build lasting industry relationships. Spaces are limited and in high demand, so act now! Visit our website and fill out this form to request more information and secure your spot today!
MINING REGULATORY CLARITY ACT REINTRODUCED-AEMA
The bipartisan Mining Regulatory Clarity Act was reintroduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives this month, addressing the flawed Rosemont decision by establishing a new mill site claim which can be mineral or non-mineral in character and allowing as many mill sites as is reasonably necessary.
WALLOWA-WHITMAN NATIONAL FOREST IS WRONG AGAIN-Jan Alexander
As we all know by now, the Rosemont decision had nothing to do with not approving lode plans of operation and only approving placer exploration plans, as the Wallowa Whitman National Forest appears to believe. It was about placing waste rock on nonmineralized ground. The Forest Service is broken. Our hope is this new administration will work to fix some of these problems.
NOMINEES FOR KEY INTERIOR POSITIONS-AEMA
In recent weeks, President Trump has announced a raft of nominations for Department of Interior positions. Many have a background in oil and gas. Kathleen Sgamma was nominated to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Sgamma is the long-time President of the Western Energy Alliance (WEA), which is an oil & gas industry group based in Denver, CO. AEMA has collaborated with Kathleen and WEA on a number of public lands issues in the past, and we are co-plaintiffs in litigation challenging the BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.
USGS ANNUAL REPORT RELEASED: DIRECTOR NAMED-AEMA
USGS released its annual Mineral Commodity Summaries on January 31. Even though the Chinese government has banned export of a number of minerals important to U.S. defense and tech applications, our import reliance remains unchanged.
The United States remains 100 percent import reliant on 12 of the 50 minerals on the USGS critical mineral list, and more than 50 percent import reliant for 28 more (practically unchanged from 29 last year). On a few positive notes: the estimated total value of nonfuel minerals produced in the United States in 2024 was $106 billion – up $1 billion from 2023. Strong gold and silver prices offset declining prices for many other commodities due to oversupply in the global market. In other news, Dr. Ned Mamula has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the Director of the USGS.
FOREST SERVICE NEPA GUIDANCE-AEMA
President Trump’s Executive orders have prompted the U.S. Forest Service to issue a memorandum to all Regional Foresters regarding National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents. The aforementioned E.O’s revoked previous orders addressing climate change, environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Forest Service memo directs that NEPA documents and decisions that are not yet published should not reference or rely on any of those revoked executive orders.
SECTREARY OF THE INTERIOR BURGUM ISSUES ORDERS-AEMA
Within days of his Senate confirmation, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum swung into action, issuing several Secretarial Orders that are designed to carry out President Trump’s Executive Orders, and will have significant impact on the direction of the department.
SO 3417 “Addressing the National Energy Emergency,” seeks to carry out EO 14156, “Declaring a National Energy Emergency.” The SO directs the department and all its agencies to identify all authorities to assist in the development and permitting of critical mineral and other projects. It also directs the agencies to expedite the completion of all projects within the department’s jurisdiction. SO 3418 directs the agencies and bureaus to detail the steps they will take to revoke, rescind or replace terminated EOs, SOs, Solicitor’s opinions, regulations and other actions targeted by EO 14154, such as: the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, 30×30, various ESA/habitat rules, and the Solicitor’s Opinion M-37077.
SO 3418 would examine reinstatement of Twin Metals leases and direct the review and revision of a number of restrictive Resource Management Plans (RMPs).
SO 3421 “Achieving Prosperity Through Deregulation” is related to the EO directing all agencies to eliminate 10 regulations for every new regulation put in place. SO 3422 “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” also contains provisions relevant to mining and we encourage you to take a few minutes to examine it.
CEQ NEPA REGULATIONS REVOKED-AEMA
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), pursuant to Executive Order 14154 (Unleashing American Energy), released a pre-publication version of an interim final rule removing their regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). E.O. 14154 also directed CEQ to issue guidance to federal agencies on implementing NEPA to expedite and simplify the permitting process. The guidance document states that “Federal agencies must revise or establish their own NEPA implementing regulations to expedite permitting approvals and for consistency with NEPA as amended by the FRA, including the deadlines established in NEPA.” You will recall that the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 included page and time limits on NEPA documents, among other important changes to NEPA.
PAGE AND TIME LIMITS REQUIRED UNDER FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2023-Google Search
According to the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA), the page limits for NEPA documents are: 75 pages for an Environmental Assessment (EA) and 150 pages for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), with the option to extend to 300 pages for EISs considered “extraordinarily complex” – not including appendices or citations; the time limits are generally set as one year to complete an EA and two years to complete an EIS.
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
Equipment located in Baker City:
Small trommel, feeder/grizzly, infeed conveyor, Honda pump, 20KW generator, 3” flat hose, sluice
Commercial Sized trommel, feeder, stacker, pump (has cracked housing) sluice
Also, scraper, Conex boxes, clean-up table, road runner screen, screen, diesel tank and pump, army trailer, two slurry pumps, a Honda pump, clean-up room equipment, and additional flat hose.
Equipment located on Connor Creek:
Feeder
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.
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, $8,000 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 USF&W as backup unit at a fish hatchery. Started and tested in October 2024. $2500 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
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
PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE PEOPLE
PLP Mission Statement: Dedicated to Preserving the Rights of the Public to the Access and Use of Public Land. 2025 Raffle Tickets are now available! Supporting PLP’s Grand Raffle also 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 can’t win if you don’t enter! Tickets will be available in January to purchase by phone for the 2025 Grand Raffle Drawing. The growing list of the prizes for the 2025 Grand Raffle is published on our PLP Facebook site.
You can call our toll-free number (844)-PLP-1990 which is (844)-757-1990 or Mail a Check to P.O. Box 1660, Inyokern, CA 93527, and specify the number of ticket books you wish to have mailed to you. The drawing date and location is October 11th at the 2025 Red Mountain, California PLP Fallfest event. Public Lands for the People, www.publiclandsforthepeople.org