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Show Gam Urges Clarification Of Surface Mining Rules Senator Jake Garn (RUt) last week authored a letter, to be signed by other western Senators, in which he recommends recom-mends to the Bureau of Land Management that it make new surface mining regulations regula-tions better understood by miners. In the letter to BLM Director Curt Berklund, Garn and his colleagues make two suggestions. Garn issued the letter just two days prior to a BLM meeting held in Moab to do just that. "First, we believe that the interest of the country would be served by a series of meetings in the field to dis- II cuss with concerned parties S the current thinking of the i Bureau as to the direction the regulations ought to take," the Garn letter states. "Following "Fol-lowing this series of meetings, we feel it would be appropriate appropri-ate for the Bureau to issue the regulations once more as proposals, pro-posals, with the final regulations regula-tions to follow 30 or 60 days later. ; "Secondly, whatever regulations regu-lations are finally adopted should take effect only after the end of the current field season," the letter continues. Senator Garn noted that the rules are now set to go into effect February 5. "Since op-; op-; erators are right now contracting contrac-ting for men, drilling rigs and other equipment which will be needed this summer, any reg- I1 ulations changing the rules under which they operate would only cause incredible confusion if they were to become effective for this sea- son. The field season ends in f September, and we would therefore suggest that the regulations should be effec-1 effec-1 tive October 1. We believe i that such an effective date 3 would provide ample lead ij time for familiarization and adjustment. "In order to provide the kind of certainty that is needed, it is essential that ! there be a clear statement to this effect from your office i and that this statement be ; made as soon as possible. Since there is no legislative deadline for these regulations. , we feel that there are no barriers to such a statement." ; Garn said he wrote the ' letter because, even though the regulations dealing with ; the reclamation of mined land j were proposed December 6. i 1976 many miners "are only now learning of the proposal ? and are unfamiliar with its details. We can hardly expect i them to comply with the j regulaiinns if decent effort is - nut made to familiarize them with their responsibilities." I |