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Show ifae, rsEieborB etafap H?H SLE3 rogslafione Well, no one burned their draft card, or bra! There were no plans made for a sit-in or freedom march. And the group didnt sing, "We will overcome", but there was no doubt that those attending the meeting , with representatives of Senators Hatch and Garn in Miners -ville last week, are prepared to stand and fight to protect their mining properties and grazing rights. And they didn't rule out any of the above either. Mr. Tim Young, Senator Gam's Utah Administrative A ssistant, and Jeannine Holt, who maintains theCedarCity office for the two Senators, heard local miners and ranchers voice their objections objec-tions to the EPA (Environmental (Environ-mental Protection Agency), BLM (Bureau of Land Man agement), and other bureaucratic bureau-cratic agencies that are threatening their long-held rights on public lands. The group met last Wednesday Wed-nesday in M inersville, in an impromptu meeting that received re-ceived little publicity due to the shortness of time insetting inset-ting it up. They did, however, draw approximately 20 local people. Wally Fotheringham, president and spokesman for the Beaver County Mining C ouncil, said he was worried about what would happen if the surface mining regulations regula-tions of the Organic Act of 1976 are implemented. He said, "these regulations regula-tions are an attempt to pirate our miningclaims away from us." Miners throughout the 13 Bureau of Land Manage-m Manage-m ent States are ready to get up in arms. The 1872 mining law, which has protected the prospector and small mining operation for over a hundred years, is threatened. "Without "With-out the 1872 Mining Law," he said, "the little guy will be run out of the mountains." Fotheringham said his group had voted not to com -ply withthe new surface mining min-ing regulations. "Our claims are filed in the County courthouse, court-house, and we will not file them with BLM or the State of Utah." State regulations are nearly near-ly as restrictive and prohibitive prohibi-tive as are the federal regulations. reg-ulations. Both subvert the law and intent of the 1872 M ining Law. Melvin Bradshaw pointed out that the 1872 Mining Law provides for the miner or prospector to protect his claim with a shotgun. Fotheringham said that miners in Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Col-orado, and other BLM states are doing just this. He said, "What else are we to do. Many of these claims have been in families for 50-100 years. Father, son and grandson grand-son have worked them." Mr. Young urged the group to write letters. Write your senators, congressmen, the President, and friends and neighbors, especially mother moth-er states, to write their legislators. leg-islators. Young said, "It's important impor-tant that you write yourself, just a simple paragraph, stating your position. Write often, at least once a week." One letter from an individual is worth as much as a petition peti-tion with a hundred signatures. A check by the COUNTY NEWS at press time revealed only two letters have so far been received in the Cedar City office. Mrs. Jeannine Holt, office manager, said, if only they will write the letters. Both Senators will get a copy of any letter sent to the Cedar City office. It's all well and good to talk, but the senators can use the letters, tabulate them , and they are worth so much m ore back in Washington. Red Wilson requested that S enators Gam and Hatch run down the Alunite EE, and find out what is holding it up. It has been printed over three weeks and was sent to Sec. of Interior Andrus to submit to CEQ (Council on Environmental Quality) before be-fore being released to the public. Andrus had not yet delivered it to CEQon Tuesday, Tues-day, the COUNTY NEWS learned. The Senators will try to learn why it's being held up by Sec. Andrus. Farmers and ranchers expressed ex-pressed concern about forthcoming forth-coming drought relief. Several Sev-eral items that had been approved ap-proved and should be com -pleted are being held up. They felt the problem was local and confined to the C edar City BLM office. They were also concerned concern-ed about the fencing project on U-130 south of Miners -ville. The agreement was that the Highway Dept. would survey and mark the route, B LM would furnish the fence and the farmers install it. But, they said, BLM had reneged on the deal. They told of internal struggles in (Continued on Page 6) HERE'S MORE ABOUT Miners the Cedar office and of BLM employees who were working work-ing with the ranchers being forced out. Morgan Jensen, district manager, was accused ac-cused of halting the fence project. They also noted the waste in writing en vironmentalim-pact vironmentalim-pact statements on the grazing graz-ing land. The eight billion allocated for the EE in the five -county area could be better spent inreseedingand developing water. By BLM's own admission, where EE's have been written, the AUM's (animal units per month) have been drastically cut. Fotheringham told of the group's efforts in filing petitions, pe-titions, sending one with 419 signatures and another with 350. Young pointed out that the task would not be easy, and that some kind of organic act would be implemented. Wilson said that maybe this is a mistake. Year after year the bureaucrats keep pushing more regulations at us, and we keep accepting the m ultitude while looking for small concessions. Possibly it's time, he said, to bow our neck and refuse to accept ac-cept more regulations. Young said that the thirteen thir-teen western public land states must band together : to bring their cause before . the people and Congress. Fotheringham noted that the eastern and mid -western states outnumber us in both the Senate and the House and have far more population; "We've a difficult task ahead." |