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Show 8 Vernal Express Wednesday, May 12, 1993 visstein WRAP-UP Senate moves on 1872 mining law By Helene C. Monberg Vernal Express Washington D.C. correspondent Washington "When you have a shotgun next to your head you make a good decision" going along with the principle of paying royalties on the output of hardrock minerals such as gold, silver, and copper from public lands. That's how the domestic mining industry reluctantly reluctant-ly decided to back legislation (S 775) by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, John S. Knebel, president of the American Mining Congress (AMC), candidly told a group of reporters here on May 3. It revises the mining law. Hearings to fast-track reform on the 1872 Mining Law got underway in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee panel on May 4, with the Craig bill the centerpiece of the struggle between the Administration and the environmentalists environmen-talists led by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt who favor a massive overhaul of the ancient law on the one hand, and by the domestic mining min-ing industry and a group of Western Senators led by Craig who are backing back-ing the Craig bill, on the other. AMC announced its support for the Craig bill on May 3; there are widespread reports which AMC did not dispute that industry wrote the bill or key portions. The Craig bill provides for a royalty of two percent of net value of minerals measured at the mine mouth. Other bills by Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., D-Ark., (S 257) and Rep. Nick Joe, Rahall, D-W. Va., (HR 322) proved for an eight percent royalty based on gross income from mineral production. pro-duction. Babbitt says the Administration favors a 12.5 percent royalty on gross output. But for political as well as practical reasons that appears ap-pears to be a proposal dead on arrival ar-rival in Congress. Babbitt testified on May 4 the Administration will settle on the 8 percent gross royalty in the Bumpers andr Rahall bills. This assumes Babbitt can speak for the Administration on this politically political-ly explosive subject. This year the Senate has to take up this legislation first, although initial plans called for the more liberal House to act first. But when Mr. Clinton cut a deal with a group of Western Senators led by Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ben Nighthorse Campbell, D-Colo., not to include mining law. reform in the budget reconciliation measure. Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., of the House Natural Resources Snow Survey & Water Supply Update For further Information contact Nick Lundstrom, USDA-SCS, 240 West Hwy, 40, Roosevelt, 722-4621. Figures are as of Monday. May 10.1993 SNOTEL Site Drainage Trail Lake Duchesne River 9,960 feetM Rock Creek Rnrlf Croak 7 900 faat5 Lake Fork Basin 18.1 10.5 20.3 North of Moon Lake 1 1 ,200 feetM Lake Fork 1 10.5 0 17.2 Lake Fork River (West of Moon Lake) 10,200 feetM Brown Duck 15.7 7 24.6 Yel low stone River (East of Moon Lake) 1 0,600 feet2 Five Point Lake 15.9 4.5 24.1 Yellowstone River 11,000 feetM Chepeta 14.1 0 19.2 WhHerocks River 10,300 feetM MosbyMtn. 15.1 .8 18.7 Whiterocks River and Mosby Creek 9,500 feetM Trout Creek 9.1 0 10.2- Ashley Creek 9,400 feetM Kings Cabin 5.3 .1 10.8 Brush Creek 8,730 feet2 Hickerson Park 5.1 0 8.2 Sheep Creek (North Slope) 9,150 feet2 Hole-In-Rock 4.3 0 4.9 Beaver Creek (North Slope) 9,1 50 feetM Indian Canyon 2.5 0 10.0 Strawberry River & Argyle Creek 9,100 feet2 Currant Creek 0 0 0 Currant Cr. & Strawberry River 8,000 feet2 East Willow Creek 0 0 6.5 0 Willow Creek (Book Cliffs) 8,250 feet5 Provisional data from snow pillow at Snotel sites, subject to revision. During the past week: number of days the average daily (24 hour) temperature was above 33 degrees fahren-heit fahren-heit (Listed next to the elevations) This Information could help determine when high water might begin. Snotel sites that decreased 3.4 inches of water or more. Snotel sites that decreased 2 Inches of water or more. Snotel sites that Increase 2 Inches of water or more Snotel sites that Increased 1 1nch of water. Resources Committee stopped House action on such legislation in its tracks. Outraged about the deal, Miller stated on March 30, "I do not know whether agreements on timing, scope or substance were reached between be-tween the Senate and the Administration, but I do know the ball is in their court. For now, our mark-up on mining reform is deferred de-ferred awaiting Senate passage." Enter Chairman J. Bennett Johnston, D-La., of the State Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He has staked out a position of being be-ing in the catbird seat on mining law reform. He stated at a Committee confirmation hearing on May 4 for John Leshy to be Interior Department Solicitor, "The plan is to write the (mining law reform) bill in conference committee. Expect legislation (to pass) this year. Expect both sides to be satisfied with safe mining and mining jobs to continue. We'll collect as much money as is consistent with economic eco-nomic reality. Western Senators are more committed com-mitted to jobs than to (mined-land) clean-up. We'll reconcile the whole thing." Johnston stated at a Energy Subcommittee hearing on May 4 on mineral royalties that the Craig bill is on a fast track to pass the Senate without amendment in the next few weeks. "In order to get a reasonable bill, we'll go straight to conference," confer-ence," he stated. He continued that six Senators will be selected for the conference committee who are committed to the Craig bill; six who are committed commit-ted to the Bumpers bill, and he, who is uncommitted to either, will be the swing Senate conferee. Later Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., at the May 4 hearing on mineral royalties stated, "I want to thank Chairman Johnston. We are close to working out an agreement on this legislation. Our chairman will be the swing-man" swing-man" for the Senate. It's a position that Johnston relishes. The crafty Louisiana Senator, one of the key negotiators in Congress, will be going toe-to-toe with Miller, who will be the chairman of the House conferees and is the leader of the environmentalists in Congress. Miller will hold out for an eight percent gross royalty, as legislation similar to the Rahall bill is expected to pass the House later this year. It will be a stormy conference, with the eight percent royalty expected to prevail, with "net" or "gross" the key battleground. Unless Johnston is able to work out a compromise Snow Water Content (inches of Water) 1991 1992 1993 21.8 0.3 32.1 0 0 1.2 that the Senate's Western Republicans and the moderate Western Democrats can live with, they are prepared to filibuster the bill that emerges from the conference confer-ence committee. WOMEN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENT JOINS HANDS WITH MACHO MINING INDUSTRY There were several things unusual about the May 4 hearing on mineral royalties. Half of the audience in the giant Senate hearing room were women, 80 of who work in the mining min-ing industry as mining engineers, surveyors, etc., who came in from the West to lobby on behalf of the Craig bill. They spent May 5 talking to Members of Congress on behalf of the Craig bill. They call the press on the phone, fax info to the Fourth Estate, and go out of their way to talk to the press at the hearings. Their message is this: we spent years winning reasonably good jobs in the macho mining industry, and we aren't giving up our hard-won jobs without a fight. An attractive young woman, Michelle Scott, thrust a picture into this WRW editor's hand when leaving leav-ing the committee room. It was of her with 18 male colleagues on a mining survey team at the Kettle River gold mine in Republic, Wash. She said a as a woman she has had to fight for jobs as a truck driver, heavy equipment operator and surveyor sur-veyor in the domestic mining industry. indus-try. "I don't want to watch as my future fu-ture is shipped away" to foreign lands where women are normally precluded from getting similar jobs, she said . Craig recognized this contingent of "Women in Mining" at the May 4 hearing. In a struggle of this type, people tend to forget that those most affected are miners and their families fami-lies in small towns like Kellogg and Challis, Idaho, and Elko, Nev., not in the board rooms of New York City, Craig stated, as Women in Mining nodded approval. The second unusual aspect about the May 4 hearing was that Bumpers, the most passionate supporter sup-porter of hardrock mining law reform re-form in the Senate and the author of the Senate bill, did not make an appearance ap-pearance at the Senate hearing. Where was he? many asked. No one knew the answer. The speculation was that he, like many of the environmentalists, envi-ronmentalists, boycotted the hearing because they did not favor the plan to fast-track the Craig bill through the Senate to conference. OMMmMMMMMMMMMMMOMMMMI 30 year Average Water Percent Content 22,1 .6 of avg. 145 200 120 210 124 145 200 215 189 277 . 586 445 217 0 25,3 8.2 19.8 16.6 9.6 8.7 5.4 3.9 1.4 1.1 4.6 1.2 Health Department offers nicotine patches to help smokers 1 The Utah ProStep Project is available avail-able through the Uintah Basin Public Health Department. ProStep is a nicotine patch to assist people in quitting smoking. The Utah ProStep Project will distribute free nicotine patches to persons that qualify for the program. Lederie Laboratories are distributing distribut-ing 3-million nicotine patches nationwide. na-tionwide. The state of Utah will receive re-ceive enough patches to serve 1,000 people that meet two out of three specific guidelines. The guidelines to be met have to do with income, medical status and insurance coverage cover-age of nicotine patches. In addition, Cleanup week underway The Annual Spring Cleanup Week began Monday with a crew contracted con-tracted by Uintah County picking up garbage throughout the county. The Vernal Chamber, Uintah County, Vernal City, Naples City and National Guard event targets community beaunfication. The county pickup of garbage will continue through Friday. Saturday Uintah County will waive the fee at the landfill. Vernal City's cleanup activities will begin Saturday at 8 a.m. when volunteers will join with city employees em-ployees to pickup items placed on the curb. The Vernal National Guard will assist with the cleanup. Naples City volunteers will begin their cleanup at 10 a.m. Saturday. Community organizations are urged during the week to pick an area of the community and clean it up. Also, Thursday morning volunteers volun-teers will plant flowers on Main Street and Vernal Avenue. The planting will begin at 7 a.m. (E (D (D 0 m Hf its: . - - Nwff twmmmnwitm mi -- m n w m. i n.i GENT LEI M We Have The Movies You Want - When persons meeting the guidelines need to participate in behavior modification modifica-tion courses that will be offered through the local health department. Anyone interested in this program should call, 1-800-894-7651. This number will reach the Utah State Health Department. They are gathering gath-ering names and registering people for the program. They will then send the names of people qualified and registered for the program to the local health departments, including includ-ing the Uintah Basin Public Health Department. The local health department de-partment will then contact people on the list and begin the program on the local level. If there are any additional addi-tional questions, call the Uintah Basin Public HeaHh Department at 781-5475. Deadline set for Outlaw Trail Ride registration The deadline to register for the Butch Cassidy Outlaw Trail Ride and Retreat is June 1. The Outlaw Trail Ride takes place June 16-18 and consists of horseback horse-back riding in historic Browns Park. People without horses may take RVs and participate in the dutch oven cooking, storytellling and other oth-er activities. In addition to the historical and scenic value of the trip, workshops, entertainment and food will also be provided. Utah State University credit may be earned for the storytelling story-telling segment of the retreat. Browns Park is a remote valley about 40 miles northeast of Vernal along the Green river bordering Colorado and Utah, not far from the Wyoming state line. The region was a favorite of the Wild Bunch and other old West criminals because of its remoteness, proximity to several state lines, and the friendly relationships relation-ships the outlaws maintained with the area residents. (E OP m ' i - -; Local resident accepted into Arizona honor society William Joel Jenkins of Vernal, a senior at Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, Arizona, was initiated into the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. The recent induction ceremony honored a total of 142 students for academic excellence and integrity of character. NAU's chapter of Phi Kappa Phi was established in 1959. Jenkins, a general-studies major specializing in health professions, is a 1979 graduate of Uintah High School in Vernal. Other honors include in-clude inclusion on the NAU Dean's List for seven consecutive semesters (1990-93), the 1992 Senior Scholar Award, and membership in Golden Key National Honor Society. Jenkins will graduate Magma Cum Laude in May with a 3.81 grade-point average. The cost to participants is $60 for adults and $30 for children under ten. This includes meals which will feature wild game dutch oven barbecue bar-becue and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner patterned after: one held in Browns Park during the outlaw era. Participants must bring their own horses. The Trail Ride is a part of the Outlaw Trail Festival held the past seven summers in Vernal. The culmination of the Festival is a theatre the-atre production which heeins on June 25 and runs for 14 nights. This years play is called "Rawhide and Lace" and is the story of Josie Bassett who lived in Browns Park and was a friend of the Wild Bunch. The retreat concludes with Vernal's Dinosaur Days on June 19 at the Utah Field House of Natural History and Dinosaur Gardens, 251 East Main in Vernal. For information on the Outlaw Trail Ride or the Theatre production call 1-800-477-5558 or 789-6932. (B IP 00 V You Want Them! |