CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL AMRA MEMBERS AND IDAHO RESIDENTS:
We have long talked about RS2477 and the closure of your public roads by regulatory and management agencies. We have good news to report! Representative Priscilla Giddings of Idaho has introduced a new bill, H0637 which firmly requires the perpetual access to roads predating FLPMA (Federal Lands Policy Management Act) which the government uses endlessly as the reason to close your roads.
We overwhelmingly support this and encourage you to write a letter in support of the bill to Ms. Giddings. Some of you may recognize the name Giddings, she is the daughter of Sheriff Giddings of Idaho county and has long supported the miners up there, including us when we were dredging the SF Clearwater and our encounters with the USFS and threats by the EPA. We’d also like to thank the miners in Idaho for working with Rep. Giddings on the creation of this bill.
We have enclosed our letter we sent this morning. You do not need to be Steven King and write a book, a simple “I am a mining claim owner, or resident of Idaho and I support the passage of H0637. If you are a member of AMRA, you ARE a claim owner in the state of Idaho.
Take the time, don’t just complain, but actually take a few minutes right now to send a letter/email to:
Representative Priscilla Giddings
P.O. Box 43, White Bird, 83554
Email in support of this bill: jhigdem57@gmail.com
Our letter to Ms. Giddings:
Dear Ms. Giddings,
We thank you greatly for the presenting H0637, the RS2477 bill. Throughout the past 30 years since the passage of FLPMA (Federal Lands Management Policy Act) we have witnessed the closure, the blockage and the restriction of public use on their own public lands. Roads which have been enjoyed and used for mining, recreation, agriculture and other outdoor activities are systematically being closed and the public is being denied their fundamental rights of access. The intent of RS2477 was to have these roads open, not gated or blocked. This was for the expansion and economic viability of our great nation.
If it isn’t grown or mined, it doesn’t exist. Those words have true meaning and this very computer I am using to type this letter is only possible because of mining. The smart phone we all use is possible because of mining, the TV’s we use, even the vehicles we drive are all possible because of mining.
Access to our public lands is not just crucial to the miners of Idaho, it is a matter of national security. America should not be reliant on purchasing their minerals from other countries which do not follow environmental policies, have adverse political ambitions and exploit the vulnerable for profit. For far too long our regulatory and management agencies have been using Travel Management Plans and FLPMA as a reason to close our lands and in our eyes, illegally. The recent decision by the Utah Supreme Court on RS2477 confirms this.
The impact of closing roads has a profound economic impact on the state of Idaho as well. Recreational use and mining activity creates revenue in rural areas where most of these roads have been systematically closed. These people spend their money in motels, restaurants, hardware stores, gas stations and as a result of this, families are being supported by this activity, aspirations of sending children to college are being realized and the American dream is kept alive. We’ve all witnessed towns being shuttered, college funds and savings being drained to keep businesses afloat. This bill will aid in the growth and sustainability of these small, rural communities.
AMRA is the nations largest small mining advocacy association and also as real property mining claim owners in Idaho and on behalf of our thousands of members, supporters and fellow small miners, we formally and overwhelmingly support you and your efforts to pass this bill.
Sincerely,
Mr. Shannon Poe
President, AMRA, American Mining Rights Association
PMB#607, 6386 Greeley Hill Road
Coulterville CA 95311