AMRA writes letters to each of the Presidential candidates

AMRA has just sent this letter to Mr. Trump, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Sanders about where they each stand on our public land issues.

As many of you know, we similar sent letters to all of the candidates several months ago and did not have one candidate respond.

These are being sent certified and we’ll let you know if either of the candidates respond.

Now, before anyone goes turbo here, we are not endorsing any candidate and are giving each of them a chance to respond. As a 501 (c)(3), we cannot endorse any candidate.

Dear Mr. Trump May 5, 2016

AMRA, American Mining Rights Association represents and is speaking on behalf of over a hundred thousand mining claim owners and public land users all across the United States. As our nation edges closer to the Presidential election, which we believe is a fork in the road for America, we urge you to please answer the questions below of the small mining and public land use community.

Earlier this year, we sent, and publicly published a letter we sent to each of the candidates on both sides of the aisle and asked where they stand on the issues surrounding the use of public lands and the over-regulation which is slowly, but consistently making more and more of our lands off limits to all. Unfortunately, not a single candidate responded.

This is a very important topic and one which literally affects millions and millions of public land users. Hikers, hunters, fishermen, prospectors and miners are seeing more and more gates being installed to lock and block them from lands once enjoyed by all. Environmental groups are suing many Federal agencies to list species under the ESA, Endangered Species Act, many times these creatures are not even discernable from a healthy species unless DNA tests are performed. The effect of all of this is to make additional lands off limits for any kind of use. Some of these agencies are now acting as Congress and making laws they do not have the authority to make. They are settling lawsuits filed by these same environmental groups for millions and millions of our tax dollars which keeps this perpetual sue and settle machine going and going.

Hypocrisy is on full display within these agencies as well. They favor ideologically likeminded organizations while attacking those who speak out against government overreach or additional land closures. We have uncovered blatant violations of Constitutional and Civil Rights violations by many of these agencies, it is there in black and white. The primary problem with these agencies is they have an unlimited supply of legal funds (our tax money) to fight the public who must sue to prove these rights violations. We, the public on the other hand must fund raise from a grass roots stance just to sue our own government to protect our lands from closure and to protect our fundamental rights.

Mr. Obama has unilaterally closed tens of millions of acres of once open public lands using the Antiquities Act, through Executive Action and Executive Orders circumventing our Representative Republic process, Congress and ignoring laws legally passed by the will of the people.

What is your opinion on the scheme used by environmental groups to sue and settle lawsuits to close additional lands?

Do you believe the President has the Constitutional authority to eliminate large swaths of public lands from use by the public with the stroke of a pen?

Do you believe the regulatory and management agencies (EPA, BLM, USFS, DFG) who are paid by the tax payers should be reined in, and if so, what is your plan to accomplish this?

What specifically can and will you do about the sue and settle scheme used by the environmental groups to close additional lands and is costing the tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars?

Do you believe laws passed by the Federal Government trump (no pun intended) State laws? As an example, the mining acts of 1866, 1870 and 1872. These laws were validly passed and lately we are seeing State Judges override Federal laws.

Small miners (not large scale mining operations and companies) have been the core of development of our country for over 150 years. They provide valuable resources for National Security and for the technology industry among many others. Many people rely on small mining and the use of our public lands for their sole source of income and have been nearly regulated to death. Mining claim owners own real property, but that real property as determined by the US Supreme Court is consistently being taken away from the rightful and legal owners. In some areas within the United States, over 80% of the public roads have been closed, locked and blocked from the very public whom these management agencies are charged with managing for us. Small miners provide needed revenue for the rural communities, many of which are now devastated by the above schemes and the over-regulation of activities which have been proven to be environmentally friendly by the very agencies now claiming every activity is harmful to the environment, even walking on grass.

We welcome any and all contact to us on behalf of the small mining and public land use community.
Sincerely,

Mr. Shannon Poe
President, AMRA
PMB #607, 6386 Greeley Hill Rd.
Coulterville CA, 95311
(209) 878-3910