Recently, Mr. Trump posted a website and requested stories and examples of American’s who have been hurt by the current state of affairs in our country and to give him feedback.
AMRA wrote this letter on your behalf.
Hello, my name is Mr. Shannon Poe of American Mining Rights Association and as a representative of the over one million small miners in America, we would like Mr. Trump to take a look at the problems in the rural communities all across the West as it relates to small miners and public land users. A small miner is someone who mines their real property mining claims in the 19 states which they can be legally filed. Typically, they mine for gold and represent about 10% of the total gold mined in America each year.
These are not big companies, but normally single person or family enterprises where they dig in the dirt with hand tools and small equipment. For some of these families and people, it is their only source of income. In most states, we pay property taxes on these claims which are located on federally and State managed lands. The USFS, EPA, BLM and DFG has ruthlessly attacked small mining and not only devastated the lives of these people, it has deeply impacted their businesses, towns and entire futures. These agencies have acted on political ideology of the political left instead of proven, peer reviewed science. They have essentially shut down suction dredging for gold, threatened our national security with their illegal schemes and rendered real property mining claims in the 19 states almost worthless. All of this has been done in the last 8 years.
The impact of these political moves by the Obama Administration has impacted over a million small miners in America. We had reached out to Mr. Trump several times during his campaign, however we did not receive a response. We, American Mining Rights Association represent these small miners. The Department of the Interior under Sally Jewell has been nothing short of tyrannical. We have seen gates put up all across our public lands, seen millions of acres of lands where mining claims have been filed, now off limits to mining through Mr. Obama’s Executive Actions, we’ve been threatened with arrest for panning for gold in a tiny stream on public lands, have been cited for finding a rusty nail with a metal detector under the Antiquities Act and even I’ve even had one of my personal mining claims bulldozed by the USFS without any notice or contact. We sincerely believe the actions of this Administration has jeopardized our National Security and we beg you to act.
We have heard you are considering Forrest Lucas as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and we believe that to be an excellent candidate. In short Mr. Trump, we have been intentionally devastated for the past 8 years, livelihoods have been destroyed and the people are hurting. We implore you to hear us as America did when we voted for you in the hundreds of thousands that are the small miners in America.
I personally became so fed up with Mr. Obama’s attacks, I formed a non-profit to fight him. Although the IRS took 2 years (and I had to pay them twice for my license) to obtain our 501(c)(3) status, we have become the largest voice for the small miners in America now. Apparently the IRS doesn’t like any businesses with the word “Rights” in it.
I welcome any and all communication your staff may want to have with us.
Sincerely,
Mr. Shannon Poe, President
American Mining Rights Association (AMRA)
PMB #607, 6386 Greeley Hill Road,
Coulterville CA 95311