Last week a federal district court in California issued a nationwide injunction that may have significant impacts on exploration activities within National Forests.  For years activities that were categorically excluded from review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were also exempt from U.S. Forest Service regulations concerning public notice, comment, and administrative appeals (36…

One of the few sectors that consistently added jobs in 2011 was U.S. minerals mining. Today, this industry supports 1.1 million American jobs nationwide and has enabled modern products such as aircrafts, medical equipment and state-of-the-art electronics to come to fruition. Some of the fastest growing industries in America—including high tech, automotive manufacturing and renewable…

As the stalled economy pushes Washington closer to a decision on how to manage America’s wealth of mineral resources, two paths have emerged.

One offers the possibility of increased domestic minerals production and the potential for long-term growth. Through legislation that would assess America’s mineral needs, we can maximize opportunities in mining, one of the…

Here is more information on Governor Brown’s removal of Elena Miller as the head of California’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).  Derek Chernow, the head of California’s Department of Conservation was also removed.  In addition to supervising DOGGR, Chernow supervised California’s State Mining and Geology Board and the Office of Mine Reclamation.  As discussed…

I provided the following paper at the recent CalCIMA conference in Monterey, California.

Overview

The Office of Mine Reclamation’s (OMR) decision to list or delist a mine from its list of “good mines” maintained under Public Resources Code Section 2717 (the AB 3098 list) effectively precludes a mine from selling to public agencies, critical …

Falling victim to a Legislature pre-occupied with massive budget deficit issues and last minute wrangling over the Governor’s corporate tax package on out-of-state companies, AB 591, California’s legislative foray into the charged arena of hydraulic fracturing regulation, stalled in the State Senate’s Appropriations Committee.  In its current form, the bill embodied a fairly comprehensive…

Join Stoel Rives Partners Michael Mills and Tom Henry for the CalCIMA Education Conference.  Stoel Rives is a proud sponsor of this event. 

California leads the nation in construction aggregate production.  The California Construction and Industrial Materials Association is a non-profit organization that brings together aggregate, industrial mineral, and ready mixed concrete producers to provide…

Please join the Stoel Rives Oil and Gas, Pipelines & Mining Law Team at the 57th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute in Santa Fe, NM on July 21-23, 2011.

We are pleased to be a sponsor of the Thursday evening Reception and we look forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new attendees.…

One year ago the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Communities for a Better Environment v. South Coast Air Quality Management District (2010) 48 Cal. 4th 310.   Since our blog wasn’t up at the time I thought it would be a good idea to look back on that decision and how it impacts mine…

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Here Stoel Rives shares insight and analysis about key mineral law developments. Drawing on a very active natural resources practice, we aim to keep readers informed about the legal aspects of news that impacts exploration and development of all things mineral.