Placer County Supervisors Line Up Behind Suction Dredge Rules
Placer County's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to weigh in on proposed suction dredge mining regulations, sending a formal comment letter to state wildlife regulators.
American River Canyon Alliance
Suction dredge mining stirs up more than gravel. In the American River canyons, the practice sits at the center of a long fight over mercury and stream health. So a county-level vote on the issue carries real weight.
The Upper American River Foundation reports that on May 3, 2011, the Placer County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to adopt a resolution on proposed suction dredge mining regulations. The resolution came from the county Fish and Game Commission. Bill Carnazzo reported the outcome.
The unanimous vote did one clear thing. It authorized the Board chairman to send a comment letter to the California Department of Fish and Game. That letter put the county on record with the state agency shaping the rules.
A comment letter may sound like a small procedural step. It is not. Formal input from a county board tells state regulators that local government is paying attention. It adds a public voice to a technical rulemaking process that can otherwise move without much notice.
We watch these decisions closely. The canyons of the American River are shaped by every choice made upstream, in the water and in the meeting room. When a board of supervisors speaks with one voice on the health of these rivers, it matters to everyone downstream.
Credit for this reporting goes to the Upper American River Foundation. Read their coverage at upperamerican.org.
Cover photo: Noah_Loverbear, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.