UTAHAbandoned

MineReclamation

Program

$500 K in 2009 to date

DOGM Upcoming Projects$576 K for rest of 2009

$600K for 2010

By 2010 all mining districts on this map with exception of Bingham Canyon and Lisbon Valley, will have been reclaimed by the AMRP in Utah

Federal agencies must recognizeand continue to responsibly manage the historic mining sites which are in their jurisdictions or affected by their undertakings. Those out of line need to be brought to account and corrected. There should be no more overzealous clean-ups.-Robert Spude, 1989

1.Pre 1870, 2.1870-1872, 3.1872 Mining Law Enacted, 4.1873-1879 5.Panic of ‘73, 6.1880

(Census Report for UT) 7.1881-1892, 8.1893 Depr., 9.1894-

1906, 10.1907 Depr., .11. 1908-1911, 12.1912, 13. 1913-

1918 WWI,14. 1919-1929, 15.1921 Pittman Act, 16. 1930,

17. 1931-1939 , 18. 1940, 1941, 19. 1942 L-208, 20.1943-1945 21. 1946-1949, 22. 1950

“Most historic and cultural issues at abandoned mines are predictable and repetitive.The mines are all from the same historic era, generally 1870 to 1950, with similar historic features.”

-Dr. Jeriann Ernstsen DOGM AMRP July 16, 2007

AMRP Spending• Closed 2951 HO for $3,325,946.00• Closed 1373 vertical shafts for $2,503,979.00• HO $1,127 per VS $1,824 per• Wants to spend $1,249,800 to close 803 HO• Wants to spend $4,514,500.00 to close 373

more vertical shafts• HO $1,556 per VS $12,103 per• TOTAL $7,650,350.00 since 06/03/1983• $294K per year for 26 years

4324 closures since ‘83

AMRP Unfunded Coal Needs• 6 Priority One Underground mine fires• 6 Priority Two Underground mine fires• Spent $1,757.873.00 since 1983 • Needs $4,840,006.00 more• “Utah’s abandoned noncoal mines generally pose more

immediate danger to public health and safety than the remaining abandoned coal mine problems do. However, Utah must restrict its noncoal reclamation to priority 1 hazards under section 409(c) of SMCRA except in rare cases where lower priority problems must be abated as part of addressing higher priority problems. OSM funded UAMRP to address 45 noncoal projects since June 3, 1983, of which 40 were complete by 12/31/2008.”

Although it is allowable for the owners of abandoned mine property to do as they wish with historical structures (those over 50 years old and which are contributory to an understanding of past mining), the AMR program must render detailed drawings, maps and histories prior to any physical work to disturb the same structure. In most cases, the structures and equipment are demolished and buried in a pit created on the mine site.-Mary Wright, DOGM Director, 1987

DOGM Past Targets

• Treasure Hill/Jacob City• Jennie Mine• Bullion Beck• Mercur• Silver Reef• Star

Landowner bowed to pressure from Insurance Company…

HAER- “Lite” documentation…

NR Eligible Features Year Project Sites Features Backfilled %

2004 Stateline 3 100 70 70

2004 Labyrinth Cyn

22 2 2 100

2005 Ophir II 23 105 102 97

2005 San Rafael 13 49 39 80

2005 Vernon-Sheeprocks

5 73 43 59

2006 Serviceberry 7 50 31 62

2006 Star 14 147 123 84

2007 Gold Hill 20 119 73 61

2008 Mammoth 5 117 97 83

2009 Lakeside 3 13 9 69

TOTALS 115 775 589 76

Equipment Backfill – before & after

DOGM Criticism from 1987• What AMRP does speaks much more loudly than what it says. Despite• the sensitivity to history they proclaim, their actions in Iron County are• exemplary. There "the bulldozers, backhoes and scrapers are sealing mine• portals, hauling off. mine tailings, and removing any traces of past• Mining…" The "Leyson mine, first opened in 1854, has been identified• as the oldest coal mine in the state" ("Machines removing signs of Cedar• Canyon mining," Deseret News, Oct. 19, 1986) and was a significant• contributor to pioneer iron smelting efforts. • It was apparently insufficient justification to DOGM to save a few vestiges • for the appreciation and edification of future generations

• This is not to argue that there are no legitimate hazards around abandoned• mines. Rather that this is another out of proportion bureaucratic program• doing more damage than good crusading under questionable mandate to save• a tiny minority of the population from its own stupidity.• -Richard Peterson, Making Money Out of Dirt, 1987.

GAO Estimate of Mine ProblemsState Total Sites Safety features Environ Degrad %

CA 47084 164795 5200 3

AZ 50000 59400 9900 17

NV 16000 51000 150 .29

MT 6000 22000 331 2

UT 17000 17000 17000 100

CO 7300 17000 150 1

NM 800 15000 300 2

WA 3629 1608 50 3

WY 956 519 437 84

AK 469 235 99 42

Mammoth, Utah 1890 and 2008

2009 Lakeside2010 Frisco2010 Silver City (Eureka Phase III)2010 North Tintic (Eureka Phase IV)2010 Spor Mtn2010 Gold Hill (Phase II)

AMRP Future Targets

National Historic Mining Initiative1. Recognize and commemorate the cultural, scientific and historic values of

significant historic mines throughout the western United States and beyond (to include at a minimum all mines that are currently listed in mindat as type localities. http://www.mindat.org/)

2. We declare that pre 1976 historic mines are books that should not be “burned” (closed) but remain open to read by the scientific, historic, educational communities. They should be inventoried, studied and interpreted with all findings presented to the public.

3. Encourage, promote and train volunteers to assist AMRPs in utilizing landscape architects, historical archeologists, industrial archaeologists , historians and mineralogists to assess each potential mine closure.

4. We oppose the FAST program as currently constituted http://www.abandonedmines.gov/ as the rapid closure of mine openings impacts the significance and integrity of potential NRHP (Historic Register) eligible sites. Go to AdoptAMine.org instead!

5. Provide a safe exploration experience with Adopt a Dump, Save a Shaft, Hug a Headframe, Mother a Mine, and other educational experiential outreach programs.

National Historic Mining Initiative6. Remove restrictions in order to publish all data collected in inventories and AMRP

cultural resource surveys to allow for nominations to the NRHP and for public education.

7. Remove barriers to the responsible use of reclamation funds to include interpretation, preservation and dissemination of Western American Mining History.

8. Publish Historic Mining Inventory Overviews [HMOs] for each State.9. Promote responsible artisanal mining, remining and the Good Samaritan exclusion

to the responsible party rules.10. Conduct and facilitate educational experiences that dynamically interpret mining

history.

http://www.adoptamine.org