Email: patricia.hanson@sen.ca.gov
CC: Steve.McCarthy@sen.ca.gov, Phil.Nails@asm.ca.gov, pconaty@sbcglobal.net

The Honorable Darrell Steinberg
State Capitol, Room 4035
Sacramento, CA 95814

Oppose Assembly Bill 1032

(Date)

Dear Senator:

I am writing to you about a matter that is of great concern to me. Assembly Bill 1032 attempts to circumvent a court ruling (Karuk Tribe of California v. California Department of Fish & Game (DFG), Alameda Superior Court of California) which directed DFG to update its previous Environmental Impact Review (EIR) of existing suction gold dredging regulations in California.

Rather than complete the EIR as instructed by the court, DFG is seeking to arbitrarily eliminate suction dredging from California through legislative designated closures of over 20,000 miles of waterways. As AB 1032 presently is amended, I am quite certain that if it passes, my own mining interests within California will be completely undermined. This will cause hardship to my personal and business interests within California, and also to thousands of others like me.

I believe that this harmful bill was put together for the express purpose of destroying the existing and future small-scale gold mining industry in California, which is an important part of our State’s heritage and economy that has been in existence since before California became a State.

The Order of the court was for DFG to update its EIR on the impacts caused from suction dredging. That is all that is needed to make certain that existing regulations are not allowing harm to the important aquatic resources of this State – and to amend existing regulations where necessary.

It is bad policy to allow DFG to skirt around its responsibilities; and rather, with AB 1032, eliminate small-scale gold miners entirely from California, while not providing the state with any measurable environmental benefit!

Please vote “No” on this measure when it comes before the Natural Resources & Water Committee.

Sincerely,

(Your name and address)

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