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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=275 height=39 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01CBD9B4.7589FFF0" alt=sacbee.com></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><h1 id="story_headline">Study may limit permits for suction dredge mining<o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal><b>By <span class=fn>Matt Weiser</span><br><a href="mailto:mweiser@sacbee.com">mweiser@sacbee.com</a> <span class=org><span style='display:none'>The Sacramento Bee</span></span> <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Published: Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 2B <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Last Modified: Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2011 - 9:01 am<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>An environmental study of California's suction dredge mining program could cut the number of permits issued for that activity in half.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>The draft report was prepared by the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California+Department+of+Fish+and+Game/"><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>California Department of Fish and Game</span></a> following a lawsuit by the Karuk Tribe, which alleged suction dredging harms fish habitat and releases pollutants left by historic mining.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>Suction dredging involves using a powerful pump to vacuum up streambed sediment to obtain gold and other valuable minerals. Some of the heaviest activity occurs in Sierra, Plumas, Placer and El Dorado counties. <o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>Participation requires an annual Fish and Game permit that costs $47 for residents, $185 for nonresidents.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>A court ruling required the study, and Fish and Game suspended its permit program in the meantime.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>The study's "environmentally superior" alternative limits permits to 1,500 annually, compared to an average of 3,200 annually over the past 15 years. It would also limit dredge nozzle size to 4 inches, compared to the current maximum of 8 inches, and would limit dredging to 14 days a year for each permit holder.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b>Five meetings on the study are planned this month, including one at 5 p.m. March 29 at the Cal EPA Headquarters, 1001 I St., Sacramento.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a> </span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a> </span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>