A strategic minerals bill passed the House Thursday with an amendment brought by Rep. Don Young that would exempt Bokan Mountain from the 2001 Roadless Rule (goo.gl/ZHcuF) (goo.gl/RVJJp).
If signed into law with Young’s amendment, H.R. 4402 the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act would restore a decades-old exemption for certain Alaskan mineralized areas, Young said in a press release.
The rule restricts road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in certain roadless areas on National Forest System lands. The rule was upheld in 2011 (goo.gl/RVJJp).
Proponents of the rule have said it does not stop mining. Opponents say the rule is ambiguous and stymies resource development. Young said his amendment would clear these regulatory uncertainties and delays.
Young the amendment would speed development of a rare earth element mine near Bokan Mountain, Prince of Wales Island. Rare earth element metals are used in high-tech and renewable energy industries.
Comments (37)
Add comment'bout time!
'bout time!
Good job,Don.
Get er' Done!
Roads to be built in a
Roads to be built in a designated Roadless area is not a win.
It is also disingenuous of those behind the scenes to claim that jobs are badly needed in SE.
Our job situation does not warrant the dismantling of the Roadless Rule in the world’s last remaining rain forest.
Don Young and others pushed this as a national security and energy independence issue for the "United States", these people in fact are taking advantage of and using the state of our economy as a way to to open roads where there should be none.
Ucore Rare Metals Inc. is a Canadian, publicly traded resource exploration company.
Good job, Rationally managed
Good job,
Rationally managed land use is the goal.
repeat
repeat
Rough Cut
Nice sweeping generalization about your view of what a person who is intellectually liberal - like myself.
Just so you know, in my life time I have worked as a plumber's apprentice, commercial fisherman, did a lot of the hard manual labor of building my house, like wheeling tons of rock up hill to build a retaining wall behind my house,and still do some manual physical labor in maintaining my condo.
But I also spend time reading and thinking and trying to understand things with a open mind - and it may surprise you, but at times have had to change my opinions, my understanding because I have learned that there is belief and there is knowledge based on facts and evidence.
A "liberal" is not necessarily some form of political advocate, it means (if one looks up the etymology of the term) someone who is willing to consider verifiable evidence... even if they are a farmer, plumber or work disposing of our trash.
@wally - surely rough cut
@wally - surely rough cut jests?
I'll bet you have some choice descriptive words for a "conservative" though?
For Rough Cut and perhaps others
I don't how many commentators have ever gone through what some call "cultural shock." That is, have become immersed in a completely different cultural world that that in which they grew up and may have considered the "real world."
Suddenly the world around them of economics, daily life, language,traditions, foods, history changes completely. I have gone through that experience several times in my life.
For example, one night in a Japanese fisheries laboratory, I was talking with a technician about a certain type of "seaweed" and its cultivation. I was absolutely certain that "konbu", from all my experience with it, was a plant. I knew for certain that in our Western World, we divide things between "plants" and "animals." Then the technician, trying to explain in Japanese what he saw, asked me to look in the microscope. What I saw were the "seeds of plants" very clearly behaving as "animals" as they moved about to find a shell on which they could land and begin to grow.
When I returned to Alaska and explained what I saw, to a biologist, Beth Matthews, she simply said something like "Oh yes, our distinction between plants and animals is not really what life is like."
I found much the same with religion, history, world views, foods, language in other parts of the world. One has to have an open mind, willing to accept new facts and data, evidence and maybe accept that they didn't or don't have all the answers. One has to be "liberal" enough to do that.
It is much different that "visiting" some place for a week or two as a tourist, or reading about others and their world.
So if you think all "liberals" are some how "limp wrist" bardaches or not really "men", maybe you need to open your mind just a little bit. One of the most impressive men in my life was a Finnish bridge builder who had spent his life doing hard, physical labor and was dying in a hospital where I was an orderly over fifty years ago. He blew me away!! He knew and appreciated classical music, art, history far beyond my understanding. He was a classic "liberal" with an amazingly open mind.
molson
No such thing as a classic "liberal" with even a mediocre open mind, let alone an amazingly one.
thumbs up
This bill passage is a step in the right direction. There is too much "theocratic environmentalism", all of which needs to be corrected, so each of these little steps is AWESOME!
Dennyh
A nice universal statement "there is no such thing as a classic "liberal" with even a mediocre open mind, let alone an "amazingly" [sic] one. That means, of course, that there cannot be one exception to your universal statement or it is logically in error.
Your comment proves my point. Thank you.
Please give me your definition of a "liberal." That is, de-fine, lay the limits around the term or concept. Is a "liberal" by the very definition of the term one of a certain political persuasion?
Or is a "liberal" someone say, like Galileo, Jesus, Einstein, Van Gogh, Picasso, Siddhartha, Ghandi that advocates and questions much that others accept as "truth" "
In an emerging world, if we are to survive with a population of humans greater than has ever existed at one time, we are going to see a lot of people with different languages, beliefs, histories, traditions moving about planet earth to survive. And in such a situation for someone to be "conservative" and try and preserve all they accept and believe, face to face with others, perhaps being "liberal" and open to trying to understand ourselves and others, may be the only path to human survival.
Well lets see what the Senate
Well lets see what the Senate does with this.
Considering the makeup of the US House I am not surprised this passed.
look at the types that support it here, Rough Cut you are one sick individual
Molson
Wow-what a mouthful!
Rough Cut
I agree - get away from name-calling and accusations like someone is "sick." The real issue is when someone has an opinion, it can be just their opinion. But if they want others to accept what they write and say, they have to back that up with facts and evidence,not just accept their opinion.
As an aside, I know some folks who have the opinion that the greatest dessert in the world is Hershey syrup on raw oysters... but that is their opinion, not mine.
DennyH
Wow, "what a mouthful" of course that tells me nor others anything except that perhaps you have much more knowledge and experience in the world than I have. If so, congratulations.
It would be nice though if you came up with something more than "What a mouthful" because maybe you could show where I am wrong and give evidence to support your opinion.
Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't just vent their feelings but said "I disagree and here is why I disagree and this is what I have to back up my disagreement." ?
Years ago, as a teacher, sometimes students did just that and I had to "eat crow" and admit they were right. Have you had such an experience?
Dennyh
The last time I taught a university course on the history of Alaska, I mentioned that I knew that Wyatt Erp had visited Juneau and had been in Nome.
Then a student who had studied his life history pointed out that he had spent a winter in Rampart, time in St. Michael and had spent more time in Alaska than I ever knew he had.
I had to admit the student knew more about him than I did.
I personally graded classes not just on what students learned from me, but based on what students taught me.
Isn't that what "education" is all about ??????
Calypso - Colorado comment
Really Calypso? You're going to blame "the left" and the Roadless Rule on the Colorado fires this year? You could also include in your list of contributing factors:
100 years of hand and industrial logging in Colorado that replaced old, fire-resilient forests with even-aged, young forests and high fuel loads.
US Forest Service policy of fire supression that lasted the better part of a century, effectively building fuel loads rather than burning them incrementally as they naturally should.
The diversion of natural water ways in Colorado for various uses, including agriculture and recreation (both in state and out of state).
The sweeping pine beetle infestation plaguing Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico caused by, you guessed it, sustained warmer winter temperatures in the past couple decades.
In other words, the collective, cumulative impacts in Colorado since the 1880's are a good place to start when understanding the Colorado fires -- not the impacts of one Congressional Rule or one political ideology with which you disagree.
Of course you, a responsible and unbiased citizen, took all of variables into consideration when you made your broad, unaccountable statement.
While we're on the topic of management and Colorado, why don't you dig a bit deeper into how the city of Colorado Springs gutted their taxes at the behest of the Tea Party this year, only to realize that in doing so, they forfeited many of their municipal services (that they take for granted), including sanitation and transportation? Pretty smart way to manage a city...
Rough Cut,I might be
Rough Cut,
I might be considered kind of a liberal. Yet, I've worked on drill rigs, on the docks, in construction, and in the fishing industry. I don't do that anymore because I can make a lot of money doing less physically demanding things in my old age. Just out of curiosity, what kind of physical labor have your hands performed? I'll match hand callous thickness with you any day of the week.
Further, I can tell by your posts that you're not very well educated either since your use of writing conventions and word choice is seriously lacking.
Comments by WMolson
William "Bill" Molson is a member of the Montreal business community. Mr. Molson has many years of experience assisting Canadian companies in investment-related strategies. He is also President of Invico Energy II and a Managing Director of Invico Energy III, two private energy funds based in Calgary. He is also a director of Aurora Oil & Gas Limited. Six months ago Mr. Molson was appointed to the advisory board of Lockwood Financial. Lockwood Financial Ltd. is a Montreal-based mining advisory firm. Lockwood provides advisory services to companies in the mining, oil and gas sectors.
For more information see: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/bill-molson-joins-lockwood-financi...
Information or misinformation
I am not William Molson. I am Wallace M. Olson of Auke Bay, Alaska.
All I can say
is that molson seems to think that he/she is smarter than the rest of us and all she/he espouses is typical liberal drivel.
your definition?
"is that molson seems to think that he/she is smarter than the rest of us and all she/he espouses is typical liberal drivel"
Why is this quote seemingly applied to anyone with even a modicum of education?
Because
Because if you read what they post you can see a pattern of condescending phrases and comments. For instance, J. E Fume's comment to rough cut.
dennyh, Trust me, Wally Olson
dennyh,
Trust me, Wally Olson is smarter than you, unquestionably.
No doubt
No doubt, J.E. All I was pointing out was that you and olson seem to be very enamored with your brightness! Kinda like Bill Mahr and Chris Matthews...but you win and I will put down my un-educated quill until the next time I see a liberal putting down someone because of a perceived lack of education.
dennyh, It seems to me as I
dennyh,
It seems to me as I scroll back that you and RC started the mudslinging. If you and RC have complexes about your lack of education I recommend you go back to school--University of Alaska Southeast is a wonderful learning environment (Wally Olson used to teach there--I loved his classes). However, you might want to be on your guards. More schooling might contaminate you pure conservative viewpoints and lead you to become "liberal." You might even end up subscribing to HBO for the sole purpose of watching Bill Maher.
I usually give more credence for intelligence
to the independents.
Hehe. Isn't it fun WM? It's
Hehe. Isn't it fun WM? It's pointless. To join the extreme right or left you have to disregard logic, understanding, compromise. It's rare to find anyone capable of a real conversation/debate that aligns themselves with the extreme of anything. They remind me of our country's "suicide bombers."
most
Can gather from my posts that I'm not am individual that favors hindering progress if it could bring good jobs to a community. However China is the largest producer of rare earth metals (95%) & because of its slave labor has been able to dump the ores used in cell phones wind turbines conductors to name a few. So much as to cause the united states largest producer Molycorp minerals to cease production & googling above corporate name and seeing what they've done worries me. So I'll end saying development done right I'm all for, done for the sake of the dollar or job irresponsibly is not worth the costs.
do your job, Empire
Young's amendment has nothing to do with Bokan Mountain mine. Here it is:
4. H.AMDT.1374 to H.R.4402 An amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 112-590 to allow the lead agency, as established under this bill, to exempt existing Mineral Prescriptions for strategic and critical materials within federally administered national forests from the procedures detailed at and all rules promulgated under part 294 of title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations. In addition, the amendment would extend this exemption to areas integral to access of the Mineral Prescriptions, and the construction, operation, maintenance, and restoration of any existing Mineral Prescriptions.
Sponsor: Rep Young, Don [AK] (introduced 7/12/2012) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/12/2012 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Young (AK) amendment (A004) Agreed to by recorded vote: 238 - 178 (Roll no. 465).
HB4402 makes every mineral a "critical" mineral, the sand on the beach and the gravel in your driveway