The amendment would add the following new section to Title IV

of S.11:

Sec.

(a)

(b)

VALID EXISTING RIGHTS

Nothing in this title shall affect
valid existing rights of any person
under any authority of law.

Authorizations to use lands within the
boundary of the park which were issued
prior to the date of enactment of this
title shall remain subject to the laws
and regulations under which they were
issued. Such authorizations shall be
administered by the Director of the
National Park Service. Any renewal or
extension of such authorizations shall
be subject to the laws and regulations
pertaining to the agency which has
jurisdiction over the land at the time
the renewal or extension is requested.
Except as provided in section 410 [re-
lating to grazing rights], the change
of administrative jurisdiction result-
ing from the enactment of this title
shall not in itself constitute a basis
for denying or approving the renewal
or reissuance of any such author-
ization.

Finally, Viceroy would like to voice its support for BLM's

California Desert Plan.

Section 601 of the Federal Land Policy

and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1781) directed the BLM to develop a management plan for the California Desert that recognizes principles of multiple use and protects the desert's unique environmental values. The BLM's California Desert Plan accomplishes these difficult and sometimes competing goals by striking a balance which preserves the environmental and economic resources of the desert for future generations.

(NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION)

WESTERN MINING COUNCIL, Inc.

Testimony of:

Robert A. Sanregret, A.B., M.B.A., J.D.
Representative of the Western Mining Council, Inc.

In Opposition To S.11 ("The California Desert Closure Bill")
Before The
U.S. Senate

Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests,

of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Senator Dale Bumpers, Subcommittee Chairman

at

Washington, D.C.

Date: October 2, 1989

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

Thank you for allowing the Western Mining Council to present its views in opposition to Senate Bill 11 ("S.11").

The Western Mining Council is a group of independent miners and prospectors, including individuals, small companies and many owner-operators, active throughout the Western United States mining states, including the California Desert. Most major mines and most major mineral discoveries in the California Desert (and in the western United States) were discovered by small miners and prospectors. The large mining companies readily acknowledge that