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Oak Flat, S339 Moving Again!!! Please take a minute!

Original Post
Tony @ AZClimbersZone.com · · AZ · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 100

Per AMRC, please take a minute and fill out a letter!!!!

Dear ___,

Congress has returned for a final session and some Senators may attempt to bundle the Oak Flat Land Exchange, S. 339, with other bills that deal with public lands.

Most of these bill are good bills, but adding the Oak Flat land exchange to the package would poison the entire bill.

S. 339 is a land exchange that foreign-owned Rio Tinto mining company has convinced Arizona members of Congress to introduce on their behalf, a giveaway of land that is sacred to the San Carlos Apache tribe. The bill would be the only bill in Congress that would give away a sacred site to a foreign corporation, would be the largest loss of recreational climbing on public lands, and would overturn a ban on mining at Oak Flat that was put in place by President Eisenhower.

We've helped to stop this bill before, now we need your help to do it again!

Tell your Senator that privatizing federally protected lands and turning them over to a foreign mining corporation without federal environmental review or public input isn't right. Sacred sites, recreation and the sensitive ecological area surrounding Oak Flat are more important than a copper mine.

Tell your Senator to save Oak Flat from foreign mining companies!

Thanks, Roger Featherstone, Director

Tony @ AZClimbersZone.com · · AZ · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 100
William Sonoma · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 3,550

Thank you Tony for sharing! Bump!

Red · · Tacoma, Toyota · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 1,625

BUMP

Please, everyone, take one minute of your time to help preserve these lands!

Thanks!

Matt Greving · · San Diego - Rancho Santa Fe · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 5

Thanks for informing the community about this. My letters have been emailed.

Manny Rangel · · PAYSON · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 4,788

It's easy to show your support. Keep this public lands bill separate and let's defeat this piss poor legislation.

DesertRat · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 196

Bump

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com · · Tucson/DMR · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 2,751

Letters sent.

Please help oppose this bill as it would result in a massive loss for climbers and the destruction of Oak Flat and the surrounding areas. It only takes a minute to write.

Dobson · · Butte, MT · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 215

"Most of these bill are good bills"

Am I misunderstanding the terminology here, or is the wording in error?

IJC · · Alamogordo, NM · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 1

The land swap bill, called the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2013 (H.R. 687), has been attached as a rider to the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) along with several other land-related bills.

San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler has launched a White House petition, called Stop the Apache Land Grab and urges people to sign on and spread the word. In addition, Rambler asks readers to call or email your senators and tell them to refuse to vote – or vote no – on the NDAA until the bill to destroy the Apache sacred site is removed. Contact information for senators is here .

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com · · Tucson/DMR · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 2,751

Petition signed. Thanks!

Tony @ AZClimbersZone.com · · AZ · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 100
Dobson wrote:"Most of these bill are good bills" Am I misunderstanding the terminology here, or is the wording in error?
http://dailysignal.com/2014/12/04/conservatives-train-fire-government-land-grab-key-defense-bill/
eenews.net/stories/1060009816

I believe Roger's referring to the legislation listed in these articles, i.e. the 250,000 acres of new wilderness, additions to NPS, etc.

Thanks,
Tony
DesertRat · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 196

Please sign the petition Ian posted. That is all.

Dan 60D5H411 · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 3,239

Signed and BUMP

kirra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 530
Ian Cappelle wrote:The land swap bill, called the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2013 (H.R. 687), has been attached as a rider to the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) along with several other land-related bills.
attached...LOL more like BURIED !!! -- mind-numbing version 1,648 pages here

Page 28 -- Title 30, Subtitle A, Section 3003
S.East AZ.Land Exchange 28 pgs. #1103 - 1130

I put a call into our Senator Udall and also faxing letters today

Big holiday hug & Thank you to Ian & Tony & all others here and in our community for posting and writing to SAVE OAK FLAT !!!!!!!!

Special thanks to Roger as always for stayin' on top. Rumor has it Access Fund was recently in D.C. I'm hoping they're still fighting for us as well... climb-on everyone -Cheers!
Abby S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 132

Yep. Thank you, Tony, for the links!

arjunmh · · Phoenix & Prescott, AZ · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 4,785

If you don't want to wade through the above and want to help save Oak Flat and QC climbing click:

petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe…

Simple, fast, and don't forget to look for the confirmation email from the White House to click on.

arjunmh · · Phoenix & Prescott, AZ · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 4,785

Here's some more information about the issue, if you're interested:
tucson.com/news/apache-trib…

dailykos.com/story/2014/12/…

washingtonpost.com/blogs/go…

Lora Durance · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 41

Petition signed. Thank you, Tony!

I hopehopehope this does not pass with this exchanged included. What a political impostor!

Lora Durance · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 41

My heartstrings-angle addition to your letter.

---

Dear Sen. McCain, Sen. Flake, and others who may read this letter:

Breathe. Feel that? Your lungs expanding the way they're designed? Whole, healthy.

I feel this when I journey through the Oak Flat canyons currently up for land swap -- a political impostor buried in a national defense bill.

I urge you to consider this exchange from an a-political place. This land has long been protected. It is precious to multiple user groups. We've fought this land exchange for a long time. We've won...

Until now.

Now, this exchange is tacked onto a Defense Authorization. It's been inserted into an engine too big for us to stop. But you can. Congress failed us by pulling the scheduled vote from the floor. Twice. Preventing 13 past attempts by this mine and its backers, Congress has supported this voice of the people. Until now.

Now, this matter is in your hands.

Please -- I'm asking that you listen to us as a people. Remove Section 3003, the Oak Flat land exchange ( S 339), from the National Defense Authorization Act.

What place has this land exchange in the NDAA? Is this land about national defense? Should page 1103 of section 3033 really be buried in this particular bill?

I urge you to realize the motivations behind including this exchange in a defense bill. I urge you to stand for the purity of the people's intention in writing letters such as these. I urge you to consider that a signature on THIS BILL AS IS will be costly in a way that has no positive national defense ramifications. Can you see what we see?

Please do anything in your power to remove the Oak Flat land exchange from the NDAA.

You know this, but to remind you... Section 3003 would privatize public land, protected during the Eisenhower Administration and sacred to the Apache Tribe, and give it away to a foreign mining corporation. Section 3003 would be the largest loss of recreational climbing opportunities in history and would devastate a unique and sensitive ecosystem.

This bill is a give away to Rio Tinto, a foreign mining company that has close ties to the Iran government and is partially owned by the Chinese government. It would be a tragedy to give sacred and valuable land away to a company that has no interest in American security or values.

The bill has no place on a bill authorizing funding for national defense. If anything, by subverting the religious freedom of Native American Tribes and giving valuable US assets away to a foreign corporation, this bill would weaken our national security.

Thank you for listening.

Lora Rivera
lora.rivera@gmail.com
lorariverainsidewriting.blogspot.com
twitter.com/lrosreiver

P.S. I've written about my experience in Oak Flat's Gaan Canyon on my personal blog, and short additional vignettes are now forthcoming in publications in February.

The point? This piece of land is not a fit bargaining chip for the Senate in dealings with a foreign mining company.

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486

I signed but this looks bad, chances of a final 2015 Defense Appropriation bill not being signed by President by year end or either chamber's version being sent back for modification at this point are probably close to zero. (where's the line-item veto when you need it?)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint…

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Arizona & New Mexico
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