Letter: BLM can stop kitty litter mine

Friday, May 31, 2002 | 9:35 a.m.

In response to Mary Adelzadeh's May 17 letter regarding Oil-Dri Corp.'s kitty litter mining claims, I would like to suggest that Washoe County's attorney and the Bureau of Land Management officials involved study the 1872 mining law. This law relates to only hard-rock mining, i.e., ore occurring in mineralized veins in country rock. Other types of deposits cannot be claimed under the 1872 law.

Coal deposits cannot be claimed; sand and gravel deposits cannot be claimed. There is little difference geologically between clay deposits and sand and gravel deposits. The only difference between gravel, sand and clay is the size of the particles. So it would seem that Oil-Dri Corp.'s kitty litter (clay) claims in Hungry Valley are invalid. I am disappointed that BLM didn't contest these claims.

During the Clinton-Babbit years, BLM became a respectable conservation agency. They did a good job of managing millions of acres of federal land on a restrictive budget.

I hope their pleading of helplessness in stopping this mining was an oversight. I would not like to think that under the Bush administration, BLM has reverted to being the Bureau of Livestock and Mining.

VERNON BOSTICK