Amends and adds to existing law to provide that specified law shall not apply to prospecting and small-scale dredge mining, to prohibit regulations, restrictions, limitations or prohibitions regarding prospecting and small-scale dredge mining and to provide exceptions.

This bill recognizes the de minimus nature of suction dredge mining and tries to free this important small business vocation from unreasonable regulation. This bill further clarifies that the State of Idaho finds that a "bright line" threshold of "addition of pollutants" is not met by activities that transfer water and aggregate within the same body of water. This bill recognizes the existence of Federal Mining Claims under the 1872 Mining Act and amendments as being Congressionally granted rights to real property in every sense of the word. We recognize that environmental laws have been effective statewide and no unnecessary burdens are warranted on the suction dredge mining community for undocumented harm to aquatic habitat and assumed harm to free swimming fish. Therefore, for this bill being necessary for the promotion of small business as evidenced in the words reiterated in the Organic Administration Act of 1897; "citizens are entitled to enter public lands for the purpose of prospecting and removing mineral deposits . . . " without material interference.