Background/Issues

Wheat researched many topics related to the environment, some of which were detailed in California Desert Miracle and others of which are included in the next 18 boxes. The mining section in this sub-series can be found in Boxes 52-61 and is broadly divided into three sections: General Research, Legal Resources, and the Imperial Project.

Information regarding mining regulations, including the 1872 Mining Laws, can be found within the BLM section, Boxes 68-69, and mining legislative materials can be found in FW Boxes 84-85 (plus 2 folders in Box 86).

The General Research section (Box 52) contains background information for mining law reform, beginning with publications on mining regulations such as excerpts from the Federal Register and U.S. Code, followed by materials addressing more specific topics such as reclamation, cyanide heap leaching, articles with related correspondence and notes, Mineral Policy Center correspondence, newsletters and reports that discuss primarily mine waste dumps on public lands.

The General Research section is followed by Legal Resources which is alphabetically arranged by format: Articles, Correspondence, Court cases, and IBLA (Interior Board of Land Appeals, Department of the Interior) cases. The final section focuses upon the Imperial Project (aka Glamis Mine in Imperial County, California) which was the highlight of Wheat's pursuit to reform the Mining Laws of 1872. It also encompasses research regarding other mines in addition, which are listed alphabetically by mine at the beginning of the Imperial section.

The arrangement reflects Wheat's, with the exception of the extensive correspondence previously housed in one folder and now divided into several. Within these folders, general correspondence is at the forefront, followed by separate folders of correspondence with individual recipients (such as Garamendi, Harmon, Flynn). Subsequent folders include Memos and Notes regarding the steps of the CEQA processes, such as the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement), public comments and feedback, Final Environmental Impact Reports and then Wheat's research for possible litigation.