AUGUST 18, 2011
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Gold Fever Stirs Ghost Town
Proposal to Ease Land Protections Could Clear Path for New California Mine.
BY JUSTIN SCHECK
BODIE, Calif.—A push for gold mining to return to the scrubby hills around this Central California ghost town has tapped into a national debate over land use.
Residents and officials near Bodie have been sparring for months over a New York company's plans to explore the area for a potential gold mine. The recent surge in gold's value and a bill pending in Congress are giving the fight new significance.
The measure would remove more than 40 million acres nationwide—including the Bodie Hills—from federal "Wilderness Study Area" and "Inventoried Roadless Area" protection, potentially opening the land for mining, logging and ...
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