Butte Field Office
| Contacts: | Contact David Abrams 406-533-7617 |
Final EIS For Graymont Mine Expansion Available For Review
The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Graymont Mine expansion is now available for public review. The Bureau of Land Management and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality have posted the Final EIS at their websites: www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/butte_field_office.html and http://deq.mt.gov/eis.mcpx.
The proposed mine expansion is on unpatented mining claims on public lands west of Townsend, Mont. The expanded operation would be a continuation of mining along a prominent limestone ridge which forms the crest of the “Limestone Hills.” Mining was originally permitted here beginning in 1981 and has continued ever since.
Alternatives proposed in the EIS were developed collaboratively with other agencies and with public involvement.
The proposed expansion would add another 1,940 acres to the permit and an additional 1,313 acres of surface disturbance. The principal concern, developed through public meetings and agency review, was the potential loss of mule-deer and mountain-sheep habitat and winter browse vegetation, primarily mountain mahogany. The Preferred Alternative in the Final EIS ensures long-term regeneration of the existing mule deer and bighorn sheep populations in the winter range in the Limestone Hills. This Alternative, also called the Modified Pit Backfill, provides for more diverse topography and soils that favor winter browse species.
For more information about the Final EIS, contact Dave Williams at the Bureau of Land Management’s Butte Field Office at (406) 533-7600.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Butte Field Office 106 North Parkmont Butte, MT 59701