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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Dillon
 
Release Date: 11/09/12
Contacts: Contact: David Abrams, Public Affairs Specialist    
  dabrams@blm.gov    
  (406) 490-0367    
  Kristen Lenhardt    
  klenhard@blm.gov    
  406-896-5228    

BLM Hosts Public Meeting On Mine Waste Rock Removal Project Near Pony


The Bureau of Land Management will hold a public meeting to discuss a proposal to remove about 9,000 tons of mine waste rock from four different locations west of Pony, Mont.  The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, at the Pony Gym in Pony.

The material will be hauled in 30-ton articulating off-road trucks to a crusher site just off the Pony Creek Rd.  From there, it will be screened and crushed, then transported to the Golden Sunlight Mine east of Whitehall.

Minimal road improvement on public land is anticipated; however, a section of road will need to be constructed to access one of the sites on public land.

Although levels of potentially hazardous substances in the waste rock may be somewhat elevated, the concentrations will not pose a public health issue.  The material will eventually end up in a lined permitted tailings pond.

The BLM is processing the applicant’s plan of operations in accordance with federal regulations.  If the operation is approved as submitted, removal would begin immediately and take up to two summers to complete. 

For more information, please contact Robert Gunderson at the Dillon Field Office at (406) 683-8000.

For the latest BLM news and updates visit us on the web at: www.blm.gov/mt  and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BLMMontana.

-BLM-



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.
--BLM--

Dillon   1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, MT 59725-9431  

Last updated: 11-13-2012