Joint News Release: Cooke City Area Mineral Withdrawal

The Bureau of Land Management

NEWS

Joint Release by White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management

Protection of Yellowstone National Park Progresses as Public Lands in Cooke City Area Are Withdrawn From Mineral Entry

A significant step in President Clinton's plan to ensure the future protection of Yellowstone National Park and the outstanding natural resources in the adjacent area was taken today with the announcement that more than 22,000 acres of America's national forest lands near Cooke City, Mont. will be withdrawn from mining claim location under the 1872 Mining Law. Bob Armstrong, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management, made the announcement with the concurrence of James Lyons, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resource and the Environment.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was jointly prepared by the Forest Service, Northern Region, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Montana State Office, for the mineral withdrawal and forest plan amendments. The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the mineral withdrawal decision. In its concurrence, the Department of Agriculture is also amending the Forest Plans for the Custer and Gallatin National Forests to reflect the mineral withdrawal.

"I welcome this withdrawal of public lands as an important step in ensuring that the area's outstanding natural resources, including Yellowstone, the world's oldest National Park, are conserved for future generations." Armstrong said.

"This is an outstanding example of cooperation between federal agencies It demonstrates that when we all work together, we can achieve significant conservation goals," Lyons said.

The Cooke City Area Mineral Withdrawal is one of a series of actions taken by the Clinton Administration to protect Yellowstone National Park. On August 25, 1995, President Clinton toured the site of the proposed New World Mine near Cooke City, Montana. Following his tour, the President declared a moratorium on further mineral entry on federal lands in the area, based on his concerns about the potential impacts from mining at this particular site because of its proximity to Yellowstone National Park. The two-year moratorium (known as a "segregation") has provided time for the BLM and the USFS to complete an environmental study of a longer term mineral withdrawal. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) completing this study was released to the public on July 11, 1997. Copies are available from the Cooke City Area Mineral Withdrawal Team, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, Montana 59107-6800.

On August 12, 1996, President Clinton, executives from the Crown Butte mining company, and a coalition of environmental groups, agreed to protect Yellowstone National Park from potentially significant threats from the proposed New World Mine located in the headwaters of the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River just outside the Park.

The 20-year withdrawal signed today applies to publicly-owned minerals in the Custer and Gallatin National Forests in an area directly adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. The mineral withdrawal does not include private lands or existing valid mining claims on national forest lands. However, the mineral withdrawal applies to any lands or interests in lands acquired in the area by the United States in the future including lands covered by the August 12, 1996 Agreement.

The "Record of Decision" containing information on the 20-year withdrawal is currently available and will be distributed to the public on Monday, August 18. The Public Land Order, which includes a complete legal description of the mineral withdrawal, is expected be published in the Federal Register on or before August 22, 1997.

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