Battle Mountain District Office
| Contacts: | Christopher Worthington | , 775-635-4144 | , christopher_worthington@blm.gov |
Cortez Hills Expansion Project Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Available for Public Review
Battle Mountain, Nevada – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Battle Mountain District, Mount Lewis Field Office, has released the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the 2008 Cortez Hills Expansion Project Final EIS. The Draft SEIS Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2010, formally initiating a public comment period of 45 days for the Draft SEIS. The BLM has scheduled two public open house meetings to accept comments on the Draft SEIS. The Cortez Hills Expansion Project is located in Lander County, Nevada, approximately 30 miles southeast of Battle Mountain. The project involves an expansion of existing open-pit gold mining and processing operations.
The public meetings will be held on September 14 and 15, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in two locations: at the Crescent Valley Town Center, Crescent Valley, Nevada, and at the BLM Battle Mountain District Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada. Representatives from Barrick and the BLM will be present to answer questions. Public comment on the Draft SEIS is an important part of the review process. Comments on the Draft SEIS will be considered and responded to in the Final SEIS. Comments will be available to the public, including any personal identifying information.
On December 3, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit partially reversed the District Court of Nevada's denial of preliminary injunctive relief with respect to the BLM's environmental analysis of air quality and water resource issues. The BLM subsequently elected to prepare a SEIS to refine the analysis of potential air quality effects and the dewatering mitigation effectiveness for the Cortez Hills Expansion Project.
Comments on the Draft SEIS must be received by 4:30 p.m. on October 4, 2010. Written comments should be sent to the BLM, Attention: Christopher Worthington, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820. Faxed comments can be sent to 775-635-4034, Attention: Christopher Worthington. E-mail comments can be sent to: CortezHills_DSEIS@blm.gov. The Draft SEIS is also available online at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html.
Background information, including printed and electronic copies of the Final EIS for the Cortez Hills Expansion Project, are available at the BLM Battle Mountain District Office during regular business hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Copies are also available at the following website: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html. For more information call Christopher Worthington, (775) 635-4000, or e-mail: Christopher_Worthington@blm.gov.
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.
Battle Mountain District Office 50 Bastian Road Battle Mountain, NV 89820