Elko District Office
| Contacts: | Janice Stadelman | , 775-753-346 | , janice_stadelman@blm.gov |
BLM to Initiate EIS for Proposed Hollister Underground Mine
Elko, Nev. -- The Tuscarora Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is beginning public scoping to identify potential issues to be analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement for the Rodeo Creek Gold Inc. proposal to begin underground mining and to continue surface exploration at the Hollister Project. The proposed project would be 47 miles northwest of Elko, Nev., at and near a previously authorized open-pit mine site. The BLM published a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on April 19, 2010 which opens a 30-day scoping period.
The BLM will host four scoping meetings and accept comments on the proposal until May 19, 2010.
The public meetings will be held in Nevada:
• Monday, May 10, 2010: BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard, Winnemucca, 4-7 pm
• Tuesday, May 11, 2010: BLM Battle Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 4-7 pm
• Wednesday, May 12, 2010: BLM Elko District Office, 3900 E Idaho St., Elko, 4-7 pm.
• Thursday, May 13, 2010: Justice Court Building, Mountain City, 4-7 pm (Mountain Time Zone); 3-6 pm (Pacific Time Zone)
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: cultural resources, Native American Religious concerns, hydrology and noise.
The Hollister Underground Mine Project proposal is an amendment to the Hollister Development Block Project Plan of Operations. The proposal is to transition from only the existing underground exploration to include a full-scale underground mining operation. Currently, the project has created 66 acres of approved surface disturbance on public lands, of which approximately 75 percent of the existing facilities are located on previously disturbed ground within an existing open pit mine. The proposed expansion to full-scale mining would disturb an additional 58 acres of public land for a total of 124 acres of surface disturbance. The proposal includes changes to some roads in the Hollister area, including the Mud Springs, Ivanhoe and Little Antelope Creek roads. At full production, RCG estimates the project will provide 200 jobs.
Written comments may be mailed to: BLM, Hollister Underground Mine Project Coordinator, 3900 East Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801-4611, faxed to 775-753-0255, or emailed to janice_stadelman@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.
Elko District Office 3900 East Idaho Street Elko, NV 89801