Ely District Office
| Contacts: | Chris Hanefeld | , 775-289-1842 | , chris_hanefeld@blm.gov |
North Operations Area Final Environmental Impact Statement Available to Public
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District published in the Federal Register on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, a notice announcing the availability of the North Operations Area Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
The BLM will accept written comments on the North Operations Area FEIS for 30 days following publication in the Federal Register of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability that was published concurrently with the BLM notice.
Under the proposal, the Bald Mountain and Mooney Basin mines, located about 100 miles northwest of Ely, Nev., would be combined and renamed the North Operations Area Project. The proposed action would result in the disturbance of 3,920 additional acres for a total disturbance area of 8,080 acres. Existing facilities, including open pits, rock disposal areas, heap leach pads, processing facilities and inter-pit areas would be expanded. New facilities would include a pit, four rock disposal areas, haul roads, topsoil stockpiles and remote truck shop.
Alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIS included the Proposed Action, No Action Alternative, Backfill Alternative and Mooney Basin Heap Leach Pad Alternative. The Backfill Alternative was identified in the FEIS as the preferred alternative.
For more information or to obtain a copy of the North Operations Area FEIS, contact Lynn Bjorklund, BLM Ely District environmental protection specialist, at 775-289-1800 or lynn_bjorklund@nv.blm.gov. The FEIS is also available online. Go to www.blm.gov/nv/ and click on the “Ely” District.
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.
Ely District Office 702 N. Industrial Way Ely, NV 89301