Battle Mountain District Office
| Contacts: | Andrea Dolbear | , 775-635-4034 | , asdolbear@blm.gov |
BLM to Begin Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Buffalo Valley Mine Project
Battle Mountain, NV - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Mount Lewis Field Office has published in the Federal Register a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Buffalo Valley Mine Project. The notice opens a 30-day public scoping period that will end March 6, 2013. Written comments will be accepted until that date.
The BLM has scheduled a public scoping meeting on February 21, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Battle Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian Rd., Battle Mountain, Nev. Comment forms will be available at the meeting. Representatives from Newmont and the BLM will be present to answer questions.
The public is being asked to identify issues relevant to the proposed Buffalo Valley Mine Project. The BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: pit lake formation post closure, mine dewatering, wildlife, and socioeconomic concerns.
Newmont, in a joint venture with Fairmile Gold, proposes to construct, operate, reclaim, and close an open pit, heap leach, gold mining operation. The proposed Buffalo Valley Mine Project would be located approximately 20 miles southwest of Battle Mountain, and about 12 miles northwest of Newmont’s Phoenix Mine in Lander and Humboldt counties. The life of the mine would be approximately 10 years. During the production phase of the project, Newmont anticipates a workforce of 120 employees.
Interested individuals should address all written comments to the BLM Mount Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820, Attn: Andrea Dolbear or via fax at (775) 635-4034. Comments may be also submitted via email at: BLM_NV_BMDO_BuffaloValleyMineProject@blm.gov.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
For more information, contact Andrea Dolbear, BLM Mount Lewis Environmental Protection Specialist, at (775) 635-4017 or asdolbear@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