Celatom Mine Expansion
Current Status
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Burns District announced the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed expansion of a Celatom mine, located approximately 50 miles east of Burns and 60 miles west of Vale, Oregon.
The FEIS analyzes proposed activities on BLM-administered land and cumulative effects from proposed activities on State-administered and private land, all within the project boundary. Proposed activities include expanded mining operations, new mining operations, and exploratory drilling, development drilling, sampling, trenching, and bulk sampling within the Project boundary.
Project Background
EP Minerals filed a proposed Mine Plan of Operation (MPO) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in July 2008. The proposed MPO is for the expansion of their current mining operations. The total proposed MPO area is 12,640 acres: 8,080 acres of BLM land, 1,680 acres of State of Oregon land, and 1,600 acres of split estate land with the surface patented under the Stock Raising Homestead Act. The current MPO, approved in 1985, totals approximately 1,634 acres of BLM, State of Oregon, and private lands. The Celatom Complex is a diatomaceous mine currently consisting of three open-pit mines called Beede Desert (on private land), Kelly Field (on BLM-administered land), and Section 36 (on State-administered land) in Harney and Malheur Counties.
Operations in the Celatom Mining Complex in eastern Oregon (located approximately 50 miles east of Burns and 60 miles west of Vale, Oregon) began in 1985. EP Minerals plans to continue mining into the foreseeable future. While there are approximately 70 years of reserves, changing market demands require different diatomaceous earth (DE) products. The proposed MPO would allow exploration and development of the DE resources within the project area to meet these varying demands. The Celatom Mine Complex currently consists of three open-pit mines: Kelley Field (on BLM-administered land), Section 36 (on State land) and Beede Desert (on private land) in Harney and Malheur Counties, Oregon. In addition, EP Minerals has support facilities including generators, water for dust abatement, fuel storage, and a camp for employees. The proposed types of expansion of mining operations and development of new mining operations in the project area include open pit mines, roads within the mine operations areas, and other operations such as stock piling and ancillary features such as service areas.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released to the public April 8, 2011.
Documents Available
- Final Environmental Impact Statement (PDF)
- Mine Plan of Operations (PDF) (also referred to as the Celatom Mine Plan)
- March 2010 Baseline Characterization Report (PDF) (prepared by SRK)
- Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PDF)
- Press release announcing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PDF)
Compact disks containing the FEIS are available at the BLM Burns and Vale District Offices.
Contact Information
For further information about the FEIS or to have your name added to the project mailing list, contact the Celatom Mine Expansion Project Lead at 541-573-4400.
Mail or deliver to:
Celatom Mine Expansion Project Lead
BLM Burns District Office
Attention: Celatom Mine
28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738
Fax:
541-573-4411
Attn: Celatom Mine Expansion Project Lead
Want to learn more about RMPs for Western Oregon?
Oregon State Office
Bureau of Land Management
333 S.W. 1st. Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
503-808-6002