Denison Mines Plan Available for Public Review

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Utah State Office

Release Date: 01/04/11

Contacts:

Rebecca Doolittle

, (435) 259-2141

Denison Mines Plan Available for Public Review

The Moab Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management and the Moab/Monticello District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest are seeking comments on Dension Mines La Sal Mine Complex Mine Plan Amendment.

The La Sal Mines Complex consists of four separate, existing, underground uranium mines: Pandora, La Sal, Beaver Shaft and Snowball mines, located in the vicinity of La Sal, Utah. The mines are located on a combination of lands managed by the BLM, Forest Service and State of Utah, as well as on private lands.

The proposed action would approve the expansion of an existing development rock pile at the Pandora Mine; temporary construction of drilling sites and access trails for exploration drilling; installation of ventilation holes to provide for inflow and exhaust of air to support underground mining; and a compilation of previously-approved activities into a single plan of operations.

The agencies are also seeking assistance from the public in indentifying issues (scoping) to be analyzed in the environmental assessment (EA) that will be prepared for the mine plan amendment. The BLM has indentified the following resources that may be impacted by this proposal: air quality, floodplains, health and safety, socioeconomics, water quality and wildlife. A 30-day public comment period on the mine plan and scoping period for the EA is being conducted. Comments are due on January 31, 2011.

An open house will be held at the La Sal Elementary School on January 13, 2011 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to answer questions about the proposal and solicit public involvement. Comments may be made in writing at that time or mailed to the Moab BLM Field Office.

The mine plan amendment is available for review at: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab/more/la_sal_mines_complex.html. A hardcopy of the plan is also available for for review at the Moab BLM Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532. For more information, call the Moab Field Office at 435-259-2100. Comments should be submitted in writing by mail to the Moab BLM Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab, UT 84532 or by e-mail to UT_Moab_Comments@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.

--BLM--

Utah State Office 440 West 200 South, Suite 500 SLC, UT 84101-1345

Last updated: 03-04-2011