Casper Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley Collins | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
BLM hosts Open House on Douglas Quarry Expansion Project
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Casper Field Office is hosting an open house as part of the 30-day scoping period on the proposed expansion of the Douglas Quarry project located six miles southwest of Douglas in Converse County, Wyo.
Under the proposal, Pinnacle Materials plans to expand production of crushed aggregate for sale to local, private, and government contractors in the region. The quarry site disturbance is proposed to increase from 10 acres to approximately 40 acres and mining rates would increase from a maximum of 280,000 to 1,000,000 tons per year. BLM would conduct a competitive sale for a renewable mineral material sales contract for an initial 3,000,000 tons of aggregate requested for the quarry expansion.
The quarry is located in a drainage tributary of Bed Tick Creek and lies within a 160-acre portion of split-estate property having private surface and federal minerals.
The open house is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 at the Clarion Inn, 1450 Riverbend Drive, Douglas, WY, from 4 to 6 p.m., and will provide the public an opportunity to review the proposal and project information. BLM resource specialists and the project proponent will be available to provide information, answer questions, and receive public comments. Comment forms will be available for later written response.
The public is asked to identify issues which should be analyzed in an environmental assessment (EA). Among the issues already identified are potential impacts to air quality, noise, surface and ground water, increased traffic, socioeconomic impacts, reclamation of disturbed area, control of noxious weeds, and visual impacts. The scoping statement is available online at: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/cfo.html.
Written comments on the project should be submitted by March 8, 2011, and addressed to: Bureau of Land Management; Tom Foertsch, Geologist; 2987 Prospector Drive; Casper, WY 82601. Scoping comments can also be submitted via email to: casper_wymail@blm.gov, please include "Douglas Quarry" in the subject line. For additional information or a copy of the scoping notice, contact Tom Foertsch at 307-261-7630.
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.
Casper Field Office 2987 Prospector Drive Casper, WY 82604