Buffalo Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
BLM Announces Public Review of the Hank Unit of the Nichols Ranch Uranium ISR Mining Project
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buffalo Field Office (BFO) announces the availability of a Plan of Operations review on the Hank Unit of the Nichols Ranch uranium in situ recovery (ISR) mining project approximately 40 miles southwest of Gillette, Wyo.
Uranerz Energy Corporation filed the Plan of Operations to use BLM surface within the Hank Unit of their Nichols Ranch In-Situ Uranium Mine. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Uranerz a Material License for the Nichols Ranch project in July 2011.
The Hank Unit encompasses approximately 2,250 acres with proposed disturbances of about 155 acres. BLM administered surface lands are approximately 303 acres with 35 acres of proposed disturbance. Proposed facilities within the Hank Unit include well fields for injection, production and monitoring, wellhead houses, a satellite processing facility, an access road network and pipeline system. Final reclamation and abandonment of the site is included in the plan.
The 30-day public review and comment period, as afforded per 43 CFR 3809.411(c), runs from June 15 through July 15, 2012. The Plan of Operations is available for review at the BLM-Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY and on the project website at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/bfo/nichols-ranch.html .
Comments should be addressed to Thomas Bills – NEPA and Environmental Coordinator, BLM - Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY, 82834. Comments may also be emailed to NicholsRanch_Uranium_WY@blm.gov.
The 30-day review will initiate the environmental review (NEPA) process. In addition to any comments on the Plan of Operations, BLM would appreciate identification of issues and resource concerns that BLM should evaluate during their NEPA process. BLM authority to modify the project is limited to BLM surface; however BLM will analyze environmental effects originating from the entire Hank Unit of the Nichols Ranch project.
For more information, please contact Thomas Bills, NEPA and Environmental Coordinator, at (307) 684-1133.
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.
Buffalo Field Office 1425 Fort Street Buffalo, WY 82834