Records of Decision Issued for the Rasmussen Valley Mine Phosphate Project
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POCATELLO, ID: Today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pocatello Field Office and U.S. Forest Service Caribou-Targhee National Forest issued their separate records of decision (RODs) for the Rasmussen Valley Mine Project to approve an open pit phosphate mine in Caribou County, Idaho. The selected alternative will preserve 1,700 jobs supported by the project and generate approximately $85 million per year for the local economy in Caribou County.
The federal phosphate lease is held by Nu-West Industries, Inc. doing business as Agrium Conda Phosphate Operations. The lease grants exclusive rights to develop the phosphate minerals under the BLM-approved mine plan. The selected alternative includes increasing the phosphate reserves being mined to extend the mine life an additional 10 months, potentially delaying the need for Agrium to move mining to an undisturbed lease.
“We’ve identified the Rasmussen Collaborative Alternative (RCA) as the agency preferred alternative,” said Mary D’Aversa, BLM Idaho Falls District Manager. The RCA proposal results in approximately 541 acres of new disturbance but fewer environmental impacts. “The RODs represent years of coordination with Agrium, DEQ, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and other agencies and numerous environmental studies to ensure we’ve found the strategic balance between resource use and resource protection,” said D’Aversa.
The approved plan for the Rasmussen Valley Project includes a 2.4 mile-long pit to recover phosphate, which will be backfilled with previously mined material. Access points and haul roads will be constructed to allow access to the material and some of the mine waste will be used to fill existing pits in the South Rasmussen Mine. The company will construct an earthen cover over the backfill and overburden to protect groundwater from contamination. The selected alternative protects existing and future beneficial uses of groundwater outside of the local area of the mine.
Agrium has agreed to fund the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust— an eastern Idaho nonprofit conservation organization—with nearly $1,170,000 to implement projects that remediate loss of residual wildlife habitat. Agrium will also fully mitigate impacts to the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area, including a payment of $432,000 to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for the right to use and occupy the area during the project.
BLM’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was made available for public review on Sept. 9, 2016. Implementation of today's BLM decision may begin at the close of a 30-day appeal-filing period. Instructions for appealing the BLM’s decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals are described in the BLM ROD and must be in accordance with regulations contained in 43 CFR 4.
Electronic copies of the final EIS and BLM ROD are available on the BLM website http://on.doi.gov/
For additional information, please contact Bill Volk, BLM Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204, phone 208-236-7503, fax 208-478- 6376. Please reference “Rasmussen Valley Mine EIS” on all correspondence.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.