BLM Publishes Notice of Intent for the Initiation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the Marigold Mine Plan - Mackay Optimization Project
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Winnemucca, Nev. - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is asking for public comment on possible issues associated with the approval of the expansion of the Marigold Mine between Winnemucca and Battle Mountain. The BLM Winnemucca District (WD), Humboldt River Field Office, published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the potential environmental effects of approving the project in the Federal Register on March 4th, 2016.
Maps and other planning documents associated with the project may be accessed on the BLM’s NEPA webpage at http://1.usa.gov/1PKqIbI.
The BLM will hold two public open-houses in Winnemucca and Battle Mountain, Nevada, from 5-7 p.m. as follows, where public comments will be accepted on the proposal:
Winnemucca, Nevada on Tuesday, March 22 at the Humboldt County Library, located at 85 E. Fifth Street.
Battle Mountain, Nevada on Wednesday, March 23 at the Battle Mountain Civic Center in the East Room, located at 625 S. Broad Street.
Written comments are encouraged and may be submitted through April 7, 2016 to Jeanette Black, Project Lead, Attn: Marigold Mine EIS, BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca NV 89445-2921 or by e-mail at wfoweb@blm.gov with “Marigold Mackay Project (Black)” in the subject line.
The Marigold Mine is currently authorized up to a disturbance of 5,720 acres (approximately 3,275 acres of private land and 2,445 acres of public land). Proposed changes to their operations presented would encompass 1,893 additional acres (approximately 843 acres of public land and 1050 acres of private land) and increase the mine life by up to 10 years. Among other proposed changes, the new plan would combine four existing open pits; combine and increase the size of two more pits; and build a new waste rock storage area, heap leach processing pads, process ponds, and carbon columns. In addition, the new plan would relocate Buffalo Valley Road, a private land access road to private property in Section 30, NE Energy’s 120-kV power line, and the planned utility corridor.
Issues identified so far by the BLM include the following (a) the formation of a pit lake after completion of mining activities, and ensuring that there is no degradation of waters of the state or undue or unnecessary degradation of public lands; (b) potential impacts to wildlife habitat; and (c) potential impacts to cultural sites.
Other resources that will be addressed in the analysis include the following: air quality, environmental justice, geology and minerals, invasive species, lands and realty, Native American religious concerns, paleontology, range management, recreation, social and economic values, threatened, endangered, candidate and sensitive species, vegetation, and soils.
A range of alternatives will be developed to address the issues identified during public scoping. Mitigation measures will be considered to minimize environmental impacts and to assure the proposed action does not result in unnecessary or undue degradation of public lands.
Federal, state and local agencies and other individuals or organizations that may be interested in or affected by BLM’s decision on the Marigold Mine – Mackay Optimization Project are invited to participate in the scoping process with respect to this EIS.
For further information, please contact, Jeanette Black Project Lead, at the BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd, 775-623-1500.
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.