Final Environmental Impact Statement for proposed expansion of Smoky Canyon Mine available for review
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SODA SPRINGS, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management Idaho Falls District and Caribou-Targhee National Forest today released a Final Environmental Impact Statement analyzing different alternatives for expanding the phosphate mine at Smoky Canyon, east of Soda Springs. The agencies are seeking public input on the FEIS and draft U.S. Forest Service’s Record of Decision prior to releasing final RODs later this year. The agencies identified Alternative 1 as the preferred alternative.
Alternative 1 strikes a balance between resource extraction and conservation while providing opportunities for high-paying jobs in the local community. If approved, the East Smoky Panel Mine Project would sustain approximately 600 jobs for an additional three years at the existing Smoky Canyon Mine and Don Plant processing facility, generating approximately $180 million in associated salaries and supporting 1,326 indirect jobs in the region.
The J.R. Simplot Company proposed expanding the Smoky Canyon Mine into the East Smoky Panel by developing a single linear open pit in seven sequential phases, enabling waste rock to be backfilled into previously mined portions of the pit. This design is intended to reduce certain impacts associated with the mining process.
“Public participation is an important part of the BLM and USFS decision-making process on this proposed project,” said District Manager for the BLM Idaho Falls District Mary D’Aversa. “We encourage the public to take advantage of the opportunity to review the BLM and USFS documents and provide us with input on them.”
The BLM and the USFS will use the FEIS to make separate but coordinated decisions related to the proposed project. The BLM’s forthcoming decision will approve, modify or deny the Simplot’s proposed Mine and Reclamation Plan and its currently approved Panel B mine plan, and decide whether or not to add acreage to the existing mining lease.
The USFS will make recommendations to the BLM concerning surface management and mitigation on leased lands within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, determine whether to issue Special-Use Authorizations for off-lease activities, and approve or deny a forest plan amendment to accommodate a reroute of an existing utility corridor around the southern portion of the proposed pit.
The draft USFS ROD is available for review. An electronic copy of the Final EIS and the Draft USFS ROD are available on the BLM Land Use Planning and NEPA Register at https://go.usa.gov/xnYTG, or the CTNF Current and Recent Projects at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/landmanagement/projects.
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.