Battle Mountain District Office
| Contacts: | Christopher J. Cook | , 775-635-4056 | , cjcook@blm.gov |
BLM Seeking Public Comments on Ruby Hill Project Preliminary Environmental Assessment
Battle Mountain, Nev - The Bureau of Land Management, Mount Lewis Field Office, is seeking public comments on the Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) prepared to analyze environmental impacts associated with the Ruby Hill Project. The Project is part of an existing mining operation located approximately 0.7 mile northwest of the town of Eureka, Nev. The Project is located on both public land, administered by the BLM, and private land. Comments on the PEA will be accepted until September 10, 2012.
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA, the PEA identifies, describes, and evaluates the potential impacts from the expansion activities and takes into consideration the specific resource protection measures identified for the Ruby Hill Project.
The proposed expansion would utilize the existing primary and secondary crushers, solution processing plant, and ancillary support facilities. The Plan of Operations includes the following activities: expansion of the existing open pit and pit activity area; lowering of the final pit bottom by 240 feet; inclusion of a conceptual process pond for future fluid management of heap drain down flows during closure; realignment of portions of the existing perimeter fence associated with the open pit expansion; increasing the authorized acreage of surface exploration related disturbance; expansion of the Class III landfill; and the establishment of a flexible mining and ore hauling timeline based on mining rates and economic conditions. Expansion activities would disturb approximately 34.3 acres of additional BLM-administered public land and approximately 72.3 acres of additional private land for a proposed surface disturbance total of 106.6 acres. The total of the existing and proposed surface disturbance for the Project would be 1,742.4 acres within the existing Project area.
The 30-day public comment period starts August 10, 2012 and ends September 12, 2012. Comments received during the public review period will be analyzed and considered as part of the decision-making process.
The PEA may be viewed at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html. Questions and written comments should be mailed to Christopher J. Cook, Field Manager, Mount Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820. Comments may also be provided through e-mail at BLM_NV_BMDO_RubyHillMineExpansion_EA@blm.gov. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
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.
Battle Mountain District Office 50 Bastian Road Battle Mountain, NV 89820