BLM issues final analysis for the Dry Creek Trona Mine
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KEMMERER, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management issued the final environmental impact statement analyzing the proposed Dry Creek Trona Mine Project south of Green River in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Trona is a mineral used to make soda ash, an essential raw material in baking soda, glass, chemicals, detergents, and other important industrial products, including the production of lithium-ion batteries.
If approved, Pacific Soda, LLC, would be authorized to construct mine well fields, processing facilities, storage ponds, a co-generation facility, landfills for salt and lime, transportation facilities, natural gas and water pipelines and powerlines to mine and process materials from underground trona beds located 2,300 feet below the surface. The project is planned to employ 2,000 during construction and approximately 300 full time, high paying jobs over the life of the mine.
The BLM has selected Alternative D as the Preferred Alternative which could potentially disturb 3,600 acres of private lands and 3,300 acres of public lands, with 93 acres administered by the State of Wyoming. Pacific Soda estimates there are approximately 117 million tons of recoverable trona within the proposed project area that could produce approximately 6 million metric tons of marketable soda ash and over 440,900 metric tons of baking soda annually.
A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register to begin a 30-day public review period. Additional information, planning documents, and maps are available for review at the BLM National NEPA Register. The public review period ends March 31, 2025, after which the BLM may issue a decision on whether to approve the project.
For more information, please contact Kelly Lamborn at 307-828-4505 or klamborn@blm.gov.
– BLM –
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.