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Tonopah, NV – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking input regarding the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposal by Gemfield Resources, Ltd. (GRL) to construct and operate a conventional open pit mining operation through its Gemfield Project.  The mine location is proposed for the Goldfield Mining District of Esmerelda County, Nevada.  The public comment period ends April 22, 2019.

The BLM has scheduled one public comment meeting:

- Goldfield, Nevada, on March 28, 2019, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Goldfield Elementary School at 233 Ramsey in Goldfield, Nevada.

These meetings provide the public and interested agencies an opportunity to learn about the mine expansion project and to help identify issues and provide public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  Early public involvement is crucial to identify potential issues that may need to be addressed through the process.

The proposed Project is located approximately 30 miles south of Tonopah, Nevada, and approximately 0.5 mile north of the town of Goldfield, Nevada.

Approximately 1,935.9 acres of land occurs within the Plan boundary, including approximately 1,214.2 acres of Bureau of Land Management administered land that is managed by the TFO of the Battle Mountain District and 721.7 acres of private land. The proposed Project would result in approximately 1,337.3 acres of surface disturbance, of which 969.4 acres would occur on BLM-administered land and 367.9 acres would occur on private land. If the Project is approved, GRL estimates the mine life would be approximately 12 years.

The proposed Project includes the construction and operation of a conventional open pit mining operation to extract and recover gold. The proposed Project would include the following new components:

• Open pit;
• Crushing facilities, conveyors, and associated stockpiles;
• Waste rock disposal areas;
• Overburden stockpile;
• Stormwater diversions channels, sediment basins, and berms;
• Heap leach pad, processing facilities, and ponds;
• Water supply and dewatering wells and delivery/storage system;
• Haul and secondary roads;
• Exploration activities; and
• Ancillary facilities including: power supply; reagent, fuel, and explosives storage; buildings including administration, change house, laboratory, security, warehouse, and parking; water supply and septic systems; maintenance shop; ready line; vehicle wash; communications facilities; plant growth media stockpiles; area for temporary storage of petroleum-contaminated soils; groundwater monitoring wells; water supply pipelines and facilities, borrow areas; fencing; yards; and stormwater controls and diversion structures.

Proposed right-of-way amendments to existing BLM authorizations (relinquishments and amendments to existing authorizations) include the Nevada Department of Transportation; AT&T; Esmeralda County; Sierra Pacific Power Company doing business as NV Energy; and Nevada Hospital Association/SWITCH.

In addition to the proposed Project, two alternatives (Reduced Mine Plan Alternative and Partial Pit Backfill Alternative) and the No Action Alternative were analyzed.

One public scoping meeting was held on January 10, 2014 in Goldfield, Nevada. Seven comment submittals were received during the public scoping process and responses to the comments have been incorporated into the DEIS.

The DEIS and other relevant documents have been made available at https://go.usa.gov/xE8q6. This publication in the Federal Register starts a 45-day public comment period that will end on April 22, 2019. Comments can be submitted in the following ways:

Email: BLM_NV_BMDO_MLFO_GEMFIELDEIS@blm.gov

Mail: Kevin Hurrell

Attn: Gemfield DEIS – Project Manager

50 Bastian Road

Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820

For any questions or concerns regarding the EIS, please contact Kevin Hurrell, BLM Project Manager, at (775) 635-4000.