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SODA SPRINGS, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pocatello Field Office is seeking public comment on a proposed new phosphate mine near Soda Springs, Idaho.  The public scoping process will help the BLM identify potential environmental impacts of the project and define the range of alternatives that should be considered in the environmental impact statement (EIS) that will be developed.

P4 Production LLC, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, has proposed an open-pit mine in two locations along Schmidt Ridge, approximately 13 miles northeast of Soda Springs.  If approved, the two open pits would be mined in panels, allowing waste from one panel to be backfilled into a previously mined panel.  Mining operations would be conducted over an estimated 40-year period. Ore from the mine would be transported via a haul road linking the pit areas to an ore stockpile located at the inactive Dry Valley Mine, known as the East Caldwell Area. 

The proposed new surface disturbance would be approximately 1,530 acres over the life of the project.  Of that area, approximately 68.7 acres occur within general habitat for greater sage-grouse.  The BLM seeks to ensure that the mine and reclamation plan for the project minimizes surface disturbance on public lands and achieves a net conservation gain for any impacts to sage-grouse habitat. 

The publication of the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Caldwell Canyon Mine and Reclamation Plan in the Federal Register today initiated a 30-day comment period.  Comments will be accepted until April 22, 2017.  

Comments may be submitted by using any of the following methods:

• Email: blm_id_caldwell_canyon_mine_eis@blm.gov 
• Fax:  208-478-6376 
• Mail:  Caldwell Canyon Mine EIS, c/o Tetra Tech, 2525 Palmer Street, Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59808.

The BLM will also hold two public meetings to answer questions and gather comments on the proposed project. The meetings will be held from 4-7 p.m in the following locations:

• Bureau of Land Management — Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204; April 5, 2017.
• Soda Springs City Hall, 9 W 2^nd S, Soda Springs, Idaho 83276; April 6, 2017.

Additional information on the proposed project can be found online at  http://bit.ly/2eoKYV8.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the Idaho Department of Lands will assist the BLM in preparing the EIS as cooperating agencies. 

For additional information, please contact David Alderman, BLM Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID, 83204, phone 208-478-6369, fax 208-478- 6376.  Please reference "Caldwell Canyon Mine EIS" on all correspondence.