BLM seeks public comment on Bald Mountain Mine expansion proposal
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ELY, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management Ely District, Bristlecone Field Office is asking the public to review and provide comment on a preliminary environmental assessment (EA) analyzing a Kinross Gold Corporation (KG Mining) proposal to expand the Bald Mountain Mine located on private and public lands about 65 miles northwest of Ely, Nev. The 15-day public comment period concludes Tuesday, April 9, 2019.
KG Mining is proposing to modify Bald Mountain Mine’s (BMM) North Operations Area (NOA) authorized plan of operations to reconcile differences between the plan and changes resulting from recent exploratory activities. The proposal would change the plan to allow BMM to expand and develop proposed mine components, including infrastructure, and allow for the construction, expansion, modification, elimination and reclamation of disturbance by mine area. The proposal would result in approximately 962.6 acres of disturbance, elimination of 388 acres of authorized, but not disturbed; and reclassification of 195.8 acres, resulting in a net proposed disturbance of 574.5 acres on BLM-administrated lands and 0.1 acres on private land. The authorized disturbance would increase from 10,207.7 acres to 10,782.3 acres.
The proposed action would expand existing operations to include the modification and expansion of open pits, modification of rock disposal areas, expansion of a heap leach facility and associated process facilities, and modification and development of power lines and substations. It would also include the modification of existing support facilities and development of new support facilities, withdrawal of authorized, but not yet constructed, mine components and other administrative actions. The NOA plan boundary area would not change and would encompass 31,572 total acres, consisting of 31,330 acres of BLM-administered land and 242 acres of private land.
The preliminary EA is available online at https://go.usa.gov/xEFvB. Interested individuals should address all written comments to the BLM Ely District Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, NV 89301, Attn: Project Manager Stacy Holt. Submit comments electronically with the subject, “Bald Mountain Mine Expansion” to slholt@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.
For more information, contact BLM Project Manager Stacy Holt at (775) 289-1800 or slholt@blm.gov.
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.