ELKO - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tuscarora Field Office issued a Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Barrick-Dee Mining Venture's proposed Arturo Mine Project.
The project is to expand the Dee Gold Mine, an existing open-pit gold mine, currently in closure and reclamation, located approximately 45 miles northwest of Elko. The project will expand the existing open-pit gold mine and construct two new waste-rock disposal storage facilities, a new heap-leach facility and new support facilities. These activities would support an estimated 240 new jobs.
The project will create about 2,774 acres of surface disturbance on public land during the estimated 10 years of mining and ore processing, followed by three years of site closure and reclamation.
Approximately 808 acres of Greater Sage-Grouse Preliminary Priority Habitat (PPH) occur in the project area. This habitat will be re-established onsite at a one to one ratio, which conforms to current BLM mitigation conservation guidelines. Off-site re-establishment of PPH will be at a ratio of two to one and will occur north of the project area on about 1,600 public land acres.
A Notice of Intent was published in June 2010, initiating public scoping for this project and more than 200 letters were mailed to interested publics, other federal and state agencies as well as federally recognized tribes. A draft EIS was released for public comment on Jan. 18, 2013 and two public meetings were held during the subsequent 45-day comment period.
Copies of the Final EIS are available at the BLM Elko District Office and also online at the BLM Elko District Web site address: http://www.blm.gov.
Questions concerning this project should be addressed to: Bureau of Land Management, Arturo Mine Project, Attention: John Daniel, 3900 Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801-4611; emailed to: ArturoMiningEIS@blm.gov; or by phone at (775) 753-0277.[[In-content Ad]]
