Published in The High Desert Advocate October 11th, 2018 Edition.
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) that analyzes expanding the Robinson Mine located on private and public lands about seven miles west of Ely, Nev. The 30-day public comment period concludes Monday, Nov. 9, 2018.
Robinson Nevada Mining Company (RNMC) is proposing to expand the existing Ruth Pit, expand and overdump the historic Keystone Waste Rock Dump (WRD), close and overdump the section of rail line located adjacent to the northern boundary of the Keystone WRD; and close and overdump mine access roads adjacent to the northern and western boundaries of the Keystone WRD. RNMC is also proposing to overdump storm water and sediments collection ponds located around the Keystone WRD footprint, close the existing Mollie Gibson Seepage Management Pond and construct a new Mollie Gibson Evaporation Cell, and install two new groundwater monitoring wells down gradient of the Keystone WRD.
The RNMC proposal would result in a total increase of approximately 213.7 acres of surface disturbance within the Plan Area boundary for a new end of mine life total surface disturbance of 8,878.9 acres. The proposed increase would comprise 191.4 acres of reactivated grandfathered Keystone WRD disturbance and 22.3 acres of new disturbance.
The preliminary EA is available online at https://go.usa.gov/xP8xZ. 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, “Robinson Keystone Overdump Project” 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 Stacy Holt, BLM Ely District environmental protection specialist, at (775) 289-1893 or slholt@blm.gov.
