Battle Mountain, Nev – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Mount Lewis Field Office has published in the Federal Register a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Gibellini Mine Project. The notice opens a public scoping period that will end May 29, 2013. Written comments will be accepted until that date.The BLM has scheduled a public scoping meeting on May 14, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Eureka County Opera House, 31 South Main Street, Eureka, NV. Comment forms will be available at the meeting. Representatives from American Vanadium US, Inc. and the BLM will be present to answer questions.
The public is being asked to identify issues relevant to the proposed Gibellini Mine Project. The BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: (1) closure of the sulfuric acid heap leach pad, (2) impacts to vegetation and wildlife that could include loss of habitat for Greater sage-grouse and loss of acreage for livestock grazing, and (3) cumulative socioeconomic concerns associated with the influx of workers expected to be employed by this mine and others in the nearby area over the next several years.
American Vanadium US, Inc. proposes to construct, operate, reclaim, and close an open pit, heap leach, vanadium mining operation. The proposed project also includes a water and communications corridor extending 6.5 miles from the Fish Creek Ranch to the proposed project area and a power corridor generally paralleling the Fish Creek Road to Highway 50. The proposed Gibellini Mine Project would be located approximately 27 miles south of Eureka in Eureka and White Pine counties. The proposed project area contains approximately 7,697 acres of public land managed by the Mount Lewis Field Office; of that area, approximately 730 acres of disturbance is proposed. For this proposed project, vanadium would be used in an electrolyte solution in the development of new energy storage technology. A photovoltaic solar field would be built at the mine to demonstrate the new battery technology on-site.
The life of the mine would be approximately 10 years. During the production phase of the project, American Vanadium US, Inc. anticipates a workforce of approximately 120 employees.
Interested individuals should address all written comments to the BLM Mount Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820, Attn: Gloria Tibbetts or via fax at (775) 635-4034. Comments may be also submitted via email at:BLM_NV_BMDO_GibelliniProject@
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.
Additional information is available online at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/
For more information, contact Gloria Tibbetts, BLM Mount Lewis Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at (775) 635-4060 [email protected].
