BLM issues final environmental analysis for proposed gold mine

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management has completed its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Robertson Mine Project in the Shoshone Range of Lander County. The project proposed by Nevada Gold Mines, LLC, would explore and mine on approximately 5,990 total acres, with an estimated surface disturbance of approximately 4,177 acres on public lands.  

If approved, the project would include three open pits; haul roads; a waste rock facility; a heap leach facility, including a lined pad, process solution ponds and vaults, and carbon-in-column plant; and ancillary facilities, including some shared with the nearby Cortez Mine. The mine would operate daily for approximately 12 years, and reclamation would occur in stages throughout the life of the mine, with final reclamation expected three years after conclusion of the project.  

“The Final EIS is a testament to the hard work of the interdisciplinary team from multiple agencies,” said Battle Mountain District Manager Jon Sherve. “We’re grateful for the public’s participation in considering and commenting on the proposed project. Their input resulted in a more robust environmental analysis.”  

In developing the final environmental review for the proposal, the BLM worked closely with Tribal, federal, state, and local governments, and national and local stakeholders. To ensure appropriate evaluation of potential effects to cultural resources and sites, the BLM worked closely with the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Ely Shoshone Tribe, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe.  

A Notice of Availability will publish in tomorrow’s Federal Register to begin a 30-day public review period which ends Nov. 4, 2024. The BLM plans to issue a decision after the review period closes. More information is available at the BLM National NEPA Register.