To the Friends of the Panamints

Update:  Revised EA expected. Comments will be needed quickly.

Progress of the Briggs Mine EA (Environmental Assessment)

Sept 27, 2002

 Recall that this EA describes the proposed exploration for gold deposits a few miles north of the current CR Briggs mine on the west slope of the Panamints, adjacent to Panamint Valley. (Technically this project is called the ‘Cecil R / Jackson Exploration’.)

BLM discussed the EA’s status at the Sep 26 Steering Committee meeting in Ridgecrest.

Here are the salient points:

§         Comment period for the EA ended August 10.

§         Notice of the EA availability had been sent to 135 people and organizations. The BLM selected these 135 from a larger list. No selection method was stated, other than that these were people they thought would be interested. (Recall that the mailing included only a notice of availability of the EA, not the EA itself. You had to get the actual EA from the BLM website, or elsewhere.)

§         BLM received comments from 56 people or organizations. Nine of these were from the 135 recipients. The other 47 were from people or organizations that heard about the activity from a source other than the BLM. Some respondents sent more that one letter, so there were actually a few more responses than the 56.

§         Since the comment period closed, the BLM and the mining people have been working on revising the EA to consider the comments received, and on answering the comments.

§         BLM had hoped to have finished the revision by the time of the Sept. 26 Steering Committee meeting, but, well, we all know that things always take longer than…

§         When the EA revision is completed, BLM intends to send it to the 56 respondents, not to a larger list. It will be posted on the BLM website.

§         After sending out the revised EA, comments must be received within 15 days. At the meeting there was some objection to the short comment period, and it’s hoped the BLM will make it longer.

§         After the comment period BLM will make a recommendation. It’s fully expected to be a ‘FONSI’, which stands for ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’.

 

We may have to write some letters when the revised EA is released. If you feel like writing one now, send in a letter complaining about the short proposed comment period. Send to:

Hector Villalobos

BLM Ridgecrest

300 S Richmond Road

Ridgecrest, CA  93555

Some names to get straight, for the record, emphasized by BLM personnel:

§         The name of this project is Cecil R / Jackson Exploration, not Briggs. It’s separate from the CR Briggs mine. It’s not an extension of the current Briggs Mine.

§         The ‘miner’ is Canyon Resources Corporation (Golden, CO). Of course, they are the company operating the existing mine, the CR Briggs mine.

 

Tom Budlong, TomBudlong@Bigfoot.com