Record of decision for Gemfield mining project in Nevada

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Tonopah Field Office, has published a record of decision associated with Gemfield Resources Ltd. proposal to develop gold mine operations within the Gemfield project area, the BLM announced.

The project is located approximately 30 miles south of Tonopah, Nevada, and approximately 0.5 miles north of the town of Goldfield.

The announcement was made in a news release.

Some details:

■ Approximately 1,935.9 acres of land occurs within the plan boundary, including approximately 1,214.2 acres of BLM administered land that is managed by the Tonopah Field Office and 721.7 acres of private land.

■ The proposed project would result in approximately 1,337.3 acres of surface disturbance, of which 969.4 acres would occur on BLM-administered land and 367.9 acres would occur on private land.

■ If the project is approved, Gemfield Resources Ltd. estimates the mine life would be approximately 12 years.

■ The project includes the construction and operation of a conventional open-pit mining operation to extract and recover gold.

■ Proposed rights-of-way authorizations and rights-of-way amendments include the Nevada Department of Transportation; AT&T; Esmeralda County; Sierra Pacific Power Company doing business as NV Energy and Nevada Hospital Association/SWITCH.

In addition to the proposed project, two alternatives — reduced mine plan alternative and partial pit backfill alternative and the no-action alternative — were analyzed, the BLM said.

Responses to comments received during the public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement have been incorporated into the final environmental impact statement.

After the 30-day review period the Tonopah Field Office made a determination to approve the project’s preferred alternative, which was the proposed Action, the BLM said.

The record of decision and other relevant documents have been made available at https://go.usa.gov/xE8q6

For any questions or concerns regarding the record of decision, contact Perry B. Wickham, field manager, BLM Tonopah Field Office, at 775-482-7801.