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Permit Process Moves Forward for Calico Resources’ Grassy Mountain Gold Mine, Oregon

Published: January 13, 2016 |

[Click image to enlarge]

There are still some issues to be addressed, but the state permitting process for a proposed gold mine south of Vale is moving toward completing its pre-application work and can soon begin work on the actual permit application.

Calico Resources is seeking a permit to mine gold at Grassy Mountain, located west of Owyhee Reservoir.

The permitting process is a coordinated effort among state and other agencies, including the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, the lead agency in the process; Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Water Resources; Department of Fish and Wildlife; the state Historic Preservation Office; and Malheur County.

During the pre-application process, Calico Resources has been involved in collecting data covering a variety of areas, including water quality, cultural resources and several environmental issues.

Due to weather conditions on the west side of the state, the Technical Review Team, made up of state permitting agencies, plus Malheur County and the Bureau of Land Management, was held Monday as a conference call.

In its first action, the team approved the water resources subcommittee’s recommendation to allow the company to push development of a deep monitoring well to later in the year.

While the movement of groundwater was a concern, Vance Thornsberry, with Calico Resources, said the water is only located in the northern or northeast portions of the site and in very limited amounts. He estimated it would only generate 50 to 51 gallons per minute.

A report on the sufficiency of the supplemental environmental baseline data is being prepared for the various agencies as this portion of the process moves to completion. Only water resources, geochemistry and cultural resources were on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.

Representing ODFW, biologist Philip Milburn said new rules dealing with sage grouse could affect the Malheur County permit process.

The Greater Sage Grouse was not put on the Endangered Species list, there are still restrictions on what can and can’t be done on or near any sage grouse habitat to prevent undue habitat disturbance. That includes mining operations.

New federal regulations put a ban on any new mining claims in high priority core habitat areas.

While the mine location does not have a lot of sage grouse habitat, Milburn said it is near low-density habitat, and new mitigation requirements will have to be taken into account in the county land-use permit.

Once the baseline reports are approved by the technical review team, the company will make formal the permit process to operate the mine, Andy Bentz, a consultant for Calico, said last year.

Filing a formal application will begin the 300-plus day time period in which the state has to respond and issue a decision, Bentz said.

The proposed project area is about 22 miles south of Vale. It is expected that the mine would provide 200 construction jobs, 150 full-time jobs during its operation and create 200 indirect jobs, officials have said in past reports.

Source: (January 5, 2016) The Argus Observer


To stop by Calico’s website, CLICK CHERE


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