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not considered tailings. Therefore, the title to the sand and gravel remains in the United States and is <br />subject to sale under the Material Materials Act of 1947. <br />It is BLM policy to dispose of mineral materials (sand and gravel in this case) in accordance with the <br />Material Materials Act, provided adequate measures are taken to protect the environment and that <br />damage to public health and safety is minimized. Since disposal of mineral materials is discretionary <br />on the part of BLM, no disposals will be made if it is determined by the Authorized Officer that the <br />total damage to public lands and resources would exceed the expected public benefits derived from any <br />proposed disposal. <br />Based on this regulatory structure, the following actions and alternatives will be analyzed: <br />1. Proposed Action — combination placer gold and sand and gravel operation <br />2. No Action Alternative <br />3. Alternative 1 — placer gold operation only <br />BLM will determine if the proposed project will result in no significant impacts (either because none <br />exist or if they do exist, they can be adequately mitigated) during the EA process. Results and any <br />mitigation developed through this environmental assessment and resulting decision document will be <br />forwarded to the CDRMS for inclusion into their permitting process. The BLM will require mitigation <br />of probable impacts to a level that prevents unnecessary or undue degradation of the public lands and <br />is consistent with performance standards outlined in 43 CFR 3809.420. <br />DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES: <br />Possible impacts that were summarized in Section 1 of Issues and Concerns are being brought forward <br />for analysis in this process, as they will assist in making a reasoned choice about alternatives and/or <br />relate to a potentially significant effect. <br />1. Proposed Action: <br />The proposed action has been compiled from information supplied by the applicant in their state <br />110(2) permit application, additional information provided in response to our letter dated August 4, <br />2009, an onsite inspection conducted on June 17, 2009 and through verbal consultations with the <br />applicant. The Mining Plan of Operations submitted by the applicant has additional information <br />pertaining to this proposed action and can be found at the Park County Courthouse or on the <br />CDRMS website. <br />The proposal consists of an operational overview, an outline of preparatory activities, details of the <br />mining operation and anticipated reclamation efforts, which are summarized below. <br />Operational Overview <br />The proposal is to establish a gold placer operation that includes sand and gravel operations, <br />which would be a little less than five acres in size. The life of the mine is estimated between 5 <br />and 10 years, which includes four to five month seasonal shutdowns. Hours of operation are <br />anticipated to be 8:00 am until 6:00 pm Monday through Friday and 8:00 am until 2:00 pm on <br />Saturday. Mine depth is estimated at 25 feet, although the total depth of the deposit is estimated <br />at 120 feet. The site and project location are shown below: <br />3 <br />