BLM 2020 Gypsum Mine Environmental Assessment
Reverse Chronological Order
Since our November 2020 comment letter to BLM, we have heard nothing official from BLM about the proposed gypsum mine exploration. Hearsay is that it is “on hold” and “not a priority at this time,” but is an “option for the future.”
February 8, 2022: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the thick-leaf bladderpod may qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act, and will begin a full status review of the species. See Press Release from Center for Biological Diversity. See USFWS Finding.
March 11, 2021: A petition to list Thick-leaved Bladderpod (Physaria pachyphylla) as a threatened or endangered species was submitted to the Secretary of the Interior by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Montana Native Plant Society, and the Pryors Coalition. P. pachyphylla grows only within and near the ACEC/RNA. The largest known population is within the area proposed for exploratory drilling. See ESA Petition.
November 4, 2020: The Pryors Coalition et al. submitted comments to BLM on the October 2020 EA and FONSI. We are grealy concerned about the possibility of exploration drilling with the obvious intention to develop a gypsum mine. In 2015 BLM wisely set aside a small 2,606 acre Pryor Foothills ACEC/RNA to protect rare plant species, important archaeological sites, and an important cultural area for Native American tribes including the Apsaalooke (Crow). Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and Research Natural Areas are the highest level of protected status BLM can assign. The mere thought of a gypsum strip mine in such a sensitive area is a gut-punch.
Among other issues our letter demonstrates that BLM has greatly understated the impact of the exploration drilling project. BLM states that “8,210 feet of Existing Roads” will be “Maintained.” (This does not include an additional “1,944 feet of new spur roads”). “Maintained” is a euphemism for constructing new twelve-foot wide roads along two-tracks that BLM admits are “almost ... reclaimed back to the original vegetative state.” These new roads are to be suitable for “a rotary sonic drill rig, semi-truck, to haul the drill and water ... telehandler (support vehicle), pickup trucks and trailers, and a mini-excavator.” And this is just for the exploration drilling - not the possible future strip mine.
In the 2015 RMP BLM had recommended that the ACEC/RNA be withdrawn from Mineral Entry - but they have not actually done so. This failure may allow the Mexican mining company (GCC) to force BLM to allow the mine.
See the Pryors Coalition et.al. Comment Letter on the October 2020 EA and FONSI. The Montana Native Plant Society, Our Montana, and the Center for Biological Diversity also sent comments to BLM. Numerous individuals also commented to BLM. The Crow tribe has independently expressed its concern about the project to BLM.
October 6, 2020: Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the GCC-McKamy Gypsum Exploration project in the Pryor Foothills Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and Research Natural Area (RNA). Luckily someone happened to discover the posting and spread the word. This time only 30 days were allowed for comment compared to the 60 days in the previous, “secret” March-April comment period.
March 13, 2020 through May 15, 2020: BLM claims the gypsum mine exploration project was posted for public comment on their ePlanning website in March 2020. But BLM did not tell anyone it was there. Few, if any, people knew about it. People do not frequently peruse BLM’s hard to navigate ePlanning site to see whether they can find some unknown and unexpected project, somewhere unanticipated, that they might be interested in. If we had known, we certainly would have commented.