Protect public lands! Comment on the Castle Mountain Mine Expansion.

One of the largest gold mines in California is proposing an expansion that would quadruple its production. Tell the BLM and California officials to put public lands ahead of corporate profits.

The mine is located near Castle Mountain National Monument, Mojave National Preserve, and Avi Kwa Ame National monument. It would affect sensitive ecosystems dependent on precious groundwater resources and threaten these important protected public lands.

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Step 2: Personalize Your Comment

Send the sample letter below or personalize it with your comment. Tell the BLM to carry out an environmental assessment on the Rainbow East exploration project.

BLM Needles Field Office

Rose

Pettiette

Bureau of Land Management

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Your Comment

Dear planning team,

I am writing to provide scoping comments to inform the joint Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) analyzing Equinox Gold's proposed expansion plan for the Castle Mountain Mine. The analysis must comply with the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act, including analysis and mitigation of cumulative impacts from reasonably probable nearby projects.

I have concerns about nearly quadrupling the mine’s production size. This project could cause significant negative impacts to Castle Mountain National Monument, Mojave National Preserve, and Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The EIR/EIS must analyze the risk of harming the biological and cultural resources protected by the relevant management plans of these areas.

I urge you to conduct comprehensive studies around potential impacts to nearby monuments and preserves, including increased traffic, sound disturbance, and impacts to dark skies. Please study a range of alternatives to the applicant’s proposed transmission line, which will need to be constructed through Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, harming the visual resources of this important tribal cultural landscape. Additionally, please consider alternatives to the water pipeline routing from Nipton into Nevada and back into California again, which is also posed to pass through Avi Kwa Ame. The EIS/EIR must thoroughly analyze alternative routes or methods to reduce the amount of electricity and water needed for the project.

I am concerned about the impacts to the region's biodiverse ecosystem of the Mojave National Preserve. Increasing the mine size dramatically increases traffic, dust, waste, and water use. The EIS/EIR must include baseline studies of vegetation and wildlife in the project area, as well as a thorough analysis of how mine construction and operations will impact protected plant and animal species. The proposed pumping for dewatering the mine pits is a concern. As pumping starts, this can cause water to draw down beyond the mine boundary, harming seeps and springs in the region. These springs could have cultural value and also provide water to wildlife in the region. The extent of drawdown must be minimized, especially since the company plans to have no Rapid Infiltration Basins, which could put some of this water back into the system. The EIR/EIS must include comprehensive hydrogeology and groundwater studies, analyze how the project would impact groundwater dependent ecosystems, and provide mitigation measures and alternatives to minimize impacts to groundwater.

The EIR/EIS must also analyze how the project will comply with the requirements of California’s Surface Mining and Reclamation Act, including required financial assurance for reclamation, revegetation informed by the best available science, and backfilling the pit after mining is complete.

Thank you.

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