The public has until April 10 to file public comments about a proposed gold exploration project near Custer.
The contentious proposed project brought dozens of concerned residents to an informational hearing earlier this year.
Minnesota-based F3 Gold is proposing a less than five-acre exploratory drilling project west of the city of Custer. The prospecting company is looking to set up to 39 drill pads. Each drill site may host multiple holes, but that depends on results from the pad.
Forest service officials extended public comment for the Newark Gold Exploration project following a well-attended public information hearing in mid-February. During the hearing, attendees raised many concerns, including the scope of the project.
Hell Canyon District Ranger Rob Hoelscher said the project currently meets requirements for a categorical exclusion, which does not require an environmental assessment or impact statement.
Hoelscher said that could change based on feedback from the public.
“As we get information, we always reassess what tool we use to analyze the project," Hoelscher said. "If there’s information that we aren’t aware of right now that may have greater impact on the landscape, that would cause us to possibly increase the amount of analysis we do.”
The Forest Service cannot approve or deny an exploratory drilling project. Rather, they can set restrictions to protect natural resources and minimize surface damage.
They also determine what kind of analysis review is needed before the project goes forward. The analysis level for the project is currently at a categorical exclusion, which would give company a year to explore for gold.
“We started off at the categorical exclusion level just because this project fit within that category. We will see where our scoping goes to determine if that changes," Hoelscher said. "If we do an increased amount of investigation or analysis, or if we stay with a categorical exclusion.”
Hoelscher said he's hearing concern about impact to property—from disturbances, to water wells and chemical use. He said there are questions and concerns about the boreholes resulting from the exploration project and effects on hydrology in the area.
Currently, there’s public consternation about the project's initial designation as a categorical exclusion. That means a federal agency has deemed the project will not have a "significant effect ont he uman environment and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment (EA) nor an environmental impact statement (EIS) is normally required," said a National Environmental Policy Act website.
“The initial decision was made based on forest service handbook and national environmental policy handbook that offers categorical exclusions from documentation for several different types of projects," Hoelscher said. "One of those projects is a category… that is for short-term, one year or less, mineral, energy or geophysical investigations.”
A spokesperson for the forest service said the categorical exclusion allows the company to conduct operations for up to a year. They continue to say that if the project is analyzed under an EA or EIS, the company has the right to request operations last longer than one year. It would be up to the company to decide how many years of operations they would want to be active. They could decide to do only a year or could decide to do more, it would be up to them.
Hoelscher said the forest service will catalog public comment and try to answer any questions that arise before making a final decision around May 1, but that date was set before public comment period was extended by 30 days.
Click the link below to submit your public comment.
US Forest Service NEPA Projects Home (usda.gov)
You can hear the full interview with District Ranger Hoelscher by clicking play below.
