BLM releases Caldwell Canyon mine proposal
The Idaho Falls District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has slated two public meetings to discuss the proposed Caldwell Canyon Mine.
BLM has released a draft environmental impact statement analyzing a mine and reclamation plan from P4 Productions, LLC. P4 is a subsidiary of Bayer. The plan would develop several phosphate leases the company owns on Schmidt Ridge, about 13 miles east-northeast of Soda Springs.
If approved, the Caldwell Canyon Mine would sustain about 185 mining jobs and 585 plant jobs for an additional 40 years. BLM said it would aid the region by providing $49 million in annual payroll, taxes, royalties, purchases and sustaining support and service jobs.
Based on a preferred alternative, the company would use mining methods similar to those used at the Blackfoot Bridge Mine and begin when the existing mine is depleted. The alternative also calls for an earthen cover, combined with a geo-synthetic cover, over selected portions of the mine waste rock to protect water quality standards.
BLM is being asked to approve the mine and reclamation plans, enlargement of existing leases, and authorizations for infrastructure.
Public meetings to discuss the proposal are set from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 18 at the BLM Pocatello Field Office at 4350 Cliffs Drive in Pocatello, and Wednesday, December 19 at the Soda Springs Ranger District at 410 E. Hooper Avenue in Soda Springs.
Written comments must be submitted by January 14, 2019.
