new mexico uranium exploration & mining blm uranium workshop august 12, 2008 salt lake city,...
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New Mexico Uranium Exploration & Mining
BLM Uranium Workshop August 12, 2008
Salt Lake City, Utah
Holland Shepherd, Program Manager Mining Act Reclamation Program
New Mexico Mining & Minerals DivisionDepartment of Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources
Introduction What this presentation will cover. New Mexico Mining Act Environmental Laws that address mining. in New Mexico. MOU with Federal Land Management Agencies Uranium
Exploration and Mine Permitting in New Mexico. Permitting Steps Exploration Permitting Steps Mining Guidelines
NM Mining Act Development of the Act 1991 and 1992
Growing public concern about the impacts of hard rock mines on private and public lands. Summitville (example)
Other states had passed hard rock laws. Passed June 18, 1993
New Mexico the second to the last western state to enact a mining reclamation law, Arizona last
Rule promulgated in 1994 Set up a series of categories for exploration and mine permitting. Operations having mined between Jan. 1970 and June 1993 were
brought in under the Act.
Definition of Mining The NM Mining Act defines the types of mines which fall under the Act: "mining" means the process of obtaining useful minerals from the earth's crust or
from previously disposed or abandoned mining wastes, including exploration, open-cut mining and surface operation, the disposal of refuse from underground and in situ mining, mineral transportation, concentrating, milling, evaporation, leaching and other processing. ''Mining''does not mean the exploration and extraction of potash, sand, gravel, caliche, borrow dirt and quarry rock used as aggregate in construction, the exploration and extraction of natural petroleum in a liquid or gaseous state by means of wells or pipes, the development or extraction of coal, the extraction of geothermal resources, smelting, refining, cleaning, preparation, transportation or other off-site operations not conducted on permit areas or the extraction, processing or disposal of commodities, byproduct materials or wastes or other activities regulated by the federal nuclear regulatory commission;
Other Environmental Statutes Effecting Mining
On Bureau of Land Management Lands Surface Management Under General Mining Laws, 43 CFR,
Subparts 3802 and 3809. Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976.
On Forest Service Lands Locatable Minerals, 36 CFR, Part 228, Subpart A Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976.
New Mexico Water Quality Act of 1978 New Mexico Solid Waste Act of 1990 New Mexico Clean Air Act New Mexico Wildlife Conservation Act
Other Environmental Statutes Effecting Mining Continued
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 Federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Federal National Historic Preservation Act Federal Endangered Species Act USFS & BLM - Title 40 of the CFR, Parts 1500 through 1508, National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1970. Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response and Compensation
Act (CERCLA or Superfund) of 1980 Federal Clean Air Act of 1970 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) of 1972 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Section 401/404 permit requirements.
Uranium Milling and In Situ Mining NRC – Atomic Energy Act
Mills licensed through NRC, NM is a Non-Agreement State
NMED – Water Quality Act A Discharge Plan is required for mills In-Situ Leaching is addressed through UIC permit, NM is an
agreement state with EPA regarding issuance of UIC permits
What do Reclamation Statutes Address? Reclamation Statutes address impacts from mining during and after
mining activities Exploration phase of mining Operation phase of mining
Hydrologic impacts Assure Protection: human health and safety, environment Stabilization of site Impacts to wildlife Impacts to cultural resources Topsoil salvage Safe storage of chemicals Safe use of explosives Contemporaneous Reclamation
Reclamation Statutes Continued Reclamation phase of mining
Backfilling and grading Topsoil application Soil amendments Reseeding Restoration of hydrologic features Slope stability Removal of contaminated materials to a safe place Capping or isolating deleterious materials (tailings and waste
material) Post-mine monitoring
MOU with Federal Agencies Signed June 1997 Agencies
BLM, NM State Office3US Forest Service, Southwestern Region\
Concerning Surface Management of Locatable Minerals
Addresses coordination of permitting among the agencies
Hardrock Reclamation Program A. Result of the New Mexico Mining Act of 1993 B. Since passage of the Act about 400 mining operations
in the state that fall under the Mining Act. 1. Include: 100 existing mines, and new mines; and 300
exploration, and general permits2. Most are open pit or underground mines.
Exploration Two Types
Minimal Impact Less than 5 acres Requires a permit approval
Regular Exploration Over 5 acres Requires Public Notice Require Financial Assurance
MMD is asking operators to address radiation issue by reclaiming to background. Guideline for exploration sites developed by MMD, BLM, and USFS Radiation marker we are looking at is gamma in micro R/hr
Amending to Exploration Regulations Hole plugging, financial assurance, change minimal impact criteria
Financial Assurance Exploration
Dry holes$.88/ foot Add $5,400 first acre, and $3,300 each additional acrea
Wet holes$9.25/footAdd $5,400 first acre, and $3,300 each additional acrea
Approved Applications
Project Name Operator Surface OwnershipNumber of
HolesDrilling Completion
Ambrosia Lake Neutron Energy State 6 summer 2007La Jara Mesa Laramide Resources U.S. Forest Service 10 fall 2006, winter 2007Lily Uranium Company of New Mexico Bureau of Land Management 10 fall 2007Riley Max Resources U.S. Forest Service 14 spring 2007Riley Exploration Project MAX Resource Corp. U.S. Forest Service 5 summer 2008
Roca Honda Strathmore Mineral Resources State 4summer & fall 2007, spring 2008
Treeline Western Energy Development Private 6 summer 2006
Pending Applications
Project Name Operator Surface OwnershipNumber of
HolesMarquez Mine Confirmation Neutron Energy Private 44Roca Honda Section 10 Roca Honda Resources, LLC U.S. Forest Service 1Section 13 ISR Uranium Resources Inc. Private 10
Denied Applications
Project Name Operator Surface OwnershipCrownpoint Quincy Energy Indian TrustHosta Butte Section 3 Quincy Energy Indian TrustLa Jara Mesa Extension Urex Energy Corp. U.S. Forest ServiceRoca Honda Sections 5, 9 & 10
Roca Honda Resources, LLCU.S. Forest Service,New Mexico State Land Office
San Mateo Mesa Uranium Energy U.S. Forest ServiceSection 12 Southwest Resources PrivateTreeline II Western Energy Development U.S. Forest ServiceTreeline III Western Energy Development Private
New Mexico Uranium Exploration Applications, 2006 - 2008 *
Mining Two Types
Minimal Impact Less than 10 acres Requires financial assurance
Regular Over 10 acres Requires public notice Requires financial assurance.
MMD asking operators to address radiation hazard in permits Working on a guideline to address this that will require reclamation to an
increment close to background. Radiation markers will be in gamma radiation micro R/hr and levels of
Radium 226 in cover materials.
Radiation Reading Sampling
Feature General Disturbance
Waste Piles Shaft, Adit, Well
Mine Road
Sample size (n) 5 47 10 9
Average (μR/hr) 297.8 387.7 197.0 159.5
Range (μR/hr) 17 to 457 32 to 2857 21 to 486 26 to 400
Gamma Exposure Rates (μR/hr) at ground contact
Background: 18.8 μR/hr (n = 5)
Financial Assurance Mines
Minimal Impact Mines$5,400 first acre$3,300 each additional acreA 10 acre site would require an FA of $35,100.
Regular MinesTraditional approach of line item cost estimates.
Uranium Exploration