More mineral plans in forest

Talk about it

The government is accepting comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Federal Hardrock Minerals Prospecting Permits Project in the Superior National Forest.

The Forest Service had three open houses this week to explain the proposed project.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has received 33 permit applications to prospect for federally owned hard-rock minerals such as copper, nickel, and platinum on the Superior National Forest. The BLM also has received 21 operating plan proposals for hard-rock mineral exploration in the forest.

Proposed mineral exploration activities include drilling, geophysical surveying and support activities using motorized vehicles. The draft EIS analyzes the potential effects of prospecting permit applications and operating plans under consideration, as well as the potential effects of future mineral prospecting activity anticipated forestwide over the next 20 years.

The draft EIS can be viewed by going to www. fs.usda.gov/goto/superior/projects and scrolling down to “Federal Hardrock Minerals Prospecting Permits EIS.”

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