RIDGECREST, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on a proposed mining project to extract minerals for the Mesa Gold operation in Kern County, Calif. The mining claimant has requested approval for a five-acre placer gold mining operation in the El Paso Mountains.

Placer mining is the practice of separating heavily eroded minerals like gold from sand or gravel. If approved, this project would support Executive Order 14241, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, by encouraging exploration on federal lands to meet the needs of American citizens and providing opportunity for public comment.

The draft environmental assessment and mining plan of operations are available for review at the BLM National NEPA Register, where comments may be submitted through the ‘Participate Now’ option (preferred). Comments may also be submitted via email to BLM_CA_RI_MesaGold@blm.gov, or delivered to the BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, Attn: Mesa Gold Comments, 300 S. Richmond Rd. Ridgecrest, CA 93555. The public comment period will close on August 4.
Source and photo: BLM