PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 3 on Little Rock Mine Expansion

The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) will hold a virtual public hearing on the application by Freeport‐McMoRan Tyrone Operations (Tyrone) for a proposed expansion of the Little Rock Mine, located just west of the Tyrone Mine, approximately ten miles south of Silver City.

How to access the Public Hearing via WebEx
To access this WebEx event as an attendee go to:
https://nmemnrd.webex.com/nmemnrd/onstage/g.php?MTID=e98559bb5f890bf308756143d7b1b4171
Event number: 187 515 7000
Event password: littlerock

How to access the Public Hearing by Phone:
Call the number below and enter the access code:
+1‐408‐418‐9388
Access code: 187 515 7000

The purpose of the hearing is to give the public an opportunity to learn about and comment on the proposed mine expansion and the updated closeout plan (reclamation plan) for the Little Rock Mine. Representatives of MMD, Tyrone, and GRIP will be making presentations.

Background:
As part of its ten-year expansion plan, Freeport-McMoRan Tyrone Operations submitted an application to MMD in June 2020 to revise its existing permit to facilitate expansion of the Little Rock Mine by 557 acres. Expansion will occur on Freeport property, as well as Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. Copper ore will be transported from Little Rock to Tyrone for processing. Overburden or waste rock will be placed on stockpiles: two of the existing waste rock stockpiles will be expanded and three new waste rock stockpiles will be created. The revised reclamation plan addresses how Freeport proposes to cleanup and reclaim the mine site once mining has ceased.

Please attend the public hearing to learn more and make public comment. Input you could provide includes the following points:
The Mining and Minerals Division should require that Freeport:

Local residents are very concerned about the impacts to their health, the environment, and property values from Freeport’s expansion plans. READ MORE

• Fully assess the environmental impacts of the Little Rock Mine expansion on local communities, wildlife and wildlife habitat and provide a mitigation plan to address the impacts.

• Evaluate impacts to local residents’ groundwater supplies from pit dewatering and provide a plan for mitigating those impacts.

• Follow Best Management Practices for water stewardship, noise and vibration, lighting and visual, and dust mitigation and monitoring.

For more information:
Little Rock Mine expansion application, reclamation plan
GRIP comments