Magnisium-dolomite Proposed Mine
In December 2017 LCROA board of directors sent a letter of concern to the Deming Luna County Chamber of Commerce (link to chamber letter here) registering our concerns about a proposed magnesium mine. After receiving no reply from the Chamber, we joined Friends of the Florida’s to protest this questionable job producer and potential environmental hazard that will spoil the pristine nature in the Florida Mountains to the detriment of many residents rights to peace and protection from pollutants including dust and noise. Following are several news articles that describe the proposed mine as submitted by the mining corporation and the citizens protest and the resultant BLM approval. The next steps are getting approval from Luna County and the City of Deming for transporting the rock in big mining trucks from the mine located south of Deming thru Deming to the Peru Industrial Park north of town for processing.
Background Information on the Issue
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American Magnesium Submits Plan of Operation, Environmental Assessment to Follow, New Mexico
Published by MiningConnections.com on Aug.9, 2019 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hosting a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 25 to provide information on a proposed magnesium/dolomite quarry mine in Luna County, and to gather input in the preparation of an environmental assessment (EA). The meeting will be held at the Mimbres Valley Learning Center at 2300 E. Pine St. The late David Tognoni was the engineer behind the proposed magnesium-dolomite mine on federal land near the foothills of the Florida Mountains and was aggressively seeking local investors for the project before his death early this year. In 2017, local debate over the project began with supporters welcoming industrial and manufacturing jobs to Deming and Luna County. Other residents raised questions about groundwater impacts, dust at the quarry site, mountain views and the plausibility of the project. In June, Carol Brewka, a local advocate for American Magnesium LLC, presented a packet to the Deming City Council for review that was submitted to the BLM. |
American Magnesium first took its plan of operation to the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division in 2017 and it was declared administratively incomplete. The plan of operation was revised later that year.
The plan of operation was submitted to the BLM in the Las Cruces District proposes to develop a 40-acre site as a dolomite quarry mine on BLM-managed public land located 12 miles south of Deming, and estimates the mine would be operational for 20 years.
The meeting initiates a 30-day public scoping period for the EA. The proposed action for the project will consist of improvements to an existing BLM road, construction of a new mine site access road, lay-down yard and temporary structures, as well as resource verification drilling, excavation and removal of dolomite resources.
Permits would allow exploratory drilling to begin on federal land near Camino Doce Road in the Florida Mountains. The foothills are believed to be rich in dolomite. Rock would be hauled to a proposed refinery north of Deming for extraction of magnesium for metal products, with left-over material sent to a manufacturer.
The meeting will provide detailed information on the anticipated total surface disturbance; phases of the mine development; dolomite blasting and removal; and site reclamation once mining is completed.
Dolomite is a form of the mineral magnesium which has been identified as a critical mineral by Executive Order 13817, Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals, and is listed on the Department of the Interior’s Final List of Critical Minerals.
Public comments on the proposed project will be accepted through August 16, 2019. Comments can be submitted by one of the following methods:
• Email
- File your comments electronically by sending them to: [email protected]
- Please include “Foothill Dolomite Mine EA” in the subject line of the email.
• Mail
BLM Las Cruces District Office, ATTN: Foothill Dolomite Mine EA, 1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, NM, 88005.
• Public Meeting
Written comments will be accepted at the meeting on designated forms provided by the BLM.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised your entire comment may be made publicly available at any time. While you can request for your comment to be withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee it will be able to do so.
For more information on the project, how to comment, contact BLM project lead Leighandra Keeven at 575-525-4337 or via email at [email protected]
The plan of operation was submitted to the BLM in the Las Cruces District proposes to develop a 40-acre site as a dolomite quarry mine on BLM-managed public land located 12 miles south of Deming, and estimates the mine would be operational for 20 years.
The meeting initiates a 30-day public scoping period for the EA. The proposed action for the project will consist of improvements to an existing BLM road, construction of a new mine site access road, lay-down yard and temporary structures, as well as resource verification drilling, excavation and removal of dolomite resources.
Permits would allow exploratory drilling to begin on federal land near Camino Doce Road in the Florida Mountains. The foothills are believed to be rich in dolomite. Rock would be hauled to a proposed refinery north of Deming for extraction of magnesium for metal products, with left-over material sent to a manufacturer.
The meeting will provide detailed information on the anticipated total surface disturbance; phases of the mine development; dolomite blasting and removal; and site reclamation once mining is completed.
Dolomite is a form of the mineral magnesium which has been identified as a critical mineral by Executive Order 13817, Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals, and is listed on the Department of the Interior’s Final List of Critical Minerals.
Public comments on the proposed project will be accepted through August 16, 2019. Comments can be submitted by one of the following methods:
- File your comments electronically by sending them to: [email protected]
- Please include “Foothill Dolomite Mine EA” in the subject line of the email.
BLM Las Cruces District Office, ATTN: Foothill Dolomite Mine EA, 1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, NM, 88005.
• Public Meeting
Written comments will be accepted at the meeting on designated forms provided by the BLM.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised your entire comment may be made publicly available at any time. While you can request for your comment to be withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee it will be able to do so.
For more information on the project, how to comment, contact BLM project lead Leighandra Keeven at 575-525-4337 or via email at [email protected]
Conservation groups sue federal agency over proposed dolomite mine in Deming
By Algernon D'Ammassa
Las Cruces Sun-News September 11, 2020
DEMING - Five conservation groups will ask a federal court to set aside the Bureau of Land Management's approval of a mining project in Luna County, New Mexico, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
The suit alleges that BLM illegally approved construction and operation of a dolomite mine at the same time it approved exploration activity to prove the value of a mineral claim in a "two for one" approval.
"BLM mining regulations and policy mandate that BLM cannot approve full-scale mining operations at the same time as the initial exploration, especially when so little is known about the purported mineral deposit to be excavated," the complaint states... Click here to read the full article from the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Click here to read the full complaint submitted regarding the mine.
Las Cruces Sun-News September 11, 2020
DEMING - Five conservation groups will ask a federal court to set aside the Bureau of Land Management's approval of a mining project in Luna County, New Mexico, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
The suit alleges that BLM illegally approved construction and operation of a dolomite mine at the same time it approved exploration activity to prove the value of a mineral claim in a "two for one" approval.
"BLM mining regulations and policy mandate that BLM cannot approve full-scale mining operations at the same time as the initial exploration, especially when so little is known about the purported mineral deposit to be excavated," the complaint states... Click here to read the full article from the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Click here to read the full complaint submitted regarding the mine.
BLM renders Record of Decision for mining operation in Florida Mountains
American Magnesium LLC moving forward with Plan of Operation
By Bill Armendariz
Deming Headlight May 18, 2021
DEMING – American Magnesium LLC has completed the necessary steps that may bring a dolomite quarry mining operation to Luna County.
The New Mexico Bureau of Land Management, through the United States Department of the Interior, has provided its revised Record of Decision to approve the construction, operation and reclamation of the mining project on public lands south of Deming as analyzed in the Environmental Assessment dated July 2020.
The RoD favored American Magnesium’s Plan of Operation on the project in the foothills of the Florida Mountains, that has been in the making since 2017.
“American Magnesium is extremely pleased with the BLM’s Revised Record of Decision. From approval of the Plan of Operations through the entire NEPA reports. The process was thorough and professionally administered,” said Carol Ness Brewka, Managing Member for AM. “We were also happy to have, in this document, BLM approval of the Reclamation Study and Financial Assurance Bond requirement that American Magnesium negotiated with the State of New Mexico... To read the full article with information on the process, plan, and other information regarding the conflicting sides regarding the proposed mine, click here.
Deming Headlight May 18, 2021
DEMING – American Magnesium LLC has completed the necessary steps that may bring a dolomite quarry mining operation to Luna County.
The New Mexico Bureau of Land Management, through the United States Department of the Interior, has provided its revised Record of Decision to approve the construction, operation and reclamation of the mining project on public lands south of Deming as analyzed in the Environmental Assessment dated July 2020.
The RoD favored American Magnesium’s Plan of Operation on the project in the foothills of the Florida Mountains, that has been in the making since 2017.
“American Magnesium is extremely pleased with the BLM’s Revised Record of Decision. From approval of the Plan of Operations through the entire NEPA reports. The process was thorough and professionally administered,” said Carol Ness Brewka, Managing Member for AM. “We were also happy to have, in this document, BLM approval of the Reclamation Study and Financial Assurance Bond requirement that American Magnesium negotiated with the State of New Mexico... To read the full article with information on the process, plan, and other information regarding the conflicting sides regarding the proposed mine, click here.
What can we do about the issue?
Present status of the mine is best laid out in a November 10, 2021 update at the Friends of the Florida’s Facebook page:
If you are wondering how you can help, you may find this informative.
There are no government officials or agencies currently reviewing the mine project. The BLM has completed their review process for now. Since the BLM decision is tied up in court for some time to come, we can't say when contacting agencies or officials again will be most helpful. We will keep folks posted on that.
The New Mexico Energy and Natural Resources Department, Mines and Minerals Division, will resume its review of this proposed mine if or when the BLM lawsuit is over. Contacting them at any time in opposition to this project as a "minimal impact mine" would be helpful. This project is listed as "LU035MN" and you can access their website at: emnrd.nm.gov. Letters can be directed to:
Jerry Schoeppner
Director, Mining and Minerals Division
1220 S. St. Francis Dr. Room 360
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Any comment should include the fact that this will not be a "minimal impact mine" once the ore hauling and milling are disclosed and considered.
FOTF and the other four conservation groups joining the lawsuit contacted state and national conservation groups about the mine. The national groups' regional leaders probably know what's happening, but having their local members remind them is good. Some national groups such as Audubon and Sierra Club did not feel the need to participate in the lawsuit. Our partners in addition to New Mexico Wilderness Alliance are Amigos Bravos, Wildearth Guardians (a national group), and Gila Resources Information Project. Our primary attorney from the Western Mining Action Program in Colorado has decades of experience fighting damaging mines on public land throughout the west.
Contacting key people at the BLM is always helpful. The comment period for the environmental review of the mine permit by the BLM has passed, so those at the Las Cruces District office are currently out of the decision loop. Letters in opposition to the integrity of the review process, and the decision to find "no significant impact" from this mine proposal, can be sent to:
Tracy Stone-Manning,
Director, Bureau of Land Management,
760 Horizon Dr.,
Grand Junction, CO 81506
202-208-3801 (If you want to call.)
There are no government officials or agencies currently reviewing the mine project. The BLM has completed their review process for now. Since the BLM decision is tied up in court for some time to come, we can't say when contacting agencies or officials again will be most helpful. We will keep folks posted on that.
The New Mexico Energy and Natural Resources Department, Mines and Minerals Division, will resume its review of this proposed mine if or when the BLM lawsuit is over. Contacting them at any time in opposition to this project as a "minimal impact mine" would be helpful. This project is listed as "LU035MN" and you can access their website at: emnrd.nm.gov. Letters can be directed to:
Jerry Schoeppner
Director, Mining and Minerals Division
1220 S. St. Francis Dr. Room 360
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Any comment should include the fact that this will not be a "minimal impact mine" once the ore hauling and milling are disclosed and considered.
FOTF and the other four conservation groups joining the lawsuit contacted state and national conservation groups about the mine. The national groups' regional leaders probably know what's happening, but having their local members remind them is good. Some national groups such as Audubon and Sierra Club did not feel the need to participate in the lawsuit. Our partners in addition to New Mexico Wilderness Alliance are Amigos Bravos, Wildearth Guardians (a national group), and Gila Resources Information Project. Our primary attorney from the Western Mining Action Program in Colorado has decades of experience fighting damaging mines on public land throughout the west.
Contacting key people at the BLM is always helpful. The comment period for the environmental review of the mine permit by the BLM has passed, so those at the Las Cruces District office are currently out of the decision loop. Letters in opposition to the integrity of the review process, and the decision to find "no significant impact" from this mine proposal, can be sent to:
Tracy Stone-Manning,
Director, Bureau of Land Management,
760 Horizon Dr.,
Grand Junction, CO 81506
202-208-3801 (If you want to call.)
