Annual Report 3 - New Mexico - Energy, Minerals and Natural ...

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MMD has seen the number of exploration permit applications increase in the past eight years. 88 Photo by: James Hollen Two new conventional uranium mines are being proposed in New Mexico: Roca Honda Resources’ Roca Honda Mine and Laramide Resources’ La Jara Mesa Mine. The proposed Roca Honda Mine is located in McKinley County on Cibola National Forest and state trust lands. Roca Honda has submitted both the Sampling and Analysis Plan and the Permit Application Package to MMD. The Roca Honda application indicates that the mine site and surface facilities will consist of approximately 183 acres of surface disturbance. Roca Honda Resources has also submitted a Mining Plan of Operations to the U.S. Forest Service, which is being reviewed through a Forest Service National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The proposed La Jara Mesa Mine is located in Cibola County on Cibola National Forest land on the edge of the Mt. Taylor Traditional Cultural Property. Laramide Resources has submitted a permit application to the U.S. Forest Service for the proposed mine, which will be handled through the Forest Service EIS process. Laramide Resources has also initiated the permitting process with MMD by submitting a Sampling and Analysis Plan. The La Jara Mesa Mine application proposes a total of about 16 acres of surface disturbance. While uranium mining companies are eager to move forward, several significant challenges lay in the path of largescale uranium development in the near future. First, all of New Mexico’s uranium mills have been demolished and new milling infrastructure is needed. Second, the Navajo Nation, which overlays a major portion of the Grants Mineral Belt uranium deposits in New Mexico, declared a moratorium on uranium production in Navajo Indian Country in April 2005. Third, the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee listed Mt. Taylor on the State Historic Registry as a Traditional Cultural Property in June 2009. The U.S. Forest Service determined that the Mt. Taylor Traditional Cultural property was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The protected area includes approximately 344,000 acres. HRI Energy continues to pursue permitting and licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the New Mexico Environment Department to mine uranium by in-situ leach at locations in Church Rock and Crownpoint. These permits were the subject of lengthy litigation in federal courts. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the NRC license and determined that a portion of the mine site was not Indian Country and therefore subject to State of New Mexico jurisdiction. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear further appeal of the NRC license in fall 2010 GOLD, SILVER AND OTHER METALS: New Mexico production of gold and silver peaked in the 1980s and has steadily declined since that time. In 2009 the only gold and silver produced in New Mexico was a byproduct of copper processing at Freeport-McMoRan operations in Grant County. Due to suspension of ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
copper mining in 2009, gold and silver production plummeted. Gold production decreased to 465 troy ounces and production value decreased to $0.4 million. Silver production data for 2009 was not reported. Gold employment and payroll is for reclamation activities at closed mines and development of a new mine and mill. LAC Minerals continues to perform reclamation and groundwater remediation work at the closed Cunningham Hill Gold Mine, located in the Ortiz Mountains in Santa Fe County. Lordsburg Mining Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santa Fe Gold Corporation, focused its 2009 activities on the construction of the Summit Mine in Grant County and the Banner Mill in Hidalgo County. The underground Summit Gold Mine began ore production in February 2009, but has not yet produced any reportable gold. Underground mine development and stockpiling of ore is ongoing, and it is expected that the mine will reach full production during the first half of 2011. The Banner Mill, built to process the Summit ores, is the only lined tailing facility currently operating in the state. Construction of the crushing and screening plant, a ball mill, a 400 ton per day flotation plant and tailings disposal impoundment at the Banner Mill was completed in late 2009. Processing operations at the mill commenced in March 2010 and the first gold concentrate shipped from the mill facility in fall 2010. Two new minimal impact gold and silver mine permits in Grant County were approved in 2009: the Groom and Billali mines. An additional new minimal impact gold mine permit for the Orogrande Placer Gold Mine in Otero County was approved in late 2010. Production has not started at these mines. Exploration for gold, silver and other precious metals continues in New Mexico. From 2009 to 2010 there were ten active Mining Act Reclamation Program permits for precious and base metal exploration projects in Catron, Grant, Hidalgo and Socorro counties. In addition, one bertrandite exploration permit and one goethite/hematite exploration project was active in Socorro County in 2010. ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Maintenance work at the abandoned Ortiz Gold Mine in the Santa Fe Botanical Garden included the construction of a native stone retaining wall and bench for bat flight observations. Photo by: Zoe Isaacson Photo by: John A. Kretzmann, P.E. Toroid tire plugs were used to safeguard the old silver mine workings at the Lake Valley ghost town. 89
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Photo by: Mikal Altomare New Mexico
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Photo by: Mikal Altomare Photo by:
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Contents Message from Secretary Noe
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Organization Charts Energy Conserva
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values on forested, rangeland, and
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800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 C
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ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Figure 3 11
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ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Figure 4 13
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monitoring and emergency response e
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The funding is equally distributed
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Number 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1992 1
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In Thousands 25 20 15 10 5 0 25 20
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Organization ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Pro
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ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Fernando Martine
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more energy dollars in our state th
Page 31 and 32:
Solar Market Development Tax Credit
Page 33 and 34:
New Mexico’s total installed wind
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in 2008 (latest available data), to
Page 37 and 38:
463) to the statutes have been the
Page 39 and 40: CERB program is jointly administere
Page 41 and 42: In 2004, ECMD facilitated the insta
Page 43 and 44: AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT
Page 45 and 46: Table 2. ARRA Energy Efficiency and
Page 47 and 48: enewable energy and energy efficien
Page 49 and 50: 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1
Page 51 and 52: CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS: Carbon di
Page 53 and 54: NEW MEXICO STATE FORESTRY Forestry
Page 55 and 56: Landowners and communities receive
Page 57 and 58: Forestry received and processed 29
Page 59 and 60: drafting land management plans, pro
Page 61 and 62: The New Mexico Forest Legacy Progra
Page 63 and 64: projects, workshops on forest and w
Page 65 and 66: SOCORRO DISTRICT - Catron, Doña An
Page 67 and 68: ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Figure 2 65
Page 69 and 70: ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Photo by: Carmen
Page 71 and 72: Mining and Minerals Division ANNUAL
Page 73 and 74: ACCOMPLISHMENTS ADVANCES IN MINE RE
Page 75 and 76: webpage continuosly improved based
Page 77 and 78: (CCBs) inter-layered with previousl
Page 79 and 80: create a public hazard due to possi
Page 81 and 82: New Mexico remains a leading United
Page 83 and 84: ^_ " XW XW !( ^_ ^_ ^_ ^_ Commodity
Page 85 and 86: Due to the closure of the McKinley
Page 87 and 88: Copper employment decreased 58.7 pe
Page 89: Uranium recovery in New Mexico ceas
Page 93 and 94: Potash demand and prices fell at th
Page 95 and 96: Copar Pumice Company ceased pumice
Page 97 and 98: Aggregates are a high volume/low un
Page 99 and 100: Oil Conservation Division A Message
Page 101 and 102: OCD works with representatives from
Page 103 and 104: The division implemented Agreed Com
Page 105 and 106: Data and Statistics OVERVIEW: As of
Page 107 and 108: FY 2010 State General Fund Revenue
Page 109 and 110: State 36% State 17% Private 17% 200
Page 111 and 112: State Parks Division A Message from
Page 113 and 114: More New Mexico communities sought
Page 115 and 116: and combat the growing disconnect b
Page 117 and 118: instructor-led and on-line courses.
Page 119 and 120: Photo by: New Mexico State Parks Ph
Page 121 and 122: esource partnerships resulted in $2
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