Crested Butte wants to take part in upcoming Mt. Emmons review

Groundwater analysis PoO

The town of Crested Butte wants to be at the table if and when mining company U.S. Energy goes through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process to get approval from the Forest Service for a groundwater drilling and analysis project. That groundwater analysis is part of the early steps in moving toward developing a molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons.

According to Gunnison Forest District ranger John Murphy, the company did submit a proposed plan that is awaiting approval.
“We have to go through NEPA to approve the PoO,” explained Murphy. “We don’t have a timeline yet. We are still trying to figure out the level of NEPA and how it will get done—whether it would take an E.A. [Environmental Assessment] versus the more intensive E.I.S. [Environmental Impact Statement] process.”
Murphy said the work itself would likely be conducted by a third-party contractor that would be paid by U.S. Energy.
The Crested Butte Town Council gave the okay to town manager Todd Crossett and town attorney John Belkin to participate in the NEPA process as a formal “participating agency.” But it was made clear that the council itself would be prohibited from being a part of the process. That’s because they might have to sit in the future as a quasi-judicial body if a watershed issue comes up.
“The town will apply to the Forest Service, via a letter of request, to regional director Scott Armentrout at the Delta office, to become a participating agency for the NEPA process for the Mt. Emmons Hydrology PoO,” said Crossett. “We must demonstrate that the town is potentially an affected entity and/or that it possesses relevant expertise.
“The advantage of participation is that the town would have an enhanced ability to participate in the review process,” he continued. “Whether or not the town proceeds as a participating agency, we can provide comment during the comment period.”
As part of the NEPA process, the Bureau of Land Management and various state agencies will become involved and also provide input.