The Bureau of Land Management is requesting public feedback about a proposed limestone mine that would be located just east of the Rattlesnake Landfill and north of Wolverine Road in Bingham County.

The 262 acres at Burnstone Quarry that Burns Industries will be mining for high-calcium limestone over the next 100 years is 78 percent on BLM administered public lands, 12 percent on land split between a private owner and a federal mineral estate, and 10 percent on private land for which they have a permanent easement.

Burns Industries are planning on excavating and removing limestone from one 20-acre area at a time and immediately reclaiming the previous area that was just mined out. There will also be 51 acres of “permanent” operations facilities, access roads and areas for processing and storage, such as truck loadout areas, drill sites and laydown yards. These acres will also be reclaimed in 2124, when they anticipate completing all mining at that location.

Being the largest entity affected by the proposed quarry, and being a federal agency that requires environmental assessments, the Pocatello office of the BLM has been evaluating Burns’ plan of operation since it was filed in May of 2022. In early spring of 2023 they sought public comments on resource issues or other environmental concerns.

Combining its own analysis and public issues that were raised during that comment period, the BLM has written a draft of its environment assessment. Once again they are asking for public comments, this time on the environment assessment draft. Specifically, the BLM is looking for “substantive” comments of the impacts of the proposed mine. Substantive is defined as questions on the accuracy of the information or analysis, new information that is relevant or an alternative that hasn’t already been proposed.

In short, they are looking for more than you just don’t like the idea, or that you don’t want to see the mountain face carved up. Instead, what adverse or advantageous impacts do you see?

The BLM isn’t exactly neutral on mining. It considers mineral development to be an important land use in its multiple-use policy. It sees mines as another way to provide jobs, increase economic activity and produce needed commodities. However, the BLM included in its assessment draft an option of no action, meaning no permission to proceed, which is in essence a denial. They are carefully considering if the mining proposal is a good match for the area.

Since 2018, Burns Industries has been buying mining claims along the face of the Blackfoot Mountains, east of Firth and diagonally southward to Cedar Creek northeast of Blackfoot. Of the 221 recorded mining claims on BLM land in Bingham County, they own 136 of them and are the only active claims.

The proposed Burnstone Mine is a half mile north of Wolverine Road and just over 12 miles east of Firth, which is in the northern segment of their claims. Burns is a cement producer, with a batch plant in Idaho Falls. Since limestone is an essential ingredient in cement, it is logical that they would seek a long-term source that is as close as possible. From the mine to their plant their limestone-laden trucks will travel about 25 miles, with roughly half of that route on Wolverine Road and half on Highway 91. Does the BLM consider 50 or more dump trucks daily traveling on local roads and through cities an impact issue for the environment assessment?

If it is outside of the scope of the BLM, it will be a concern of the Bingham County Planning and Zoning Board, which will decide whether to issue a conditional use permit for the mine - if it receives BLM clearance. Safety issues could include increased truck traffic on roads not designed for vehicles of that much weight or size Turning angles, sight lines and canal bridge adequacies are other safety issues. The trucks will go through downtown Firth and Shelley. Is that a safety issue? Can there be an alternate route north they can take, or create, as a condition for approval?

The BLM comment period will end Friday Dec. 8. You can view the BLM environmental assessment draft and leave an electronic comment at eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023532/510, or you can mail comments to Attn: Burnstone Quarry EA, BLM Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204.