GRASS VALLEY, Calif. April 8, 2011 - Current Status of the Idaho-Maryland Mine Applications:
On April 1, 2011, the City of Grass Valley received a letter from Dave Watkinson, President and CEO of the Idaho-Maryland Mining Corporation (IMMC). The letter expresses their interest for the City to re-initiate the processing of their application to re-open the Idaho-Maryland Mine for gold production and development of a tile manufacturing operation. The letter clarified and confirmed that since mid-2009, or the time when the Draft Environmental Impact Report was completed, IMMC has worked to revise a number of operational elements to their project. These changes will be represented in their submittal of an updated application which would be received on or by April 8, 2011. Also, the April 1, 2011 letter was accompanied by a check of $25,000 which serves as an initial deposit to their application processing costs.
On April 8, 2011, IMMC filed updated components of their application including a Draft Executive Summary and Project Description. These sections of the revised application materials describe the proposed changes to their 2007 application. The revised application was filed as a "working draft", to allow City staff to review and comment upon their completeness. By or on April 20th, City staff would provide their comments on the updated information and confirm whether there is a need to supplement or further update the application materials.
By the submittal of this information, IMMC addressed a City request dated October 22, 2011, that the IMMC application be updated by April 8, 2011, or the application would be considered withdrawn. The City does consider the application to be active and valid as of this date.
Status of Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR):
The City released the Draft Environmental (EIR) for a public review period extending from October 30, 2008 to January 20, 2009. At the conclusion of the public review period, the City received 198 letters on the adequacy of the Draft EIR. All public comments received on the Draft EIR are available for review in the Planning Department at the Grass Valley City Hall, 125 E. Main Street.
The City and its consultant team evaluated all of the comments received on the adequacy of the Draft EIR. Additionally, the City and its consultant team met with representatives from various State and local agencies to further discuss and review their specific comments. The goal of these meetings was to ensure the City properly addressed the relevant issues raised by each agency. The City needed to better understand which issues were critical and clearly under the purview of those agencies. These meetings provided the City and its consultant team with clear direction on how to address the specific concerns raised in their letters.
The City did not prepare responses to the comments on the Draft EIR since IMMC indicated their interest to revise their project in 2009. As a result, a Final EIR was not prepared nor was it acted upon for its adequacy by either the Planning Commission or City Council. The April 2011 application submittal by IMMC will require the previously prepared Draft EIR to be revised, updated and re-released for a public review period.
Next Steps in Processing Applications:
The City will be reviewing the completeness of the April 8, 2011 submittal by IMMC. The City will then determine if the proposed project revisions are adequately described and all sections of the application appropriately amended to incorporate these changes. The intent of this review is to verify the completeness of the information. Once the application materials are viewed as complete, the City will request a proposal from a consultant team to update the previously prepared Draft EIR. Prior to preparing a revised Draft EIR, the City would need to execute an updated reimbursement agreement with IMMC to ensure all consultant and EIR processing costs are borne by IMMC. It is the intent of City staff to present an update of the IMMC application and the potential processing steps to the City Council at one of their regular meetings in May 2011.
Once a Draft EIR is prepared, it will be released for public review and comment. Until the City prepares, releases and certifies an EIR as being adequate and meeting the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City cannot act on the applications for this project (i.e. say yes or no).
If you have questions about the status of the IMMC application, please contact Tom Last, Planning Director, Grass Valley Community Development Department, at 530-274-4711 or toml@cityofgrassvalley.com.
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