BLM Approval Received for Drilling at Southern Empire’s Oro Cruz Project - Seite 3

Pursuant to NEPA and CEQA, the BLM and the ICPD (on behalf of the State of California) jointly prepared a draft EA/MND, the purpose of which was to provide a project description, identify issues and describe affected environments, analyze and disclose any potential environmental, cultural, and recreational resource impacts associated with the Plan, identify and disclose any required mitigation measures, or project alternatives as appropriate.

The BLM also prepared and published an unsigned FONSI, based on the information contained in the draft EA/MND, that stated that Proposed Action identified in the draft EA/MND would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required to be prepared for the Plan.

Only after public review and commentary regarding the draft EA/MND and the unsigned FONSI could the BLM make a final decision regarding authorization of the Proposed Action. The draft EA/MND and the unsigned FONSI were published for a 30-day public review period from November 16, 2022 through December 16, 2022. During that time a Virtual Public Meeting was held on November 30, 2022 and, by the end of the open public comment period, 373 public comments had been submitted to the BLM.

The ICPD held an Environmental Evaluation Committee public hearing on November 17, 2022 for review of the adequacy of the CEQA analysis within the EA/MND.

Following the NEPA and CEQA public review periods, the BLM and ICPD coordinated with the third-party NEPA and CEQA contractors to revise the draft EA/MND as deemed necessary and to respond to any public comments received in order for the agencies to reach a decision on the Oro Cruz Project. Public comments received did not result in substantive revisions to the EA/MND and this document was finalized.

Based on information in the EA/MND, the signed FONSI, and other related documents, the BLM has now determined to approve the Proposed Action as described in the EA/MND for the Oro Cruz Project, and finds this action conforms to BLM NEPA requirements. The BLM further finds this action in conformance with applicable land use plans, laws, and regulations and that it will not cause unnecessary or undue degradation.

The BLM's Decision Record and signed FONSI, the Environmental Assessment/Mitigated Negative Declaration and other associated documents were posted for public review on September 1, 2023, online at the BLM NEPA Register. These documents are also available for public review at the BLM El Centro Field Office located at 1661 South 4th Street in El Centro, California.