• BLM grants Governor’s request for an extension.

The comment period on the proposed expansion of the Simplot Smokey Canyon Mine has been extended. According to Joe Kraayenbrink, Idaho Falls district manager for the BLM, the comment extension of 30 days was granted in response to a letter sent by Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. The governor’s letter was one of many requests the BLM received asking for an extension.
“While the Smoky Canyon phosphate mine is located in Idaho, the people who live in the Afton-Star Valley area of Wyoming are directly affected,” Freudenthal wrote. “I have received requests expressing concern over selenium contamination.”

According to Simplot spokesman Rick Phillips, Freudenthal has been invited to the mine for a tour and to address any concerns the governor has about about selenium leaching out of the mine’s waste rock. However, the governor’s visit to the mine has not been finalized.

Kraayenbrink explained that the BLM will issue an official Record of Decision regarding the proposed mine expansion in February.