Summary of Mining Plans of Operation in California.
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Currently on file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are 902 mining plans and notices filed by 108 companies and 225 individuals, encompassing a total estimated area of 35,420 acres of BLM-managed public land in California. These plans and notices are filed on public land laden with gold, silver, copper and other precious metals and minerals worth billions of dollars. And these operations are only those on BLM lands, not on Forest Service lands, for which mining plans and notices are not entered into the government's LR2000 database that forms the backbone of this site. But whether the mines are on BLM or Forest Service land, none of the corporate revenue is reimbursed to the public. Instead, companies leave behind unfathomable amounts of waste. In 2001 alone, the industry dumped enough mercury nationally to fill a billion thermometers and arsenic in quantities that would pollute all public drinking water supplies for 350 years. In 2001, mines generated 45 percent of all pollution reported in the U.S. while accounting for just 0.36 percent of all industrial facilities.
| Quick facts about mining plans on BLM land in California |
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• Acres of U.S. public land (BLM land only) under mining plans and notices, estimated: 35,420 • Foreign-owned corporations among top BLM land mine operators: 3 of 10 • Pollution from all US mining operations, ranking among all U.S. industries: : #1 in total toxic releases • Pollution from top 89 mines in US: 5 times pollution from entire U.S. chemical industry (3,600 plants) • Western water polluted by mine waste: 40 percent of Western headwaters • Proposed mining operations that have been blocked by the Department of Interior because they posed a risk to public health or the environment: None • Other land uses that supercede rights of mining companies to operate on public lands: None |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Plan/Notice Companies/Individuals on BLM land in California Ranked by Acres Affected
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | Plan Date(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrick Gold Corporation | World HQ in Canada | 3 | 9,000 | 1983 to 1991 |
| 2 | Glamis Gold LTD | World HQ in Canada | 10 | 5,747 | 1987 to 1995 |
| 3 | Gold Fields Mining Co | Lakewood, CO | 8 | 4,003 | 1981 to 1987 |
| 4 | Canyon Resources Co | Golden, CO | 4 | 3,491 | 1995 to 1996 |
| 5 | Viceroy Gold Corp | World HQ in Canada | 2 | 1,380 | 1990 to 1997 |
| 6 | American Girl Mining | Winterhaven, CA | 7 | 1,010 | 1986 to 1990 |
| 7 | Newmont Mining Corp | Denver, CO | 4 | 1,004 | 1993 |
| 8 | Golden Queen Mining | Mojave, CA | 5 | 930 | 1987 to 1997 |
| 9 | Rand Mining Co | Randsburg, CA | 9 | 586 | 1985 to 1999 |
| 10 | Elementis Specialties Inc | Newberry Spgs, CA | 2 | 530 | 1991 to 1994 |
| See all plan/notice holders in California | |||||
Counties in California Ranked by Acres Affected by Plans and Notices
| County | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imperial County | 50 | 12,414 | details | map |
| 2 | Lake County | 3 | 9,045 | details | map |
| 3 | Inyo County | 133 | 4,728 | details | map |
| 4 | San Bernardino County | 185 | 4,221 | details | map |
| 5 | Kern County | 89 | 2,767 | details | map |
| 6 | Lassen County | 3 | 650 | details | map |
| 7 | Riverside County | 37 | 404 | details | map |
| 8 | Mariposa County | 67 | 152 | details | map |
| 9 | Shasta County | 72 | 151 | details | map |
| 10 | San Diego County | 22 | 136 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in California
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briggs Gold Mine | Inyo County, CA | Open | Gold | Canyon Resources Corporation |
| Picacho | Imperial County, CA | Closed | Gold | Glamis Gold Ltd. |
| Mesquite Gold Mine | Imperial County, CA | Open | Gold | Newmont Mining Corp |
| Jamestown | Stanislaus County, CA | Closed | Gold | Sonora Mining Corporation |
| Rand Mine | San Bernardino County, CA | Open | Gold | Glamis Gold Ltd |
| Mclaughlin Gold Mine | Lake County, CA | Closed | Gold | Barrick Gold Corporation |
| Dredge 21 | Yuba County, CA | Suspended | Gold | Cal-sierra Development, Inc |
| Castle Mountain Mine | San Bernardino County, CA | Closed | Gold | Viceroy Resource Corporation |
| Sixteen To One Mine | Sierra County, CA | Open | Gold | Original Sixteen To One Mine |
| Mt. Pass Mine & Mill | San Bernardino County, CA | Open | Rare earths | Molycorp |
Source: EWG analysis.