Summary of Mining Plans of Operation in Oregon.
Jump to: Plan/Notice Owners | Claims | Patents | Map
Currently on file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are 646 mining plans and notices filed by 15 companies and 7 individuals, encompassing a total estimated area of 11,753 acres of BLM-managed public land in Oregon. 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 Oregon |
|---|
|
• Acres of U.S. public land (BLM land only) under mining plans and notices, estimated: 11,753 • 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 Oregon 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 | Newmont Mining Corp | Denver, CO | 4 | 7,394 | 1988 to 2003 |
| 2 | Atlas Precious Metal | Vale, OR | 2 | 7,394 | 1988 to 1990 |
| 3 | Eagle Picher Minerals Inc | Reno, NV | 2 | 811 | 1985 to 1986 |
| 4 | Eldorado Resources | Durkee, OR | 2 | 746 | 1997 |
| 5 | Ironside Mining Co LLC | Elko, NV | 1 | 746 | 0 |
| 6 | Cornerstone Ind Min | Lakeview, OR | 2 | 701 | 1996 |
| 7 | Teague Mineral Prod | Adrian, OR | 8 | 33 | 1982 to 2003 |
| 8 | Amer Absorb Nat Prod | Austin, TX | 1 | 40 | 1997 |
| 9 | Ron Kemnow | Plush, OR | 8 | 0 | 1998 to 2003 |
| 10 | Christopher H Rose | Reno, NV | 6 | 0 | 1999 to 2002 |
| See all plan/notice holders in Oregon | |||||
Counties in Oregon Ranked by Acres Affected by Plans and Notices
| County | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malheur County | 155 | 9,241 | details | map |
| 2 | Lake County | 75 | 1,046 | details | map |
| 3 | Baker County | 202 | 503 | details | map |
| 4 | Josephine County | 83 | 410 | details | map |
| 5 | Jackson County | 49 | 246 | details | map |
| 6 | Douglas County | 53 | 149 | details | map |
| 7 | Harney County | 10 | 93 | details | map |
| 8 | Grant County | 8 | 32 | details | map |
| 9 | Deschutes County | 2 | 10 | details | map |
| 10 | Crook County | 2 | 10 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Oregon
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Snyder Mine | Wallowa County, NV | Open | Gold | Normandy Midas Operations, Inc. |
Source: EWG analysis.