Summary of Mining Plans of Operation in Wyoming.
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Currently on file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are 148 mining plans and notices filed by 23 companies and 20 individuals, encompassing a total estimated area of 34,305 acres of BLM-managed public land in Wyoming. 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 Wyoming |
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• Acres of U.S. public land (BLM land only) under mining plans and notices, estimated: 34,305 • Foreign-owned corporations among top BLM land mine operators: 1 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 Wyoming 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 | Total Minerals Corp | Casper, WY | 1 | 5,142 | 1978 |
| 2 | Bentonite Corp | Belle Fourche, SD | 5 | 4,805 | 1997 to 2000 |
| 3 | M-I LLC | Greybull, WY | 2 | 4,423 | 2000 to 2003 |
| 4 | Black Hills Ben LLC | Mills, WY | 7 | 3,465 | 1975 to 1998 |
| 5 | Cameco Corp | World HQ in Canada | 15 | 3,431 | 1990 to 1997 |
| 6 | AMCOL International Corp | Arlington Heights, IL | 11 | 3,296 | 1994 to 2003 |
| 7 | Wyo Ben Inc | Billings, MT | 12 | 2,040 | 1992 to 2003 |
| 8 | UMETCO Minerals Corp | Grand Junction, CO | 9 | 1,967 | 1982 to 1991 |
| 9 | Georgia-Pacific Corp | Atlanta, GA | 3 | 1,380 | 1984 to 2002 |
| 10 | BPB Celotex Corp | Cody, WY | 1 | 530 | 1999 |
| See all plan/notice holders in Wyoming | |||||
Counties in Wyoming Ranked by Acres Affected by Plans and Notices
| County | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Horn County | 20 | 10,630 | details | map |
| 2 | Crook County | 11 | 5,495 | details | map |
| 3 | Campbell County | 1 | 5,142 | details | map |
| 4 | Natrona County | 12 | 4,914 | details | map |
| 5 | Converse County | 7 | 3,432 | details | map |
| 6 | Johnson County | 5 | 2,970 | details | map |
| 7 | Park County | 3 | 575 | details | map |
| 8 | Fremont County | 63 | 401 | details | map |
| 9 | Lincoln County | 2 | 245 | details | map |
| 10 | Carbon County | 3 | 163 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Wyoming
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Ranch - Highland | Converse County, WY | Open | Uranium | Power Resouces Inc. |
Source: EWG analysis.