The approval follows Trump signing an executive order to boost domestic mineral production.
The Bureau of Land Management has approved the Spring Valley Gold Mine project in Nevada. The project, located in Pershing County, is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the region, the agency said in a July 15 statement.
“Solidus Resources, LLC, is approved to construct, operate, and maintain an open-pit gold mine, three waste rock facilities, and a heap leach facility,” said the agency.
Solidus will carry out mining activity on approximately 6,232 acres of land, of which 4,123 acres are public land managed by the bureau, with the remaining private.
“The project will employ a contractor workforce of approximately 130 employees during the initial two-year construction and approximately 250 full-time employees for the operations period. The total life of the project will be 21 years,” the bureau said.
According to a feasibility study of the mine published by Solidus on Feb. 18, the project is a “large-scale, low-cost” gold production initiative.
The study forecasts an average of more than 300,000 ounces of gold annually from the mine, over a 10-year period.
According to the bureau, projects like the Spring Valley Gold Mine support a March 20 executive order signed by President Donald Trump, entitled Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.
The order stated that the United States possesses vast mineral resources that can fuel prosperity, create jobs, and cut down American dependence on foreign nations.
“The United States was once the world’s largest producer of lucrative minerals, but overbearing Federal regulation has eroded our Nation’s mineral production. Our national and economic security are now acutely threatened by our reliance upon hostile foreign powers’ mineral production,” the order said.
The order was aimed at streamlining and expediting reviews and advancement of mining projects, according to a March 20 White House fact sheet.
On June 30, Trump signed a memorandum aimed at fostering “interagency coordination” to strengthen critical mineral funding and permitting.
The memo ordered federal agencies to share information with the National Energy Dominance Council, which will review pending funding applications for energy and critical mineral projects to ensure these funds are “utilized appropriately” across the federal government.
