◆ Project safeguards 250 mining jobs, 187 service jobs.

Wednesday, April 8 the Bureau of Land Management Idaho Falls District and Caribou-Targhee National Forest released Records of Decision approving the Dairy Syncline Mine and Reclamation Plan.

The Dairy Syncline phosphate mine proposed by the J.R. Simplot Company is “located primarily on National Forest System lands within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, approximately 14 miles east of Soda Springs.”

“This project is a real win-win,” said BLM Idaho State Director John Ruhs. “It ensures that the Dairy Syncline Mine will continue its strong contribution to the economy of southeast Idaho, that farmers and others will be able to continue to rely on the phosphate-based products that it helps to produce, and that the public will have access to more than 400 acres of additional land to pursue a variety of recreation opportunities.”

According to information released by the BLM, the approval means that “about 250 current mining jobs and another 187 service jobs” are safeguarded for an additional 30 years.

“Because of this project, the mine will aid the region’s economy through the payment of taxes and royalties, purchases, and sustaining support and service jobs that provide $25 million in annual payroll,” said Ruhs. “The approvals will also result in the least impact to both surface and groundwater.

The BLM and U.S. Forest Service analyzed several alternatives during the planning effort, and the agencies ultimately “selected various components to create a plan that will accomplish both environmental and economic objectives,” Ruhs said.

In compliance with the Department of the Interior Secretary’s Order 3377 issued in March 2019, the BLM analyzed the impact of the proposed project on the public’s ability to access federal lands for recreation as the project involves a land exchange with Simplot, the USFS, and the BLM.

The BLM determined the project would “increase the public’s ability to access federal lands for recreation because it results in a net gain of 420 acres of federal lands.”

“This has been a complex project and it has undergone an extensive analysis,” said Caribou-Targhee National Forest Supervisor Mel Bolling. “The selected alternative balances phosphate extraction and resources conservation in a manner that best serves the public interest.”

The BLM and the USFS used the Final Dairy Syncline Project Environmental Impact Statement to make “separate, coordinated decisions related to the proposed project,” Bolling said.

The Record of Decision released by the BLM:
• approves the Mine and Reclamation Plan,
• enlarges the existing leases,
• approves the Resource Management Plan amendment for the land tenure actions,
• approves the land tenure actions and accepts a parcel voluntarily donated by Simplot.

The USFS provided recommendations to BLM regarding “surface management on leased National Forest System lands.”

The Forest Service’s Record of Decision:
• approves the USFS land exchange,
• accepts a parcel voluntarily donated by Simplot,
• makes Roadless Area boundary changes,
• approves Special Use Authorizations for off-lease activities,
• and approves amendments to its land use plan to add management prescriptions and designate utility corridors.

The Records of Decision released by the BLM and USFS reflect the “agencies’ choice to approve Simplot’s Mine and Reclamation Plan with public-initiated modifications to reduce the BLM land sale, reduce the USFS land exchange, and selectively handle waste rock.”