The Proposal
KORE Mining
In August of 2020, KORE Mining submitted a proposal to the US Forest Service to conduct exploratory drilling for gold at Hot Creek. The acting director of the district 5 Ranger station granted KORE the permits on September 21, 2021 and drilling was set to begin in November of 2021. However, due to blizzard conditions in the Eastern Sierra, their project was delayed until the spring of 2022.
KORE plans to install 14 drill pads 30 x 50 feet on Forest Service land adjacent to Hot Creek. Several dirt roads will be installed to access the pads as well. A significant amount of water will be needed for this operation, however, KORE’s point of access from our limited water supplies has yet to be determined. The drilling operation will also generate waste that KORE is required to haul off. When exploratory drilling commences, the operation will be 24 hours, there will be lights installed at night time hours, and the Long Valley will see a significant amount of traffic from large trucks.
What is a Categorical Exclusion?
KORE Mining is able to begin exploratory drilling because the district 5 ranger granted them a categorical exclusion (also known as a CE). CE’s are rarely utilized for large operation such as mining. They are used to bypass environmental assessment or environmental impact statements, claiming operations will have no significant impact on the environment.
The 1872 Mining Law
Why is a mining law from 1872 significant to KORE Mining’s gold operations in the 21st century?
The 1872 General Mining Law allows claim holders the right to access minerals regardless of any impact exploratory drilling will have on the environment. Because of this, KORE legally has the right to minerals on their claim near Hot Creek. While the US Forest Service cannot deny a mining operation due to this law, they do have the ability to impose mitigations to reduce impacts. However, as mentioned above, the acting district Ranger bypassed any mitigations through a CE and KORE will be going through with their operations.
The Future of an Open Pit Gold Mine
KORE Mining’s operations are for exploratory drilling only. They are hoping to tap into the gold deposits near Hot Creek. If they find a substantial amount of gold that is economically viable enough to mine, there is potential for an open pit mine to be opened.
This is a problem because KORE hopes to extract the gold using heap leaching, a process whereby chemical reactions are implemented to separate gold from other earth materials. Cyanide is utilized in this process and will impact groundwater and our fragile ecosystems. Cyanide heap leaching is illegal in Mono County, however, KORE intends to disregard this.