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PPLAC August 12, 2025 Item #12, Amargosa Mineral Exploration: We are sounding the alarm for a new and troubling threat to Ash Meadows and the Amargosa River. On July 17, 2025, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved an exploratory drilling proposal by St. Cloud Mining Company for up to 43 boreholes on public lands within three miles of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The project site lies in a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern and within hundreds of feet of springs and habitat that support rare and endemic species such as the Amargosa niterwort. Rather than conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement, BLM Nevada completed an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact. This allowed the project to proceed without the more rigorous review that such a sensitive location warrants. We could not stand by. Alongside the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Amargosa Basin, and Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter, we have formally asked BLM to reverse its decision and pause drilling until the full risks to groundwater, cultural sites, and fragile wildlife are examined. This is a direct threat to the springs that sustain Ash Meadows, the wildlife that depends on them, and the integrity of the Amargosa watershed. Thank you for standing with us. Stay tuned for future opportunities to take action, approval-of-drilling-near-ash-meadows/