Nevada Gold Mines wins Lander County support to study proposed rail park

Nevada Gold Mines asked the Lander County Board of Commissioners to send a letter supporting further federal review of a proposed rail park that would move ore between the Cortez mining district and processing facilities near Carlin and Goldstrike. The request came during a presentation by Tamara Baker, permitting manager, and Luke Barrett, permitting specialist, who described the company’s preferred alternatives and federal permitting path.

"At the end of those studies, we've determined that rail is both the most economic way to move that ore as well as the safest way to move that ore," Luke Barrett told commissioners, saying the company has initiated a docket with the Surface Transportation Board and expects to proceed with NEPA work if baseline data review permits. Barrett said the two proposed spurs would total roughly 55 miles depending on alignment and would likely require a 50–100‑foot permanent right of way, with wider disturbance areas in places that need grading.

Company representatives said the rail option would replace the majority of the current over‑the‑road ore hauls. "We move right around 480 trips per day with the over the road trucks," Barrett said, adding the proposed rail would likely remove "north of 95%" of those truck trips and operate about one train a day with 50–110 cars, depending on production. The company also described short, on‑site haul options near unloading loops to bridge steeper grade constraints and said construction and permitting would extend multiple years: additional NEPA permitting followed by roughly two years of construction as an optimistic timeline.

Commissioners pressed on community effects including road wear, fuel‑tax impacts and potential job losses for truck drivers. Barrett and Baker said the company is engaging existing contractors and hopes to integrate local workers; Barrett told the board the company expects substantial operating‑cost savings that could extend mine life and support additional hiring. After discussion, the commission voted to authorize the county manager to sign a letter of support for continued analysis and NEPA review, a narrow endorsement of study rather than a commitment to a specific alignment.

Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 495 (presentation begins); discussion and motion concluded SEG 800 (commission vote and authorization).