drilling projects proposed for the santa fe national forest

A Colorado-based mining company has submitted operational plans for future exploratory mineral drilling inside the Santa Fe National Forest.

The company, Comexico LLC, is a subsidiary of New World Cobalt, which is based in Australia and has offices in West Perth, Washington.

Earlier this year, New World Cobalt, with a focus on mineral resources exploration and development, acquired the Terrero VMS Project based in the New Mexican community of Tererro, a project comprised of gold, copper, and zinc mining exploration.

Comexico has submitted two Notices of Intent with the Santa Fe National Forest requesting access to roads belonging to the U.S. Forest Service that are usually closed to the public

The company will use those roads to begin geophysical testing, while also collecting surface samples.

According to a press release issued by the offices of Santa Fe National Forest, the drilling activities within Comexico’s plan of operation will require analysis as defined by the National Environmental Policy Act.

The level of that analysis, the release continues, “will depend on the scope of Comexico operations and the degree of disturbance to vegetation, soil, water, air or wildlife.”

In submitting its plans to the Forest Service, Comexico has said that its drilling operation would have an impact on roughly 2.2 acres. The company is also asking for an exploratory permit from New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department.

Comexico says it has identified 83 possible sites for drilling, but is currently planning to drill in no more than 30 of them.

Before any activity can take place, the company must also submit an environmental impact analysis, general biology surveys, and hydro-geologic surveys, as well as cultural surveys to identify resources that may need protective measures.

The project has sparked the opposition of the Santa Fe-based Wild Earth Guardians, which has said that the drilling could have a negative environmental impact on the forest as well as the Pecos River.

By Garry Boulard

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