Nevada Job Opportunities Created by Mining Company
Anyone looking for a Nevada job in the mining industry may soon have new opportunities.
The Bureau of Land Management is working with Coeur Rochester, Incorporated to expedite environmental studies necessary to reopen and expand the company's mine near Lovelock, Nevada.
The mine currently employs about 30 workers with a total payroll of about $4 million. The expansion is expected to create up to 200 new jobs and add about $20 million to the company's payroll.
"It is vital to create new jobs in Nevada as quickly as possible," Gov. Jim Gibbons said. "I am pleased the BLM and Coeur Rochester were able to come up with an agreement that will speed up the approval processes and put Nevadans back to work, while at the same time protecting Nevada’s environment."
The BLM originally ordered Coeur Rochester to conduct an environmental impact study before the company could proceed with its expansion project. However, the process of completing such a study can take years to complete.
With that in mind, Gibbons sent a letter to the BLM asking that Coeur Rochester be allowed to conduct an environmental assessment of the impacts of the project, which can be completed in significantly less time.
The agreement between the BLM and Coeur Rochester will allow the company to solicit public comment in order to identify concerns, issues and potential impacts, as well as identify a mutually acceptable third-party contractor to quickly prepare the environmental assessment.
The added jobs could potentially help Nevada's economy. Even though the state's unemployment rate increased last month, Nevada still managed to add jobs on a monthly basis. During September, the state saw its unemployment rate increase from 13.2 percent to 13.3 percent, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent.
The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,182,300 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,179,600 workers during August, but a 6.1 percent decrease from last year.