Agency Milestone Date of 04/29/2026 for NOAA determines ESA Consultation Package is Complete - Informal (Agency Action) has passed by 1 business days
Cooperating under NEPA
Description:
Coordinate with the NMFS to determine the potential impacts on species protected by the Endangered Species Act for the anticipated PCN for Nationwide Permit #6 verification for the proposed Geotech drilling.
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires federal agencies to consult with NOAA Fisheries when any project or action they take might affect an ESA-listed species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction, or might affect such species’ critical habitat. ESA-listed species and critical habitat exist throughout much of the area affected by the Contango Ore Johnson Tract Critical Metals Project. The proposed action may affect these resources, therefore Section 7 consultation is required.
Milestones:
PROJECT WEBSITE: Johnson Tract Project
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
05/05/2028
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Mining
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
The proposed project will extract copper, zinc, gold, silver, and lead through underground long-hole stoping complemented by backfilling of the stopes to mitigate the risk of surface subsidence. In addition to the mining infrastructure, there will be a year-round camp and site infrastructure will include roads, airport with IFR, and ancillary maintenance facilities. There will be no tailings or milling facility as the project proposes direct shipping of ore whereby the ore is mined, placed into sealed containers, transported to the coast and placed on barges for offsite processing. A barge loading facility will be established on port easement along the Tuxedni Channel of Cook Inlet.