Jan 7 2015
Comstock Mining Inc. ("Comstock Mining" or "the Company") announced today that it received unanimous approval from the Storey County Board of Commissioners to further expand mining and processing capability of the Company's existing, recently expanded, landmark Special Use Permit No. 2000-222-A-4.
The full board was present and all voted to approve Comstock Mining's application. This permit incorporates recently acquired strategic land additions, totaling approximately 100 additional acres, into the existing SUP, increasing the overall permitted boundary to over 1,300 acres.
Comstock Mining's Chief Executive Officer, Corrado De Gasperis commented: "These land acquisitions border our planned mine expansions on the East-side of the Lucerne Mine, in close proximity to where current exploration and development drilling is ongoing and also along the northern borders of our existing heap leach operation, making future heap expansions more practical and efficient."
In 2014, Comstock Mining applied for and received amendments to significantly modify and expand permitted and allowable uses throughout its entire Lucerne Resource Area, containing the Company's largest, classified gold and silver resources and throughout its American Flat processing area. The amendment applies to both surface and underground mining; processing and milling; mine definition; exploration; development and other ancillary uses. Some of the more salient features include:
- Expands the overall permitted boundary to over 1,300 acres (from 180 acres), allowing for substantial expansion of mining and processing operations, including the East-side of Lucerne;
- Expands the permitted private property boundary to over 425 acres (from 78 acres) for processing to the south and west of the existing processing facility in American Flat; and
- Enhances ongoing mine planning and exploration for the assessment of mineral deposits, including their location, extent, depth, and grade, for the subsequent phasing of the active mine.
Mr. De Gasperis concluded: "We continue expanding our strategic land position and permitted footprint to improve the efficiency of both near and longer-term expansions while implementing best practices for environmentally responsible mining, including concurrent land reclamation, restoration and preservation of one of the most historically significant and currently progressive mining districts in Nevada."