The following legal notice language published in the Vernal Express on July 30, 2025. The 45-day objection period closes September 15, 2025.
OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT: Tesoro Exploration Project, USDA Forest Service, Ashley National Forest (NF), Duchesne-Roosevelt Ranger District, Duchesne County, UT. Responsible Official: Forest Supervisor Kristy Groves.
A draft decision notice for this project is now available. This is a small-scale mineral exploration proposal, to reopen and sample an old collapsed mine adit in the Farm Creek area of the Ashley NF. Opening the adit will be done using a mini excavator. For site access, existing roads and trails will be used, plus construction of about 1/4 mile of temporary road. Total disturbance will be less than 1 acre. See the project webpage for the draft decision, environmental assessment, and finding of no significant impact: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/ashley/projects/67951.
This project is subject to the objection procedures in Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 218, Subparts A and B. A final decision will not be made until after the requirements of §218.12, Timing of Project Decision, have been met.
Eligibility to File and Contents of an Objection. Only those who submitted timely, specific written comments (§218.2) during the designated opportunity for public comment may file an objection (§218.5[a]; see also §218.5[b] through [f] for additional eligibilities and information). Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted comments on the proposal unless based on new information arising after the designated opportunity for comment. A connection to previous comments must be demonstrated in the objection. Names and addresses of objectors will become part of the public record. See §218.8(d) for minimum content requirements of an objection. Incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided for at §218.8(b).
Filing an Objection. Objections may be submitted via the project webpage (click on Get Connected then Comment/Object on Project). Electronic objections must be submitted in a common format such as .PDF or .DOCX and file names must be less than 85 characters long (including spaces). Mailed objections should be sent to: Objection Reviewing Officer, Tesoro Exploration Project, USFS Intermountain Regional Office, Room 4403, 324 25th Street, Ogden, UT 84401. Hand delivery of written objections can be made during normal working hours to this address. It is the responsibility of objectors to ensure their objection is received in a timely manner (§218.9). We will accept objections for 45 days following publication of the legal notice in the Vernal Express advertising the opportunity to object. The actual publication date is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection to this project. Those wishing to object to the draft decision should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source.
David Herron
