On July 18, 2018, Newmont Mining Corporation and the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources signed an agreement to protect and enhance sage-grouse habitat through the Nevada Conservation Credit System (Credit System).
Under the agreement, Newmont will enhance habitat on their West IL Ranch through activities including repairing and replacing degraded irrigation ditches and increasing the quality of meadow habitat. The project will generate approximately 8,000 credits, and be used initially to offset 211 debits from Newmont’s Greater Phoenix Mine. The remaining credits will be available for future Newmont mitigation needs.
The credits generated through the Credit System transaction also fulfill the provisions of a Conservation Framework Agreement that Newmont signed with the Department of Interior in 2016. The Conservation Framework Agreement enables Newmont to use mitigation completed prior to a listing of sage-grouse as an endangered species, to offset impacts after listing.
The agreement between Newmont and the State of Nevada represents the second transaction under the innovative Credit System, the first of which occurred last November. The Credit System is a collaborative effort among state agencies, landowners, and industry to ensure disturbances to sage-grouse habitat (debits) are appropriately offset by long-term enhancement to habitat (credits), and prevent a future listing of the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act.
