A proposed gold and silver mine in northern Nevada is slated to be the first open-pit mine to go through accelerated permitting from the Bureau of Land Management, which provides far less opportunity for the public to engage with the process and help avert later problems.

The move follows the Trump administration’s actions this summer to roll back procedures in a foundational U.S. environmental law.

Under new guidance from the Department of the Interior about implementing the 55-year-old National Environmental Policy Act, opportunities for the public to participate in permitting will be severely limited. Now, public comment periods are only required when the initial notice of intent is published for a project, which skips the requirement for a draft environmental analysis. The streamline

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