Plan to block new gold mining near Yellowstone moves forward

Helena, Mont. • U.S. government officials are moving forward with a plan to block new gold mining claims in the mountains north of Yellowstone National Park with Thursday’s release of a draft analysis of the proposal’s effects on the environment.The plan to withdraw more than 30,000 acres of public lands in the Absaroka mountains for 20 years from new claims for gold, silver, platinum and other “locatable” minerals has been in the works since 2016, when new explorati