Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
outside the ROI. It is important to consider mitigation efforts to help reduce the magnitude of the
impacts. Factors that can help to mitigate these outcomes with respect to the project include:
• Strict enforcement of company policies on alcohol and drug use, including a no-tolerance
policy for alcohol and drug use while working.
• Provision of information to all workers on community-based resources targeting
addictions.
• Implementation of an alcohol and drug abuse education program, including the
availability of an Employee Assistance Program for those employees who self-identify as
needing help.
• Offering workshops to employees on money management techniques and planning for a
secure financial future.
• Any complaints raised by local residents related to worker behavior in the communities
should be followed up and project personnel should work with local groups to address
these concerns. This may include training, disciplinary action and followup.
Increases in Infectious Disease Rates
The two main types of infectious diseases that pose a concern with respect to the proposed action
are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infectious respiratory diseases.
STDs include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis, and human immunodeficiency virus or
autoimmune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). These diseases are transmitted from one person
to another through unprotected sexual contact. The diseases can cause irritating symptoms that
need to be treated; they can also have much more serious consequences including infertility or
sterility, or even in some cases death (Goldenberg et al. 2007). They represent a large public
health concern because of their ability to rapidly spread through a community. Increased rates of
sexually transmitted diseases are common when male worker populations making high wages are
sited near small or medium-sized communities (Goldenberg et al. 2008).
Currently, STDs are markedly high in the study area: syphilis and chlamydia rates are
significantly higher than State and national rates, and the incidence of gonorrhea, syphilis, and
HIV is increasing at notable rates, which suggests that this is an area of particular concern
(baseline). In small communities, the social stigma associated with acquiring STDs can be large
and may pose a particular challenge in rural areas in terms of detection and treatment. Local
workers may seek treatment in the Public Health centers located in Grants or Gallup, which are
already severely understaffed, or they may travel to Albuquerque if they are concerned about
confidentiality.
The impacts to STDs in resource development projects are mainly observed in oil and gas-related
projects, where young male workers are getting paid very high wages. Wages for the project are
not expected to reach those observed in oil and gas projects; however, for those previously
unemployed or coming from lower paying jobs, the wages obtained would still constitute
increased income. It is expected that this project would result in an increase in STDs in the ROI
above the normal variation. These impacts can be reduced with the following types of mitigation
strategies:
420 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest