(Matthew Brown | The Associated Press) This Nov. 21, 2016, file photo shows Emigrant Peak towering over the Paradise Valley in Montana north of Yellowstone National Park, the day U.S. officials announced a ban on new mining claims across more than 30,000 acres in the area. U.S. government officials are moving forward with a plan to block new gold mining claims for 20 years on more than 30,000 acres of public lands north of Yellowstone National Park. The U.S. Forest Service released a draft environmental assessment on Thursday, March 29, 2018, for the proposed withdrawal of lands in the Absaroka mountains from new claims for gold and other "locatable" minerals, such as silver, platinum and uranium.