Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Sheep Mountain Uranium Project, Fremont County, WY, 52688-52690 [2011-21563]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52688-52690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21563]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWYR05000 L51100000.GN0000.LVEMK11CW630]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Sheep Mountain Uranium Project, Fremont County, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, as 
amended (FLPMA), and in response to a proposal filed by Titan Uranium 
USA, Inc. (Titan), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Lander Field 
Office, Wyoming, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping 
process to solicit public comments regarding issues and resource 
information for the proposed Sheep Mountain Uranium Project (the 
Project) in Fremont County, Wyoming. The Project is a conventional 
uranium exploration and development project employing open pit and 
underground mining methods and using heap leach methods for uranium 
recovery.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. The BLM can 
best consider public input if comments and resource information are 
submitted within 45 days of publication of this notice. To provide the 
public with an opportunity to review the proposal and project 
information, the BLM will host public meetings in Lander, Riverton, and 
Jeffrey City, Wyoming. The BLM

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will announce the dates, times, and locations for these meetings at 
least 15 days prior to each event. Announcements will be made by news 
release to the news media, individual letter mailings, and posting on 
the project Web site listed below. Project information and documents 
including the submitted Plan of Operations also will be available on 
the Project Web site.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail: Sheep_Mountain_Uranium_EIS_WY@BLM.gov
     Mail: Lander Field Office, Attn: Kristin Yannone, Project 
Manager, 1335 Main Street, Lander, Wyoming 82520
     Project Web site: https://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/lfo/sheepmtn.html
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Lander 
Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Yannone, Project Manager, 
telephone 307-332-8400; address 1335 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520; e-
mail Kristin_Yannone@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during 
normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Project is located 8 road miles south of 
Jeffrey City, Wyoming in Fremont County, Sixth Principal Meridian, 
Township 28 North, Range 92 West, Sections 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 
29, 32, and 33 in an area of historic uranium mining development, the 
earliest of which dates back to the 1950s. This area lies 62 road miles 
southeast of Riverton, Wyoming and 105 road miles west of Casper, 
Wyoming in the Crooks Gap Mining District.
    The project area, which is the same area covered by an existing 
State of Wyoming mining permit, covers 3,625 surface acres of mixed 
ownership including 2,313 acres administered by the BLM, 768 acres 
under State ownership, and 544 acres of private lands. The project area 
includes 2,836 acres of Federal mineral estate. The BLM Lander Field 
Office will serve as the lead office for preparing the environmental 
analysis of the potential impacts of authorizing the surface 
disturbance for the Project on public lands under the BLM's regulations 
at 43 CFR part 3809. The potential impacts of constructing and 
operating a uranium recovery facility within the project boundary will 
be included in the BLM's analysis. This uranium recovery facility 
requires a Source Materials License from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) to operate in addition to a surface use authorization 
from the BLM. The BLM's analysis of any potential impacts from granting 
surface use authorization for the uranium recovery facility are in 
addition to the environmental analysis conducted by the NRC as part of 
its permitting process.
    On June 16, 2011, Titan submitted its formal Plan of Operations in 
accordance with the BLM's surface management regulations at 43 CFR 3809 
to develop a conventional mining and heap leach recovery operation.
    The purpose of the Project is to identify mining reserves and 
extract 1.5 million to 2 million pounds of uranium per year over an 
anticipated project life of 15-20 years. The Project would use 
conventional open pit and modified room and pillar underground mining 
methods to extract the ore. Uranium recovery would be performed on-site 
using heap leach methods and a processing facility to produce 
yellowcake (uranium oxide-U3O8). Two new declines 
would be advanced from the surface to access existing underground 
workings for rehabilitation and further mine development. A series of 
double-lined pads and ponds would be constructed for the heap-leach 
facility and a new large building would house the site's processing 
plant, with a smaller structure for administration and shop facilities.
    A total of 466 acres would be disturbed over the life of the mine. 
This disturbance would consist of 285 acres of new disturbance and 181 
acres of existing disturbance which would be re-disturbed. The 466 
acres includes 104 acres for the heap leaching and plant operations and 
362 acres for mining operations. No new disturbance would be required 
for access roads.
    Both the surface and underground mining may use diesel-powered 
equipment and blasting to extract and transport the ore to the heap-
leach facility and the overburden materials to their temporary and 
final storage locations. All pit overburden would be temporarily 
stockpiled on the surface during the initial phases of mining. During 
later pit mining phases, the overburden and waste material would be 
stored within previously mined portions of the pit.
    After being received at the processing facility, ore would be 
placed on the double-lined leach pads using a radial belt conveyor. The 
heap-leach-recovery method applies a sulfuric acid solution 
(H2SO4) through low-flow emitters on top of the 
heap for extraction of the uranium mineral from the ore. After the 
solution containing uranium reaches the desired concentration, it would 
then be processed through either an ion-exchange system or a solvent 
extraction system. Spent solutions and process-liquid wastes would be 
managed in double-lined evaporation ponds on-site, no wastes would be 
discharged from the site. Individual heaps would be reclaimed in-place 
after the ore has been fully leached, rinsed of leachate, and drained.
    The Project activities would include the drilling of exploratory 
boreholes, construction of open mine pits, excavation of underground 
mine declines (low angle access tunnels) and underground mine workings 
using modified room and pillar methods, rehabilitation of existing mine 
shafts for ventilation, installation of monitoring wells, construction 
of uranium processing and waste-water treatment facilities, and 
development of new and improvement of existing access roads. Interim 
reclamation activities would be performed to minimize the amount of 
surface disturbance at any one time.
    Surface disturbance would be phased over several years, depending 
on the uranium production rate and the availability of mine 
construction equipment and personnel. Titan estimates that 
approximately 40 acres each year would be disturbed, undergo interim 
reclamation, and subsequently be returned to wildlife habitat to BLM 
and State of Wyoming reclamation standards. Final surface reclamation 
would also be required by regulatory agencies and assured by bonds.
    At the end of surface mining, all stockpiled overburden would be 
returned to the pits and the surface regraded with top soil and seeded 
for revegetation. All underground mining spoils would remain 
underground and would be reclaimed within the underground workings. 
Final reclamation plans include placing all pit mine overburden and 
spoils back in the mine pits, plugging and abandoning all ventilation 
shafts and access tunnels, removing all ponds and buried piping, and 
regrading and revegetating the disturbed surface with native plant 
species approved by the regulatory agencies. After vegetation has been 
reestablished, the mine surface would be returned to its premining use 
of livestock grazing and wildlife habitat or any uses consistent with 
the then-applicable land use plan.

[[Page 52690]]

    Depending upon the residual radiological hazards present within the 
millsite restricted area, administrative jurisdiction of the reclaimed 
heaps may be required to be transferred to the Department of Energy for 
long-term custodial care until contamination is deemed no longer a 
threat to public health and safety.
    Titan estimates that the Project would employ a mix of full-time 
personnel and temporary contractors throughout the life of the mine. 
During the construction of each mine unit, 20 to 30 full-time employees 
plus 80 contractors would be employed. During mining operations, about 
210 full-time employees plus another 40 contractors would be required. 
It is likely that the majority would live in Riverton and Lander. The 
Project is projected to provide an economic benefit through a variety 
of taxes paid to Federal, State, and local governments to include 
employee income taxes, severance taxes, property taxes, and sales 
taxes.
    The Project is in conformance with the Lander RMP/Final EIS and 
ROD, 1987. During the preparation of the EIS, interim exploration and 
development will be subject to development guidelines and decisions 
made in applicable NEPA documents, including the Lander RMP and any 
subsequent revisions. The EIS will analyze the environmental 
consequences of implementing the Project as proposed and alternatives, 
including a No Action Alternative. Other alternatives that may be 
considered in detail could include, for example, reclamation schedule 
adjustments, or perhaps a different pace of development. The Project 
would not impair lands with wilderness characteristics.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. 
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: 
air resources, water resources, wildlife and special status species, 
vegetative resources, grazing, concerns about risks from selenium, 
heavy metals and uranium, and long-term post-closure management.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to 
help fulfill the public involvement process under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 
36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Native American tribal consultations will be 
conducted in accordance with policy, and tribal concerns will be given 
due consideration, including impacts on Indian trust assets. Federal, 
State, and local agencies, along with other stakeholders who may be 
interested in or affected by the BLM's decision on this project, are 
invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may 
request or be requested by the BLM to participate as a cooperating 
agency. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1501.7.

Donald A. Simpson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-21563 Filed 8-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P