Kootenai National Forest, Sanders, County, MT; Rock Creek Project, 56394-56395 [2011-23304]

Download as PDF 56394 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 177 / Tuesday, September 13, 2011 / Notices following Web site: https:// www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kootenai/ minerals. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Kootenai National Forest, Sanders, County, MT; Rock Creek Project Forest Service, USDA. Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement. AGENCY: ACTION: The Kootenai National Forest will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Rock Creek Project. The project is located within the Trout Creek Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest, Sanders County, Montana, and east of Noxon, Montana. The Final EIS was made available in September 2001. The Forest Service Record of Decision was issued in June 2003. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued a Record of Decision in 2001 that provided the State’s approval of the project. The SEIS will respond to the US District Court Decision in Rock Creek Alliance et al. v. USFS, Revett Silver Company, and USFWS, (CV 05–107–M– DWM and CV 08–028–M–DWM consolidated) May 4, 2010 opinion. In that opinion the Court found deficiencies in the 2001 Rock Creek Project FEIS. The court remanded the FEIS back to the Forest Service for further action and vacated the 2003 Record of Decision. The SEIS will focus on the issues directed by the Court, and will update other resource analyses, if there are significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts in order ensure appropriate analysis of the proposed mining project. DATES: Under 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there is no formal scoping period for a SEIS. The Forest Service is not inviting comments at this time. A comment period for the Draft SEIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: Kootenai National Forest, 31374 US Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bobbie Lacklen, Project Coordinator, Kootenai National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, 31374 US Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923–3022. Phone (406) 293–6211 or email at blacklen@fs.fed.us. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following is a brief summary of the proposed action. Detailed descriptions of the proposed action and alternatives analysis are provided in the original FEIS and ROD, which can be can be viewed or downloaded from the mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:22 Sep 12, 2011 Jkt 223001 Proposed Action The proposed action is divided into two phases: Phase I consists of construction of the evaluation adit and data collection, and Phase II is comprised of construction operation and reclamation of the mine, mill, and tailings disposal facility. The two phases are described below: Phase I The proposed evaluation adit would be driven prior to other major construction work on the Rock Creek Project in an attempt to better understand the configuration and grade of the ore body. During the mine production (Phase II), this adit will not be utilized for production but rather would serve as an exhaust ventilation opening and as a secondary escape-way. Conventional methods would be used for adit construction. Existing roads would provide access. Approximately 10 acres of National Forest System lands would be disturbed at the adit site and 10 acres of private lands would be disturbed at a support facility site and from required road improvements. More details on the evaluation adit can be found in the Rock Creek Evaluation Adit Project Revised Application for Exploration License at: https:// www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kootenai/ minerals. The portal of the evaluation adit would be located at about 5,755 feet in elevation. The adit would be 18 feet high by 18 feet wide, with an estimated length of 6,592 feet at a decline of 10 percent. Forty-foot cross cuts would be driven from the adit every 500 feet to provide turnouts for vehicle passing, sump construction, and space for pump installations. About 90,000 tons of barren development rock and 88,000 tons of ore would be excavated from the proposed adit during the evaluation phase. Unmineralized or barren rock would be placed near the portal to form a flat-topped pile sloping downhill to its angle of repose. Mineralized material would be placed in a stockpile near the portal for later processing when the mill would be in operation. Additional support facilities are proposed to be constructed for the evaluation adit. These facilities would be located on Rock Creek Resources (RC Resources) private property near State Highway 200. These include: An office; a dry change house facility; a garage, warehouse and water treatment facility; water retention ponds, a graded, PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 graveled employee parking lot, and a soil stockpile. Phase II RC Resources proposes to construct, operate, and reclaim all facilities (including the evaluation adit) necessary to mine, remove, and transport economically mineable minerals from the Rock Creek deposit. The Rock Creek Mine would consist of an underground copper/silver mine and mill/concentrator complex in northwestern Montana with a mine life of 30 to 37 years. The disturbance area for the project including the tailings impoundment would encompass 482 acres, of which 140 acres are National Forest System lands. The Rock Creek ore deposit is located beneath and adjacent to the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness (CMW) in the Kaniksu National Forest. The mill and service adit access to the ore body would be located 2 miles from the wilderness boundary, near State Highway 200. The mill and other facilities would be primarily located within the Kaniksu National Forest in Sanders County. The Kootenai National Forest (KNF) administers the Kaniksu National Forest (within Montana). Lead and Cooperating Agencies The USDA Forest Service is the Lead Agency for this project. The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers will participate in the project as a Cooperating Agencies. Other agencies may become a Cooperating Agency as the SEIS progresses. The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of draft environmental impact statements must structure their participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer’s position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45day comment period so that substantive E:\FR\FM\13SEN1.SGM 13SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 177 / Tuesday, September 13, 2011 / Notices comments and objections are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final supplemental environmental impact statement. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft SEIS should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. Responsible Official Paul Bradford, Forest Supervisor Kootenai National Forest, 31374 US Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923 is the Responsible Official for the Rock Creek Project. Dated: September 1, 2011. Paul Bradford, Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest. [FR Doc. 2011–23304 Filed 9–12–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census Census Advisory Committees Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is giving notice of a joint meeting of the Census Advisory Committees (CACs) on the African American Population, the American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, the Asian Population, the Hispanic Population, and the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Populations. The Committees will address issues related to the American Community Survey, the 2010 Decennial Census, and early 2020 Census planning. The five Census Advisory Committees on Race and Ethnicity will meet in plenary and concurrent sessions on October 6–7, 2011. Last-minute changes to the schedule are possible, which could prevent giving advance public notice of schedule adjustments. DATES: October 6–7, 2011. On October 6, the meeting will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately 6 p.m. On October 7, the meeting will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately 2:15 p.m. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:22 Sep 12, 2011 Jkt 223001 The meeting will be held at the U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, Maryland 20746. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeri Green, Jeri.Green@census.gov, Committee Liaison Officer, Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H182, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233, telephone 301– 763–6590. For TTY callers, please use the Federal Relay Service 1–800–877– 8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CACs on the African American Population, the American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, the Asian Population, the Hispanic Population, and the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Populations comprise up to nine members each. The Committees provide an organized and continuing channel of communication between the representative race and ethnic populations and the Census Bureau. The Committees provide an outside-user perspective and advice on research and early design plans for the 2020 Census, the American Community Survey, and other related programs particularly as they pertain to an accurate count of these communities. The Committees also assist the Census Bureau on ways that census data can best be disseminated to diverse race and ethnic populations and other users. The Committees are established in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Title 5, United States Code, Appendix 2, Section 10(a)(b)). All meetings are open to the public. A brief period will be set aside at the meeting for public comment on October 7. However, individuals with extensive questions or statements must submit them in writing to Ms. Jeri Green at least three days before the meeting. If you plan to attend the meeting, please register by Monday, October 3, 2011. You may access the online registration from with the following link: https:// www.regonline.com/reac_fall2011_ meeting. Seating is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Committee Liaison Officer as soon as possible, preferably two weeks prior to the meeting. Due to increased security and for access to the meeting, please call 301– 763–9906 upon arrival at the Census Bureau on the day of the meeting. A photo ID must be presented in order to receive your visitor’s badge. Visitors are not allowed beyond the first floor. ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 56395 Dated: September 7, 2011. Robert M. Groves, Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. 2011–23312 Filed 9–12–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–07–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A–489–501] Certain Welded Carbon Steel Pipe and Tube From Turkey: Notice of Extension of Time Limit for Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis McClure or Victoria Cho, AD/ CVD Operations, Office 3, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–5973 or (202) 482– 5075, respectively. AGENCY: Background On June 8, 2011, the Department published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping order on certain welded carbon steel pipe and tube from Turkey for the period May 1, 2009, through April 30, 2010. See Certain Welded Carbon Steel Pipe and Tube From Turkey; Notice of Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 76 FR 33204 (June 8, 2011). The final results are currently due no later than October 6, 2011. Extension of Time Limit of the Final Results In antidumping duty administrative reviews, section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the ‘‘Act’’), requires the Department to make a final determination in an administrative review of an antidumping duty order within 120 days after the date on which the preliminary results are published. However, if it is not practicable to complete the review within this time period, section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act allows the Department to extend the time limit for the final results to a maximum of 180 days. We determine that it is not practicable to complete the final results of this administrative review within the 120day time limit, because the Department requires additional time to analyze issues in case and rebuttal briefs E:\FR\FM\13SEN1.SGM 13SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56394-56395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23304]



[[Page 56394]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Kootenai National Forest, Sanders, County, MT; Rock Creek Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact 
statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Kootenai National Forest will prepare a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Rock Creek Project. The 
project is located within the Trout Creek Ranger District, Kootenai 
National Forest, Sanders County, Montana, and east of Noxon, Montana. 
The Final EIS was made available in September 2001. The Forest Service 
Record of Decision was issued in June 2003. The Montana Department of 
Environmental Quality issued a Record of Decision in 2001 that provided 
the State's approval of the project. The SEIS will respond to the US 
District Court Decision in Rock Creek Alliance et al. v. USFS, Revett 
Silver Company, and USFWS, (CV 05-107-M-DWM and CV 08-028-M-DWM 
consolidated) May 4, 2010 opinion. In that opinion the Court found 
deficiencies in the 2001 Rock Creek Project FEIS. The court remanded 
the FEIS back to the Forest Service for further action and vacated the 
2003 Record of Decision. The SEIS will focus on the issues directed by 
the Court, and will update other resource analyses, if there are 
significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental 
concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts in order 
ensure appropriate analysis of the proposed mining project.

DATES: Under 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there is no formal scoping period for 
a SEIS. The Forest Service is not inviting comments at this time. A 
comment period for the Draft SEIS will be 45 days from the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in 
the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Kootenai National Forest, 31374 US Highway 2, Libby, MT 
59923.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bobbie Lacklen, Project Coordinator, 
Kootenai National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 31374 US Highway 2, 
Libby, MT 59923-3022. Phone (406) 293-6211 or e-mail at 
blacklen@fs.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following is a brief summary of the proposed 
action. Detailed descriptions of the proposed action and alternatives 
analysis are provided in the original FEIS and ROD, which can be can be 
viewed or downloaded from the following Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kootenai/minerals.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is divided into two phases: Phase I consists of 
construction of the evaluation adit and data collection, and Phase II 
is comprised of construction operation and reclamation of the mine, 
mill, and tailings disposal facility. The two phases are described 
below:

Phase I

    The proposed evaluation adit would be driven prior to other major 
construction work on the Rock Creek Project in an attempt to better 
understand the configuration and grade of the ore body. During the mine 
production (Phase II), this adit will not be utilized for production 
but rather would serve as an exhaust ventilation opening and as a 
secondary escape-way. Conventional methods would be used for adit 
construction. Existing roads would provide access. Approximately 10 
acres of National Forest System lands would be disturbed at the adit 
site and 10 acres of private lands would be disturbed at a support 
facility site and from required road improvements. More details on the 
evaluation adit can be found in the Rock Creek Evaluation Adit Project 
Revised Application for Exploration License at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kootenai/minerals.
    The portal of the evaluation adit would be located at about 5,755 
feet in elevation. The adit would be 18 feet high by 18 feet wide, with 
an estimated length of 6,592 feet at a decline of 10 percent. Forty-
foot cross cuts would be driven from the adit every 500 feet to provide 
turnouts for vehicle passing, sump construction, and space for pump 
installations.
    About 90,000 tons of barren development rock and 88,000 tons of ore 
would be excavated from the proposed adit during the evaluation phase. 
Unmineralized or barren rock would be placed near the portal to form a 
flat-topped pile sloping downhill to its angle of repose. Mineralized 
material would be placed in a stockpile near the portal for later 
processing when the mill would be in operation.
    Additional support facilities are proposed to be constructed for 
the evaluation adit. These facilities would be located on Rock Creek 
Resources (RC Resources) private property near State Highway 200. These 
include: An office; a dry change house facility; a garage, warehouse 
and water treatment facility; water retention ponds, a graded, graveled 
employee parking lot, and a soil stockpile.

Phase II

    RC Resources proposes to construct, operate, and reclaim all 
facilities (including the evaluation adit) necessary to mine, remove, 
and transport economically mineable minerals from the Rock Creek 
deposit. The Rock Creek Mine would consist of an underground copper/
silver mine and mill/concentrator complex in northwestern Montana with 
a mine life of 30 to 37 years. The disturbance area for the project 
including the tailings impoundment would encompass 482 acres, of which 
140 acres are National Forest System lands. The Rock Creek ore deposit 
is located beneath and adjacent to the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness 
(CMW) in the Kaniksu National Forest. The mill and service adit access 
to the ore body would be located 2 miles from the wilderness boundary, 
near State Highway 200. The mill and other facilities would be 
primarily located within the Kaniksu National Forest in Sanders County. 
The Kootenai National Forest (KNF) administers the Kaniksu National 
Forest (within Montana).

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The USDA Forest Service is the Lead Agency for this project. The US 
Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers will 
participate in the project as a Cooperating Agencies. Other agencies 
may become a Cooperating Agency as the SEIS progresses.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that 
substantive

[[Page 56395]]

comments and objections are made available to the Forest Service at a 
time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the 
final supplemental environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft SEIS should 
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to 
specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Reviewers may wish 
to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.

Responsible Official

    Paul Bradford, Forest Supervisor Kootenai National Forest, 31374 US 
Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923 is the Responsible Official for the Rock 
Creek Project.

    Dated: September 1, 2011.
Paul Bradford,
Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2011-23304 Filed 9-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
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