Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Long Canyon Mine Project, Elko County, NV, 15773-15774 [2014-06112]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 55 / Friday, March 21, 2014 / Notices
inspection at the BLM Kremmling Field
Office, 2103 East Park Avenue,
Kremmling, CO 80459. Interested
persons may also review the Proposed
RMP/Final EIS on the Internet at https://
www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/kfo.html. All
protests must be in writing and mailed
to one of the following addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Protest Coordinator, 20 M
Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington,
DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dennis Gale, project manager;
telephone: 970–724–3003; address: BLM
Kremmling Field Office, P.O. Box 68,
Kremmling, CO 80459; email: dgale@
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
Proposed RMP/Final EIS addresses
management of public lands and
resources within the Kremmling Field
Office planning area, which includes
Grand, Jackson, Summit and parts of
Larimer and Eagle counties, Colorado.
Public lands and resources in the
Kremmling Field Office are currently
managed under the 1984 Kremmling
RMP, as amended. The planning area
includes approximately 377,900 acres of
BLM-administered surface estate and
approximately 653,500 acres of
subsurface Federal mineral estate.
The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is a mix
of the actions presented and analyzed in
the four alternatives in the Draft RMP/
EIS. The Draft RMP alternatives
emphasized: continuation of current
management (No Action—Alternative
A); allocation of limited resources to
meet the demands of competing land
uses while conserving natural and
cultural resources (Preferred—
Alternative B); resource protection and
preservation of the ecological integrity
of habitats for all priority plant, wildlife
and fish species, particularly the
habitats needed for the conservation and
recovery of threatened and endangered
plant and animal species (Alternative
C); and maximizing resource production
while maintaining the basic protections
needed to sustain resources (Alternative
D). The alternatives varied accordingly
in their resource management actions
addressing the 12 major planning issues
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17:18 Mar 20, 2014
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identified in the initial public scoping
process for the RMP revision. The
planning issues are recreation demand
and uses, special designations, energy
development, wildlife habitat
management, sagebrush habitat and
sagebrush-dependent species,
vegetation, travel management and
transportation, lands and realty,
wildland-urban interface, rangeland
health and upland management, water
and riparian resources and cultural
resources. The management actions
selected for the Proposed RMP are a mix
of actions from the alternatives in the
Draft RMP that best meet the purpose
and need for the RMP and respond to
the major planning issues.
The Proposed RMP includes, among
an extensive list of management actions,
designating and managing 4 special
recreation management areas and 1
extensive recreation management area;
protecting wilderness characteristics on
544 acres of lands adjacent to the
Troublesome Wilderness Study Area;
managing to protect a variety of special
status plant and animal species,
including the Greater Sage-Grouse;
designating 14 core wildlife areas (8 in
Jackson County and 6 in Grand County);
implementing a Stakeholder’s
Management Plan to manage 2 Colorado
River segments eligible for Wild and
Scenic River designation; designating 8
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC); continuing to manage 3 existing
Wilderness Study Areas; and
designating motorized and nonmotorized travel routes on the public
lands within the planning area.
The Proposed RMP also includes a
Master Leasing Plan (MLP) to facilitate
the exploration and development of oil
and gas resources in the North Park
MLP area (390,600 acres) while
resolving possible conflicts with future
leasing and development and ensuring
protection of the area’s resources and
resource uses, including, but not limited
to: air quality, soils, water, riparian, fish
and wildlife, Special Status Species,
recreation and ACECs.
Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS
received from the public and internal
BLM review were considered and
incorporated as appropriate into the
proposed plan. Public comments
resulted in the addition of clarifying
text, but did not significantly change
proposed land use plan decisions.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS may be found
in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ Letter of the
Kremmling Proposed RMP/Final EIS
and at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. All protests
must be in writing and mailed to the
appropriate address, as set forth in the
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15773
ADDRESSES section above. Emailed
protests will not be accepted as valid
protests unless the protesting party also
provides the original letter by either
regular or overnight mail postmarked by
the close of the protest period. Under
these conditions, the BLM will consider
the emailed protest as an advance copy
and it will receive full consideration. If
you wish to provide the BLM with such
advance notification, please direct
emails to protest@blm.gov.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest,
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 1610.5.
Ruth Welch,
BLM Colorado Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014–06183 Filed 3–20–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVE03000
L5110000.GN0000LVEMF1201550 241A;
NVN–091032; 14–08807; MO# 4500058790]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Long Canyon Mine
Project, Elko County, NV
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as
amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the proposed Long Canyon Mine
Project and by this notice is announcing
the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Long Canyon
Mine Project Draft EIS within 45 days
following the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
The BLM will announce future public
meetings or other public involvement
activities at least 15 days in advance
SUMMARY:
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mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
15774
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 55 / Friday, March 21, 2014 / Notices
through public notices, media releases,
and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Long Canyon Mine Project
by any of the following methods:
• Email: BLM_NV_
ELDOLongCanyonMine@blm.gov.
• Fax: 775–861–6601
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
Long Canyon Mine Project, Attention:
Whitney Wirthlin, 1340 Financial
Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502
Copies of the Long Canyon Mine
Project Draft EIS are available in the
Elko District Office at the above address
and on online at: https://www.blm.gov/
nv/st/en/fo/elko_field_office/blm_
information/nepa/long_canyon_eis__
7.html
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Whitney Wirthlin, Project Manager;
telephone: 775–861–6400; address: 1340
Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502;
email: BLM_NV_
ELDOLongCanyonMine@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, seven days a week, to leave
a message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Newmont
Mining Corporation (Newmont)
proposes to construct and operate an
open-pit gold mining operation, which
would include one open pit, a heap
leach pad, one waste rock dump, a
tailings storage facility, a natural gas
pipeline from the existing Ruby
Pipeline, an onsite power generation
plant, and other ancillary facilities. The
mine would be located on the eastern
side of the Pequop Mountain Range,
about 30 miles east of Wells, Nevada,
and 32 miles west of West Wendover,
Nevada, and 5 miles south of Interstate
80. Currently, Fronteer Development
(USA) Inc. (Fronteer), a subsidiary of
Newmont, is authorized to disturb up to
115 acres for exploration purposes. The
associated disturbance for the proposed
operations would increase to 1,631 acres
of public land, including 480 acres of
split estate lands of Federal surface and
private subsurface. The projected life of
the mine is 8 to 14 years, including
construction, operations, closure, and
post-closure monitoring. An estimated
annual workforce for operations would
be approximately 300 to 500 people
during the life of the mine.
Fronteer is currently conducting
exploration activities in this area which
were analyzed in two environmental
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17:18 Mar 20, 2014
Jkt 232001
assessments (EA), the NewWest Gold
USA Inc. Long Canyon Exploration
Project (July 2008, EA No. BLM/EK/PL–
2008/011) and Fronteer Development
(USA) Inc. Expanded Long Canyon
Exploration Project (June 2011, DOI–
BLM–NV–N030–2011–00001–EA). The
proposed Long Canyon Mine is in
conformance with the Wells Resource
Management Plan (RMP) and the
proposal is in conformance with the
approved decisions of the RMP.
The Draft EIS describes and analyzes
the proposed project site-specific
impacts (including cumulative) on all
affected resources. Two alternatives are
analyzed: The North Facilities
Alternative and the No Action
Alternative. The North Facilities
Alternative was designed in response to
several environmental issues raised by
scoping comments. Under the North
Facilities Alternative, most of the mine
facilities would be moved to the
northern portion of the project area.
This alternative addresses impacts to
several wildlife species, cultural
resources, and responds to requests
from the cities of West Wendover,
Nevada, and Wendover, Utah, related to
potential impacts to their water supply.
Six other alternatives were considered
but eliminated from further analysis.
Mitigation measures are considered to
minimize environmental impacts and to
assure the proposed action does not
result in unnecessary or undue
degradation of public lands.
The BLM received a total of 31
written comment submissions
containing 80 items during the public
scoping period. The comments the BLM
received were submitted by Federal and
State agencies as well as members of the
general public.
Concerns raised during scoping
include: Potential impacts to cultural
resources, including impacts to the
Hastings Cutoff of the California
National Historic Trail; impacts to the
habitat of Greater Sage-Grouse; impacts
to mule deer winter range and migration
patterns; impacts to air quality through
point (equipment) and non-point (waste
rock disposal areas) pollution sources;
changes to the quantity and quality of
surface water and groundwater,
especially the Big Spring and Johnson
Spring complex which is the water
resource for West Wendover and
Wendover; potential noise impacts to
wildlife in the area; impacts to general
health of the rangeland resources;
potential release of pollutants and
hazardous materials to the environment
during operations and following
closure; increase in light pollution in
the area and direct visual impacts from
mine facilities; positive and negative
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socioeconomic impacts to the
communities of Wells, Wendover, West
Wendover, the Wells Colony and Elko
County; and cumulative impacts to
wildlife, cultural, air, water, lands and
realty, socioeconomics, and vegetation
resources.
The BLM has prepared the Draft EIS
in conjunction with its eight
Cooperating Agencies: Nevada
Department of Wildlife; Elko County;
City of Elko; City of West Wendover;
City of Wendover, Utah; the
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute
Indian Reservation; the Nevada Division
of Environmental Protection; and the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Please note that public comments and
information submitted including names,
street addresses, and email addresses of
persons who submit comments will be
available for public review and
disclosure at the above address during
regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except
holidays.
Before including your address, phone
number, email 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 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10.
Bryan K. Fuell,
Field Manager, Wells Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2014–06112 Filed 3–20–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO2600000 L10600000 XQ0000]
Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
Meeting
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) announces that the
Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
will conduct a meeting on matters
pertaining to management and
protection of wild, free-roaming horses
and burros on the Nation’s public lands.
DATES: The Advisory Board will meet on
Monday, April 14, 2014, from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) and Tuesday,
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\21MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 55 (Friday, March 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15773-15774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06112]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVE03000 L5110000.GN0000LVEMF1201550 241A; NVN-091032; 14-08807;
MO 4500058790]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Long Canyon Mine Project, Elko County, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Long Canyon
Mine Project and by this notice is announcing the opening of the
comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Long Canyon Mine Project Draft EIS within 45
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future public meetings or other public involvement activities
at least 15 days in advance
[[Page 15774]]
through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Long Canyon Mine
Project by any of the following methods:
Email: BLM_NV_ELDOLongCanyonMine@blm.gov.
Fax: 775-861-6601
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Long Canyon Mine Project,
Attention: Whitney Wirthlin, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502
Copies of the Long Canyon Mine Project Draft EIS are available in
the Elko District Office at the above address and on online at: https://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/elko_field_office/blm_information/nepa/long_canyon_eis__7.html
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Whitney Wirthlin, Project Manager;
telephone: 775-861-6400; address: 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV
89502; email: BLM_NV_ELDOLongCanyonMine@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, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Newmont Mining Corporation (Newmont)
proposes to construct and operate an open-pit gold mining operation,
which would include one open pit, a heap leach pad, one waste rock
dump, a tailings storage facility, a natural gas pipeline from the
existing Ruby Pipeline, an onsite power generation plant, and other
ancillary facilities. The mine would be located on the eastern side of
the Pequop Mountain Range, about 30 miles east of Wells, Nevada, and 32
miles west of West Wendover, Nevada, and 5 miles south of Interstate
80. Currently, Fronteer Development (USA) Inc. (Fronteer), a subsidiary
of Newmont, is authorized to disturb up to 115 acres for exploration
purposes. The associated disturbance for the proposed operations would
increase to 1,631 acres of public land, including 480 acres of split
estate lands of Federal surface and private subsurface. The projected
life of the mine is 8 to 14 years, including construction, operations,
closure, and post-closure monitoring. An estimated annual workforce for
operations would be approximately 300 to 500 people during the life of
the mine.
Fronteer is currently conducting exploration activities in this
area which were analyzed in two environmental assessments (EA), the
NewWest Gold USA Inc. Long Canyon Exploration Project (July 2008, EA
No. BLM/EK/PL-2008/011) and Fronteer Development (USA) Inc. Expanded
Long Canyon Exploration Project (June 2011, DOI-BLM-NV-N030-2011-00001-
EA). The proposed Long Canyon Mine is in conformance with the Wells
Resource Management Plan (RMP) and the proposal is in conformance with
the approved decisions of the RMP.
The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project site-
specific impacts (including cumulative) on all affected resources. Two
alternatives are analyzed: The North Facilities Alternative and the No
Action Alternative. The North Facilities Alternative was designed in
response to several environmental issues raised by scoping comments.
Under the North Facilities Alternative, most of the mine facilities
would be moved to the northern portion of the project area. This
alternative addresses impacts to several wildlife species, cultural
resources, and responds to requests from the cities of West Wendover,
Nevada, and Wendover, Utah, related to potential impacts to their water
supply.
Six other alternatives were considered but eliminated from further
analysis. Mitigation measures are considered to minimize environmental
impacts and to assure the proposed action does not result in
unnecessary or undue degradation of public lands.
The BLM received a total of 31 written comment submissions
containing 80 items during the public scoping period. The comments the
BLM received were submitted by Federal and State agencies as well as
members of the general public.
Concerns raised during scoping include: Potential impacts to
cultural resources, including impacts to the Hastings Cutoff of the
California National Historic Trail; impacts to the habitat of Greater
Sage-Grouse; impacts to mule deer winter range and migration patterns;
impacts to air quality through point (equipment) and non-point (waste
rock disposal areas) pollution sources; changes to the quantity and
quality of surface water and groundwater, especially the Big Spring and
Johnson Spring complex which is the water resource for West Wendover
and Wendover; potential noise impacts to wildlife in the area; impacts
to general health of the rangeland resources; potential release of
pollutants and hazardous materials to the environment during operations
and following closure; increase in light pollution in the area and
direct visual impacts from mine facilities; positive and negative
socioeconomic impacts to the communities of Wells, Wendover, West
Wendover, the Wells Colony and Elko County; and cumulative impacts to
wildlife, cultural, air, water, lands and realty, socioeconomics, and
vegetation resources.
The BLM has prepared the Draft EIS in conjunction with its eight
Cooperating Agencies: Nevada Department of Wildlife; Elko County; City
of Elko; City of West Wendover; City of Wendover, Utah; the
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indian Reservation; the Nevada
Division of Environmental Protection; and the Environmental Protection
Agency.
Please note that public comments and information submitted
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at
the above address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email 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 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10.
Bryan K. Fuell,
Field Manager, Wells Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-06112 Filed 3-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
