Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan, Pershing County, NV, 29915-29916 [2016-11287]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2016 / Notices involvement for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Ongoing consultation with American Indian tribes will continue in accordance with policy. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets, will be given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as other stakeholders interested or affected by the decisions on this proposed Project, are invited to respond to this notice. BLM Land-use Plan Amendments and the Protest Process: Depending on the route alternative, potential LUPAs proposed by the BLM are needed for the portions of the proposed Project crossing public land that do not conform to the respective land use plan. These include the following: • Converting utility corridors from underground use only to allow aboveground utilities; • Modifying BLM visual resource management classifications; and • Widening portions of a utility corridor designated in a land-use plan to include the Project ROW. The BLM is proposing seven LUPAs where the Agency Preferred Alternative route is not in conformance with the existing land-use plans. All proposed LUPAs would comply with applicable Federal laws and regulations and can apply only to Federal lands and mineral estate administered by the BLM. • Rawlins Resource Management Plan (RMP): One amendment for visual resource management • Little Snake RMP: One amendment for visual resource management • Pony Express RMP (Salt Lake Field Office): One amendment to establish a new utility corridor • Price RMP: One amendment to widen a portion of an existing utility corridor • Vernal RMP: Three amendments for visual resource management Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM Director regarding the proposed land-use plan amendments may be found in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ letter of the 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 ADDRESSES section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular mail or overnight delivery postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the email as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:05 May 12, 2016 Jkt 238001 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 personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask the BLM 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. Larry Claypool, Acting Wyoming State Director. [FR Doc. 2016–11371 Filed 5–12–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–22–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLNVW0000.L5110000.GN0000. LVEMF1402860.14X; MO# 4500089716] Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan, Pershing County, NV Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance 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 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan and by this notice is announcing its availability. DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: Copies of the Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan EIS are available for public inspection at the Winnemucca District BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV. Interested persons may also review the Final EIS on the Internet at https:// on.doi.gov/1d5pIxR. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Rehberg, Project Lead, telephone 775–623–1500; address BLM Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 29915 Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445; email krehberg@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 applicant, Coeur Rochester, Inc. (CRI), has requested an expansion of its operations at the existing Coeur Rochester Mine, which is located approximately 18 miles northeast of Lovelock, Nevada, in the Humboldt Range, Pershing County. The mine is currently authorized to disturb up to 1,939 acres (approximately 187 acres of private land and 1,752 acres of public land), which was permitted under a series of Environmental Assessments (EA N26–86–002P, February 1986; EA NV–020–99–12, February 1999; EA NV– 020–01–06, December 2000; EA NV– 020–01–06, February 2002; EA NV–020– 03–13, August 2003; DOI–BLM–NV– W010–2010–0010–EA, October 2010). The Draft EIS analyzed the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed changes to CRI’s current operations presented under this Plan of Operations (Plan) modification, which includes a total of 254.5 acres of new disturbance proposed on public land, and a reduction of approved disturbance acres of 23.3 acres on private land. The Draft EIS analyzed three alternatives: (1) The Proposed Action; (2) Permanent Management of Potentially Acid Generating (PAG) Material Outside of the Rochester Pit Alternative; and (3) The No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action would include a change to the Plan boundary designed to include existing claims and newly acquired private lands within the boundary. However, all of the proposed disturbance to public land would be within the existing approved Plan boundary. The project includes the following: • An approximately 67-acre expansion to the existing Stage IV Heap Leach Pad (HLP); • An increase of the allowable maximum Stage IV HLP stacking height from 330 feet to 400 feet; • Construction of a 124-acre Stage V HLP with associated ponds and tank; • Relocation of a portion of the American Canyon public access road and establishment of an associated right-of-way (ROW); • Relocation of a portion of the paved Rochester main access road ROW; E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM 13MYN1 mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES 29916 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2016 / Notices • Realignment of the Stage IV haul road and construction of secondary access roads; • Relocation of existing power lines consistent with the proposed ROW realignments and HLP construction; • Relocation of the electrical building, core shed, and production well PW–2a; • Excavation of new borrow areas and construction of one new growth medium stockpile; • Installation of the Stage IV HLP conveyor system, associated load out points, ore stockpiles, maintenance road, and utility corridor, including process solutions and fresh water supply pipelines; and • Changes to closure activities for existing facilities including: altering the open pit safety berm sizes; HLP interim fluid management plans; HLP cover designs; the installation of evaporation cells; and long-term draindown management. Under the Permanent Management of PAG Material Outside of the Rochester Pit Alternative, which is the BLM preferred alternative, the proposed activities listed in the Proposed Action would be the same, with the exception of the permanent location of the PAG material. In this alternative the material would be permanently relocated outside of the existing pit. Under the No-Action Alternative, the BLM would not approve the proposed Plan modification and there would be no expansion. CRI would continue mining activities under its previously approved plan of operation. Three other alternatives were considered, but eliminated: (1) Pit Backfill Elevation Alternative; (2) Alternate Location for Stage V HLP Alternative; and (3) Close a Portion of American Canyon Road to Public Access Alternative. A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan was published in the Federal Register on August 21, 2015 (80 FR 50864). Two open house public meetings were held during the comment period. One hundred and forty two (142) comment letters were received during a 45-day period; however, 135 of those did not contain any substantive comments. The majority of the comments was in support of the project and centered on the local and economic benefits. There were seven comment letters that contained substantive comments, which included concerns about impacts to special status species, especially Preble’s shrew, post-closure monitoring and mitigation activities, impacts to water and air, climate VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:05 May 12, 2016 Jkt 238001 change, and recommendations on the preferred alternative and cultural mitigation. These comments were considered and addressed in Appendix A (Response to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement) of the Final EIS. On September 21, 2015, during the public scoping of this Draft EIS, the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments for the Great Basin Region, including the Greater SageGrouse Sub-Regions of Idaho and Southwestern Montana, Nevada and Northeastern California, Oregon, and Utah (Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment) was signed. For consistency with the Greater SageGrouse Plan Amendment, the BLM compared the maps and habitat categories in that document to the initial habitat maps from BLM Instruction Memorandum (IM) 2012–044 (December 27, 2011) that were used in the development of the Draft EIS for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan. According to the new map, approximately 20 acres of proposed disturbance from the Coeur Rochester project would be in General Habitat (versus 168 acres of Preliminary General Habitat analyzed in this Draft EIS) with the remainder now in an Other Habitat category. In other words, the new map in the Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment shows less General Habitat within the proposed disturbance area than was analyzed in this Draft EIS under previous guidelines. The analysis and resulting mitigation for Greater Sage-Grouse outlined in Chapter 6 (Mitigation and Monitoring) of this Final EIS are thus consistent with the guidelines outlined in the Greater SageGrouse Plan Amendment, Appendix F (Regional Mitigation Strategy) and Appendix I (Avoid, Minimize, and Apply Compensatory Mitigation Flowchart.) The preferred alternative includes over 330 acres of mitigation in Sagebrush Focal Areas and prime habitat located in National Conservation Areas and wilderness areas, which would result in a net conservation gain to Sage-grouse, as well as benefit other species. Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final EIS. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but did not significantly change the analysis. Following a 30-day availability and review period, a Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued. The decision reached in the ROD is subject to appeal PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 to the Interior Board of Land Appeals. The 30-day appeal period begins with the issuance of the ROD. Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10. Steve Sappington, Field Manager, Humboldt River Field Office. [FR Doc. 2016–11287 Filed 5–12–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [NPS–SERO–RTCA–20896; PPMPSPD1T.Y00000] [PPSESERO10] Cancellation of June 1, 2016, Meeting of the Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee AGENCY: ACTION: National Park Service, Interior. Cancellation of meeting. Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1– 16), that the June 1, 2016, meeting of the Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee previously announced in the Federal Register, Vol. 81, February 2, 2016, pp. 5481, is cancelled. SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaime Doubek-Racine, Community Planner and Designated Federal Official, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, Florida Field Office, Southeast Region, 5342 Clark Road, PMB #123, Sarasota, Florida 34233, or via telephone (941) 685–5912. The Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee was established by Public Law 106–299 to assist in the development of the comprehensive management plan for the Wekiva River System and provide advice to the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out management responsibilities of the Secretary under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: May 3, 2016. Alma Ripps, Chief, Office of Policy. [FR Doc. 2016–11377 Filed 5–12–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–EE–P E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM 13MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29915-29916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11287]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVW0000.L5110000.GN0000.LVEMF1402860.14X; MO# 4500089716]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations 
Amendment 10 and Closure Plan, Pershing County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance 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 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Coeur Rochester Mine 
Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan and by this notice is 
announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations 
Amendment 10 and Closure Plan EIS are available for public inspection 
at the Winnemucca District BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, 
NV. Interested persons may also review the Final EIS on the Internet at 
https://on.doi.gov/1d5pIxR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Rehberg, Project Lead, 
telephone 775-623-1500; address BLM Winnemucca District, Humboldt River 
Field Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445; email 
krehberg@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 applicant, Coeur Rochester, Inc. (CRI), 
has requested an expansion of its operations at the existing Coeur 
Rochester Mine, which is located approximately 18 miles northeast of 
Lovelock, Nevada, in the Humboldt Range, Pershing County. The mine is 
currently authorized to disturb up to 1,939 acres (approximately 187 
acres of private land and 1,752 acres of public land), which was 
permitted under a series of Environmental Assessments (EA N26-86-002P, 
February 1986; EA NV-020-99-12, February 1999; EA NV-020-01-06, 
December 2000; EA NV-020-01-06, February 2002; EA NV-020-03-13, August 
2003; DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2010-0010-EA, October 2010).
    The Draft EIS analyzed the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed changes to CRI's current operations 
presented under this Plan of Operations (Plan) modification, which 
includes a total of 254.5 acres of new disturbance proposed on public 
land, and a reduction of approved disturbance acres of 23.3 acres on 
private land.
    The Draft EIS analyzed three alternatives: (1) The Proposed Action; 
(2) Permanent Management of Potentially Acid Generating (PAG) Material 
Outside of the Rochester Pit Alternative; and (3) The No Action 
Alternative. The Proposed Action would include a change to the Plan 
boundary designed to include existing claims and newly acquired private 
lands within the boundary. However, all of the proposed disturbance to 
public land would be within the existing approved Plan boundary. The 
project includes the following:
     An approximately 67-acre expansion to the existing Stage 
IV Heap Leach Pad (HLP);
     An increase of the allowable maximum Stage IV HLP stacking 
height from 330 feet to 400 feet;
     Construction of a 124-acre Stage V HLP with associated 
ponds and tank;
     Relocation of a portion of the American Canyon public 
access road and establishment of an associated right-of-way (ROW);
     Relocation of a portion of the paved Rochester main access 
road ROW;

[[Page 29916]]

     Realignment of the Stage IV haul road and construction of 
secondary access roads;
     Relocation of existing power lines consistent with the 
proposed ROW realignments and HLP construction;
     Relocation of the electrical building, core shed, and 
production well PW-2a;
     Excavation of new borrow areas and construction of one new 
growth medium stockpile;
     Installation of the Stage IV HLP conveyor system, 
associated load out points, ore stockpiles, maintenance road, and 
utility corridor, including process solutions and fresh water supply 
pipelines; and
     Changes to closure activities for existing facilities 
including: altering the open pit safety berm sizes; HLP interim fluid 
management plans; HLP cover designs; the installation of evaporation 
cells; and long-term draindown management.
    Under the Permanent Management of PAG Material Outside of the 
Rochester Pit Alternative, which is the BLM preferred alternative, the 
proposed activities listed in the Proposed Action would be the same, 
with the exception of the permanent location of the PAG material. In 
this alternative the material would be permanently relocated outside of 
the existing pit.
    Under the No-Action Alternative, the BLM would not approve the 
proposed Plan modification and there would be no expansion. CRI would 
continue mining activities under its previously approved plan of 
operation.
    Three other alternatives were considered, but eliminated: (1) Pit 
Backfill Elevation Alternative; (2) Alternate Location for Stage V HLP 
Alternative; and (3) Close a Portion of American Canyon Road to Public 
Access Alternative.
    A Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for the Proposed Coeur 
Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan was 
published in the Federal Register on August 21, 2015 (80 FR 50864). Two 
open house public meetings were held during the comment period. One 
hundred and forty two (142) comment letters were received during a 45-
day period; however, 135 of those did not contain any substantive 
comments. The majority of the comments was in support of the project 
and centered on the local and economic benefits. There were seven 
comment letters that contained substantive comments, which included 
concerns about impacts to special status species, especially Preble's 
shrew, post-closure monitoring and mitigation activities, impacts to 
water and air, climate change, and recommendations on the preferred 
alternative and cultural mitigation. These comments were considered and 
addressed in Appendix A (Response to Comments on the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement) of the Final EIS.
    On September 21, 2015, during the public scoping of this Draft EIS, 
the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Resource Management Plan 
Amendments for the Great Basin Region, including the Greater Sage-
Grouse Sub-Regions of Idaho and Southwestern Montana, Nevada and 
Northeastern California, Oregon, and Utah (Greater Sage-Grouse Plan 
Amendment) was signed. For consistency with the Greater Sage-Grouse 
Plan Amendment, the BLM compared the maps and habitat categories in 
that document to the initial habitat maps from BLM Instruction 
Memorandum (IM) 2012-044 (December 27, 2011) that were used in the 
development of the Draft EIS for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan 
of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan. According to the new map, 
approximately 20 acres of proposed disturbance from the Coeur Rochester 
project would be in General Habitat (versus 168 acres of Preliminary 
General Habitat analyzed in this Draft EIS) with the remainder now in 
an Other Habitat category. In other words, the new map in the Greater 
Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment shows less General Habitat within the 
proposed disturbance area than was analyzed in this Draft EIS under 
previous guidelines. The analysis and resulting mitigation for Greater 
Sage-Grouse outlined in Chapter 6 (Mitigation and Monitoring) of this 
Final EIS are thus consistent with the guidelines outlined in the 
Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendment, Appendix F (Regional Mitigation 
Strategy) and Appendix I (Avoid, Minimize, and Apply Compensatory 
Mitigation Flowchart.) The preferred alternative includes over 330 
acres of mitigation in Sagebrush Focal Areas and prime habitat located 
in National Conservation Areas and wilderness areas, which would result 
in a net conservation gain to Sage-grouse, as well as benefit other 
species.
    Comments on the Draft EIS received from the public and internal BLM 
review were considered and incorporated as appropriate into the Final 
EIS. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text, but 
did not significantly change the analysis. Following a 30-day 
availability and review period, a Record of Decision (ROD) will be 
issued. The decision reached in the ROD is subject to appeal to the 
Interior Board of Land Appeals. The 30-day appeal period begins with 
the issuance of the ROD.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Steve Sappington,
Field Manager, Humboldt River Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-11287 Filed 5-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
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