Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, Montana Montanore Project, 61533-61534 [2017-28060]
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61533
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 82, No. 248
Thursday, December 28, 2017
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Designation for the Essex, Illinois;
Savage, Minnesota; Alabama; and
Washington Areas
under the United States Grain Standards
Act (USGSA), as amended. The
realignment of offices within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture authorized
by the Secretary’s Memorandum dated
November 14, 2017, eliminates the
Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a
standalone agency. The grain inspection
activities formerly part of GIPSA are
now organized under the Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS).
DATES: Applicable Date: January 1,
2018.
Jacob Thein, Compliance
Officer, USDA, AMS, FGIS, QACD,
10383 North Ambassador Drive, Kansas
City, MO 64153
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacob Thein, 816–866–2223,
Jacob.D.Thein@usda.gov or
FGIS.QACD@usda.gov.
Read Applications: All applications
and comments are available for public
inspection at the office above during
regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(c)).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the July
3, 2017, Federal Register (82 FR 30817–
30820), GIPSA requested applications
ADDRESSES:
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice of designation.
AGENCY:
AMS is announcing the
designations of Kankakee Grain
Inspection, Inc. (Kankakee); State Grain
Inspection, Inc. (State Grain); Alabama
Department of Agriculture and
Industries (Alabama); and the
Washington Department of Agriculture
(Washington) to provide official services
SUMMARY:
for designation to provide official
services in the geographic areas
presently serviced by Kankakee, State
Grain, Alabama, and Washington.
Applications were due by August 2,
2017.
Because the current official agencies,
Kankakee, State Grain, Alabama, and
Washington, were the only applicants
for designation to provide official
services in these areas, GIPSA did not
ask for additional comments.
GIPSA evaluated the designation
criteria in section 7(f) of the USGSA
(7 U.S.C. 79(f)) and determined that
Kankakee, State Grain, Alabama, and
Washington are qualified to provide
official services in the geographic areas
specified in the Federal Register on July
3, 2017. These designations to provide
official services in the specified areas of
Kankakee, Alabama, and Washington
are effective January 1, 2018, to
December 31, 2022. The designation to
provide official services in the specified
area of State Grain is effective January
1, 2018, to December 31, 2018.
Interested persons may obtain official
services by contacting this agency at the
following telephone number:
Designation
start
Official agency
Headquarters location and telephone
Kankakee .........................................
State Grain .......................................
Alabama ...........................................
Washington ......................................
Essex, IL, 815–365–2268 .........................................................................
Savage, MN, 952–808–8566 ....................................................................
Montgomery, AL, 251–438–2549 ..............................................................
Olympia, WA, 253–820–3756 ...................................................................
Section 7(f) of the USGSA authorizes
the Secretary to designate a qualified
applicant to provide official services in
a specified area after determining that
the applicant is better able than any
other applicant to provide such official
services (7 U.S.C. 79 (f)).
Dated: December 21, 2017.
Bruce Summers,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–28033 Filed 12–27–17; 8:45 am]
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln
County, Montana Montanore Project
AGENCY:
Forest Service, USDA.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Dec 27, 2017
Jkt 244001
Notice of intent to prepare a
supplemental environmental impact
statement.
ACTION:
The Kootenai National Forest
(KNF) will prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
on a proposed federal action, which is
approval of a Plan of Operations for the
Evaluation Phase of the Montanore
Project (Project) The Project is a
proposed underground copper and
silver mine located about 18 miles south
of Libby, near the Cabinet Mountains
within the Libby Ranger District,
Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln
County, Montana. The Montanore
Project is proposed by Montanore
Minerals Corp. (MMC), a subsidiary of
Hecla Mining Co.
SUMMARY:
Scoping is not required for an
SEIS (40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4)). The Forest
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1/1/2018
1/1/2018
1/1/2018
1/1/2018
Designation
end
12/31/2022
12/31/2018
12/31/2022
12/31/2022
Service is not inviting comments at this
time. The draft SEIS is expected to be
available for public review and
comment in the first quarter of 2018 and
the final SEIS is expected to be issued
in the second quarter of 2018. The
comment period for the draft SEIS will
be for 45 days from the date the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability in
the Federal Register.
Kootenai National Forest,
31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT
59923.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lynn Hagarty, Project Coordinator,
Kootenai National Forest, Supervisor’s
Office, 31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby,
MT 59923–3022. Inquiries can be made
by phone at (406) 293–6211 or via email
at lhagarty@fs.fed.us.
E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM
28DEN1
61534
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 248 / Thursday, December 28, 2017 / Notices
This SEIS
and related proposed federal action,
which is the approval of a Plan of
Operations for the Evaluation Phase of
the Montanore Project, is being
completed consistent with the Organic
Administration Act, the Locatable
Minerals Regulations (36 CFR 228
Subpart A), and the Multiple Use
Mining Act. The KNF issued a Joint
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(JFEIS) in December 2015 and a Record
of Decision (ROD) in February 2016.
The Montana Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) also
issued a ROD in February 2016 that
provided the State’s approval of the
Evaluation Phase of the project. In a
U.S. District Court opinion issued on
May 30, 2017 in a consolidated case
(Save Our Cabinets v. U.S. Dep’t of
Agric., No. CV–16–53–M–DWM and
Libby Placer Mining Co. v. U.S. Forest
Serv., No. CV 16–56–M–DWM), the U.S.
District Court ruled that the Forest
Service violated, in various respects, the
Clean Water Act, the Organic
Administration Act, the National Forest
Management Act, and the National
Environmental Policy Act by approving
the Montanore Project. In a separate
opinion in Save Our Cabinets v. U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Serv. (No. CV 15–69–M–
DWM) issued concurrently with the
first, the Court ruled that the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service violated the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) because
the No Jeopardy conclusions regarding
bull trout and grizzly bears were flawed
and that the Forest Service violated the
ESA by relying on the flawed Biological
Opinions. The Court vacated the Forest
Service decision approving the project
and remanded the 2016 ROD and JFEIS
back to the Forest Service for further
action, ‘‘either through issuing a new
Record of Decision that approves only
the Evaluation Phase or one that again
addresses the entire project.’’
Furthermore, the Court stated that the
primary problem with the 2016 ROD
was that it approved the entire project,
not just the Evaluation Phase. The Court
also remanded to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service its 2014 Biological
Opinions. The SEIS will describe the
activities that would occur during the
Evaluation Phase of the Montanore
Project, clarify what effects would occur
as a result of those activities, and update
resource analyses if there are significant
new circumstances or information
relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the Evaluation Phase or its
impacts in order to ensure a complete
analysis of the environmental effects of
the proposed federal action.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Dec 27, 2017
Jkt 244001
Following is a brief summary of the
Evaluation Phase of the Montanore
Project, as it would occur under
Alternative 3 selected by the KNF in its
2016 ROD. Detailed descriptions of the
alternatives studied in detail are
provided in the Joint FEIS and ROD,
which can be can be viewed or
downloaded from the following website:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/
kootenai/landmanagement/projects.
Evaluation Phase
The purposes of the Evaluation Phase
would be to: (1) Expand the knowledge
of the mineralized zones of the deposit;
(2) assess and define the mineralized
zone within established valid existing
rights; and (3) collect, provide, and
analyze additional geotechnical,
hydrological, and other information
necessary for preparation of a mine plan
for subsequent phases. An updated
mine Plan of Operations would be
required should MMC decide, based on
the assessment of the orebody and other
information collected during the
Evaluation Phase, to pursue subsequent
phases of the project. Information
collected during the Evaluation Phase
would be used to confirm and update
the analysis for subsequent phases that
was provided in the JFEIS, should the
KNF receive an updated mine Plan of
Operations for subsequent project
phases.
The Evaluation Phase is anticipated to
last 18 to 24 months. MMC would
dewater the full extent of the existing
Libby Adit and develop an additional
10,500 feet of drifts and 35 drill stations
above the currently defined ore zones.
MMC would drill ahead of the drifts and
keep all drill stations 300 feet from the
Rock Lake Fault and 1,000 feet from
Rock Lake. The drill core would be used
to support resource modeling, mine
planning, metallurgical testing,
preliminary hydrology assessment, and
rock mechanic studies for the full
Montanore Project. An estimated
287,000 tons (140,000 cubic yards) of
waste rock would be generated and
stored on private land at the Libby Adit
Site. The waste rock storage areas would
be lined to collect runoff from the area
and seepage through the waste rock.
Water from the Libby Adit and from
the waste rock storage area would be
treated before discharging to MPDESpermitted outfalls. The MPDES permit
MT0030279, which the DEQ issued in
2017, sets effluent limits and establishes
monitoring for wastewater discharges
from the Libby Adit Water Treatment
Plant. Treated water would be
discharged to a percolation pond
located at the Libby Adit Site.
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
MMC would use Tier 4 generators, if
available, or Tier 3 generators for all
Evaluation Phase activities and would
be subject to the limits, emission
controls, and mitigations required by its
Air Quality Permit (MAQP #3788–00).
MMC would also use Tier 4 engines, if
available, or Tier 3 engines on
underground mobile equipment and use
ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel in generator
and underground mobile equipment
engines during the Evaluation Phase.
In addition to underground activities,
MMC would conduct field studies on
National Forest System lands between
Poorman and Little Cherry Creeks. The
field studies would include a site
reconnaissance and a drilling and
sampling program to evaluate site
geology, groundwater conditions and
water quality. Surface disturbances
would be reclaimed.
If MMC does not pursue subsequent
phases of the project or if those phases
are not approved by the Forest Service,
MMC would install a concretereinforced hydraulic plug in the adit,
reconstruct the original adit plug,
remove all surface facilities, and regrade
and revegetate the disturbed areas.
Monitoring that would occur during the
Evaluation Phase is described in
Appendix C of the JFEIS.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The USDA Forest Service is the Lead
Agency for this project. Other agencies
may become a Cooperating Agency as
the SEIS progresses.
Responsible Official
Christopher Savage, Forest Supervisor
Kootenai National Forest, 31374 U.S.
Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923 is the
Responsible Official for the Montanore
Project.
Dated: December 8, 2017.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest
System.
[FR Doc. 2017–28060 Filed 12–27–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
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The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
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Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: Annual Business Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0607–XXXX.
E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM
28DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 248 (Thursday, December 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61533-61534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28060]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, Montana Montanore
Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Kootenai National Forest (KNF) will prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on a proposed federal action,
which is approval of a Plan of Operations for the Evaluation Phase of
the Montanore Project (Project) The Project is a proposed underground
copper and silver mine located about 18 miles south of Libby, near the
Cabinet Mountains within the Libby Ranger District, Kootenai National
Forest, Lincoln County, Montana. The Montanore Project is proposed by
Montanore Minerals Corp. (MMC), a subsidiary of Hecla Mining Co.
DATES: Scoping is not required for an SEIS (40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4)). The
Forest Service is not inviting comments at this time. The draft SEIS is
expected to be available for public review and comment in the first
quarter of 2018 and the final SEIS is expected to be issued in the
second quarter of 2018. The comment period for the draft SEIS will be
for 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Kootenai National Forest, 31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT
59923.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Hagarty, Project Coordinator,
Kootenai National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 31374 U.S. Highway 2,
Libby, MT 59923-3022. Inquiries can be made by phone at (406) 293-6211
or via email at [email protected].
[[Page 61534]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This SEIS and related proposed federal
action, which is the approval of a Plan of Operations for the
Evaluation Phase of the Montanore Project, is being completed
consistent with the Organic Administration Act, the Locatable Minerals
Regulations (36 CFR 228 Subpart A), and the Multiple Use Mining Act.
The KNF issued a Joint Final Environmental Impact Statement (JFEIS) in
December 2015 and a Record of Decision (ROD) in February 2016. The
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) also issued a ROD in
February 2016 that provided the State's approval of the Evaluation
Phase of the project. In a U.S. District Court opinion issued on May
30, 2017 in a consolidated case (Save Our Cabinets v. U.S. Dep't of
Agric., No. CV-16-53-M-DWM and Libby Placer Mining Co. v. U.S. Forest
Serv., No. CV 16-56-M-DWM), the U.S. District Court ruled that the
Forest Service violated, in various respects, the Clean Water Act, the
Organic Administration Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the
National Environmental Policy Act by approving the Montanore Project.
In a separate opinion in Save Our Cabinets v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Serv. (No. CV 15-69-M-DWM) issued concurrently with the first, the
Court ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) because the No Jeopardy conclusions
regarding bull trout and grizzly bears were flawed and that the Forest
Service violated the ESA by relying on the flawed Biological Opinions.
The Court vacated the Forest Service decision approving the project and
remanded the 2016 ROD and JFEIS back to the Forest Service for further
action, ``either through issuing a new Record of Decision that approves
only the Evaluation Phase or one that again addresses the entire
project.'' Furthermore, the Court stated that the primary problem with
the 2016 ROD was that it approved the entire project, not just the
Evaluation Phase. The Court also remanded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service its 2014 Biological Opinions. The SEIS will describe the
activities that would occur during the Evaluation Phase of the
Montanore Project, clarify what effects would occur as a result of
those activities, and update resource analyses if there are significant
new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the Evaluation Phase or its impacts in order to ensure a
complete analysis of the environmental effects of the proposed federal
action.
Following is a brief summary of the Evaluation Phase of the
Montanore Project, as it would occur under Alternative 3 selected by
the KNF in its 2016 ROD. Detailed descriptions of the alternatives
studied in detail are provided in the Joint FEIS and ROD, which can be
can be viewed or downloaded from the following website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/kootenai/landmanagement/projects.
Evaluation Phase
The purposes of the Evaluation Phase would be to: (1) Expand the
knowledge of the mineralized zones of the deposit; (2) assess and
define the mineralized zone within established valid existing rights;
and (3) collect, provide, and analyze additional geotechnical,
hydrological, and other information necessary for preparation of a mine
plan for subsequent phases. An updated mine Plan of Operations would be
required should MMC decide, based on the assessment of the orebody and
other information collected during the Evaluation Phase, to pursue
subsequent phases of the project. Information collected during the
Evaluation Phase would be used to confirm and update the analysis for
subsequent phases that was provided in the JFEIS, should the KNF
receive an updated mine Plan of Operations for subsequent project
phases.
The Evaluation Phase is anticipated to last 18 to 24 months. MMC
would dewater the full extent of the existing Libby Adit and develop an
additional 10,500 feet of drifts and 35 drill stations above the
currently defined ore zones. MMC would drill ahead of the drifts and
keep all drill stations 300 feet from the Rock Lake Fault and 1,000
feet from Rock Lake. The drill core would be used to support resource
modeling, mine planning, metallurgical testing, preliminary hydrology
assessment, and rock mechanic studies for the full Montanore Project.
An estimated 287,000 tons (140,000 cubic yards) of waste rock would be
generated and stored on private land at the Libby Adit Site. The waste
rock storage areas would be lined to collect runoff from the area and
seepage through the waste rock.
Water from the Libby Adit and from the waste rock storage area
would be treated before discharging to MPDES-permitted outfalls. The
MPDES permit MT0030279, which the DEQ issued in 2017, sets effluent
limits and establishes monitoring for wastewater discharges from the
Libby Adit Water Treatment Plant. Treated water would be discharged to
a percolation pond located at the Libby Adit Site.
MMC would use Tier 4 generators, if available, or Tier 3 generators
for all Evaluation Phase activities and would be subject to the limits,
emission controls, and mitigations required by its Air Quality Permit
(MAQP #3788-00). MMC would also use Tier 4 engines, if available, or
Tier 3 engines on underground mobile equipment and use ultra-low sulfur
diesel fuel in generator and underground mobile equipment engines
during the Evaluation Phase.
In addition to underground activities, MMC would conduct field
studies on National Forest System lands between Poorman and Little
Cherry Creeks. The field studies would include a site reconnaissance
and a drilling and sampling program to evaluate site geology,
groundwater conditions and water quality. Surface disturbances would be
reclaimed.
If MMC does not pursue subsequent phases of the project or if those
phases are not approved by the Forest Service, MMC would install a
concrete-reinforced hydraulic plug in the adit, reconstruct the
original adit plug, remove all surface facilities, and regrade and
revegetate the disturbed areas. Monitoring that would occur during the
Evaluation Phase is described in Appendix C of the JFEIS.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The USDA Forest Service is the Lead Agency for this project. Other
agencies may become a Cooperating Agency as the SEIS progresses.
Responsible Official
Christopher Savage, Forest Supervisor Kootenai National Forest,
31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923 is the Responsible Official for
the Montanore Project.
Dated: December 8, 2017.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-28060 Filed 12-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P