Tongass National Forest; Alaska; Plan of Operations Amendment 1 for the Kensington Gold Mine, 49711-49712 [2019-20534]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49711-49712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20534]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Tongass National Forest; Alaska; Plan of Operations Amendment 1 
for the Kensington Gold Mine

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: In December 2018, the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service), 
Tongass National Forest, received a proposal from Coeur Alaska, Inc. 
(Coeur Alaska), the owner/operator of the Kensington Gold Mine (Mine), 
to amend the 2005 Plan of Operations. This proposed life of mine 
extension, as described in Coeur Alaska's proposed Plan of Operations 
Amendment 1 (POA 1), would expand the disturbance area currently 
approved by the Forest Service under the 2004 Kensington Gold Project 
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). To assess 
Coeur Alaska's proposed POA 1, the Forest Service will prepare a new 
SEIS. This notice advises the public that the Tongass National Forest 
is gathering information necessary to prepare an SEIS to evaluate the 
effects of changing the Plan of Operations via Coeur Alaska's proposed 
POA 1.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by November 7, 2019. The Draft SEIS is expected October 2020 and the 
Final SEIS is expected July 2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55533 or via facsimile to (907) 586-
8808. In addition, written comments can be delivered or mailed to: 
Tongass National Forest, Kensington Gold Mine POA1 SEIS, 8510 
Mendenhall Loop Rd., Juneau, Alaska 99801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Reece, Minerals Program 
Manager, Tongass National Forest at the Juneau Ranger District, 8510 
Mendenhall Loop Rd., Juneau, Alaska 99801 or by telephone at (907) 586-
8800, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Alaska Standard Time, Monday 
through Friday.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This SEIS will tier to and incorporate by 
reference the 1992 Kensington Gold Project Final EIS and the 1997 and 
2004 Kensington Gold Project Final SEISs. The 2004 Final SEIS and 
Record of Decision, along with other supporting documents, are 
available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55533.
    Project Location: The Mine is located at the southern end of the 
Kakuhan Range off the coastal mountains on the small peninsula formed 
between Lynn Canal and Berners Bay, on the Juneau Ranger District of 
the Tongass National Forest. The Mine is located about 45 air miles 
northwest of Juneau, 35 air miles south of Haines, and within the 
boundary of the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska. The Mine is 
accessible by passenger ferry, cargo barge, floatplane, or helicopter.
    Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan): The 
primary land use designation in the Forest Plan for the Mine site is 
Modified Landscape (to provide for natural appearing landscapes while 
allowing timber harvest). The area also has an overlay designation of 
Minerals (to encourage mineral exploration and development of areas 
with high mineral potential).

Purpose and Need for Action

    Coeur Alaska is requesting additional tailings, waste rock 
disposal, and related infrastructure at the Mine to reflect positive 
exploration results, improved metal prices, and ongoing operational 
efficiencies. According to Coeur Alaska, these additions would allow 
for continuous site operations in a safe, environmentally sound, 
technically feasible, and economically viable manner, while complying 
with regulatory requirements. The existing tailings and waste rock 
storage is considered sufficient to provide for the Mine's needs until 
2023; proposed activities would extend the mine life by 10 years until 
2033. The purpose of this SEIS is for the Forest Service to consider 
the proposed changes and to determine whether there is a need to amend 
the Plan of Operations.

Proposed Action

    Coeur Alaska has proposed POA 1 to attain a life of mine extension. 
Through ongoing exploration efforts, additional ore resources have been 
identified within the Kensington and Jualin deposits at the Mine. Both 
deposits are currently being mined and the estimated ore production 
would result in the need for additional tailings and waste rock storage 
capacity. The proposal to expand the disturbance area authorized under 
the approved 2005 Plan of Operations by approximately 150 acres and 
achieve a life of mine extension of about 10 years includes the 
following main elements:
     Construction of a Stage 4 dam raise of the existing 
Tailings Treatment Facility, formerly known as Lower Slate Lake, 
including a causeway between the Tailings Treatment Facility and Upper 
Slate Lake;
     Relocation of seepage collection sumps, access road, power 
line, pipelines, and stormwater diversion channels;
     Expansion of three existing Waste Rock Stockpiles: 
Kensington, Pit #4, and Comet;
     Construction of one additional Waste Rock Stockpile 
(Pipeline Road);
     Relocation of ancillary facilities including the water 
treatment plants at the Tailings Treatment Facility area;
     Increase mill production from 2,000 tons per day to 3,000 
tons per day to provide operational flexibility and make up for periods 
of maintenance shutdowns; and
     Construction of access roads to mitigate Slate Creek 
resident fish spawning habitat losses by constructing deltas and 
rerouting Fat Rat Creek into South Creek, and culvert replacements to 
promote fish passage.
    In general, POA 1 focuses on proposed operational changes, a new 
waste rock stockpile facility, and expansions of mine facilities 
presented in the 2005 Plan of Operations. If approved, POA 1 would 
supersede the existing Plan of Operations where changes are proposed; 
however, the approved Plan of Operations would control any items not 
discussed in POA 1.

Possible Alternatives

    A no-action alternative, which represents no changes to the 
approved 2005 Plan of Operations and serves as the baseline for the 
comparison among the action alternatives, will be analyzed in addition 
to the proposed action. Comments we receive in response to this Notice 
of Intent may identify additional reasonable alternatives.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The USDA Forest Service is the lead agency for the proposed action 
and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The Tongass 
National Forest has identified multiple agencies with special expertise 
with respect to the proposed action that could serve as cooperating 
agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has special expertise with 
assessing impacts to waters of the United States, including wetlands; 
additionally, a Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit will be 
needed from this agency. From the State

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of Alaska, at least three departments could be cooperating agencies due 
to their expertise and involvement in evaluations for this type of 
permit application. These departments include the Alaska Departments of 
Fish and Game, Environmental Conservation, and Natural Resources. 
Locally, the City and Borough of Juneau could be a cooperating agency 
as the Mine is within its boundaries and it issues permits for certain 
facilities at the Mine. The Tongass National Forest will conduct an 
effort to formally identify cooperating agencies.

Responsible Official

    The responsible official for the decision on this project is the 
Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest, Federal Building, 648 
Mission Street, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor is the responsible official for this action 
and will decide whether to amend the approved Plan of Operations. The 
decision will be based on information that is disclosed in the Final 
SEIS. The responsible official will consider the comments, responses, 
disclosure of environmental consequences, and applicable laws, 
regulations, and policies in deciding whether to amend the Plan of 
Operations and will state the rationale for the decision in the record 
of decision.

Scoping Process

    This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the SEIS through internal and external input on the 
issues, impacts, and alternatives to consider. The Forest Service will 
invite the public to participate in scoping meetings in Juneau and 
Haines, Alaska. These meetings will be posted on the Forest's website 
at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55533 and will be 
advertised in the Juneau Empire and the Ketchikan Daily News, 
newspapers of record, to announce the date, time, place, and purpose of 
the public scoping meetings.
    Forest Service regulations at 36 CFR 218 subparts A and B, 
regarding the project-level predecisional administrative review 
process, apply to projects and activities implementing land management 
plans that are not authorized under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. 
Only individuals or entities who submit timely and specific written 
comments concerning the project during this or another designated 
public comment period established by the responsible offical will be 
eligible to file on objection. It is important that reviewers provide 
their comments at such times and in such manner that they are useful to 
the agency's preparation of the SEIS. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
    Names of commenters and comments received in response to this 
solicitation will be part of the public record for this proposed 
action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered, 
however, anonymous commenters will not gain standing to object as 
defined in 36 CFR 218.2.

    Dated: August 15, 2019.
 Richard A. Cooksey,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2019-20534 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P