Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the United States Gypsum Company Mine Expansion/Modernization Project, Imperial County, CA, 5693-5694 [2020-01669]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 21 / Friday, January 31, 2020 / Notices Minerals Adjudication, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009; phone 307–775–6176; email chite@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact Mr. Hite during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. A reply will be sent during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Termination of a lease is automatic and statutorily imposed by Congress. Lease reinstatement terms are also set by Congress. Oil and gas lease WYW183610 terminated effective October 1, 2018, for failure to pay rental timely. The lessee petitioned for reinstatement of the lease and met all filing requirements for a Class II reinstatement. The lessee agreed to the amended lease terms for rentals of $10 per acre, or fraction thereof, per year and royalty rates of 16 2⁄3 percent. The lessee has paid the required $500 administrative fee and the $151 cost of publishing this notice. The lessee meets the requirements for reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). Reinstatement of this lease conforms to the terms and conditions of all applicable land use plans and other National Environmental Policy Act documents. The BLM proposes to reinstate the lease effective October 1, 2018, under the original terms and conditions of the lease and the increased rental and royalty rates cited above. The lease will be reinstated 30 days after publication of the notice of proposed reinstatement in the Federal Register. Authority: 30 U.S.C. 188 (e)(4) and 43 CFR 3108.2–3 (b)(2)(v). Chris Hite, Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals Adjudication. [FR Doc. 2020–01842 Filed 1–30–20; 8:45 am] jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 4310–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:16 Jan 30, 2020 Jkt 250001 5693 miles northwest of Plaster City. Both sites are located within the BLM’s Bureau of Land Management California Desert Conservation Area. The BLM and Imperial County [LLCAD07000.51010000.ER0000. published a joint Draft Environmental LVRWB09B1670 18X;C CACA–44014, CACA– Impact Report/Environmental Impact 56477; MO#4500141327] Statement (EIR/EIS) in 2006, and a Final EIR/EIS in 2008. The BLM did not issue Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the United States Gypsum a ROD and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which will Company Mine Expansion/ determine whether to issue a permit for Modernization Project, Imperial the project under Section 404 of the County, CA Clean Water Act, was not a party to the AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Final EIR/EIS. This Supplemental EIS Interior. revises and supplements the 2008 Final ACTION: Notice of availability. EIR/EIS, updating conditions and effects that have changed since 2008, and SUMMARY: In accordance with the includes the USACE and the United National Environmental Policy Act of States Environmental Protection 1969, as amended, the Federal Land Agency, which has an advisory role Policy and Management Act of 1976, as regarding the Section 404 permit, as amended, the Bureau of Land Cooperating Agencies. Management (BLM) has prepared a Certain aspects of the Project Record of Decision (ROD) to approve a originally analyzed in the 2006 Draft Mining Plan of Operations and EIR/EIS and 2008 Final EIR/EIS have authorize Rights-of-Way (ROW) for the already been implemented under the United States Gypsum Company Mine conditions and approvals provided by Expansion/Modernization Project, and Imperial County and were not subject to by this Notice is announcing its the jurisdiction of the BLM or the availability. USACE. The BLM published a Notice of Intent DATES: The Acting Assistant Secretary to prepare the Supplemental EIS on for Lands and Minerals Management November 27, 2017 (82 FR 56046), signed the ROD on January 24, 2020. initiating a 30-day public scoping ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are period. The BLM held a public scoping available for public inspection at the meeting on December 13, 2017, in El BLM El Centro Field Office at 1661 S Centro, California. Twelve individuals 4th St, El Centro, CA 92243, and at the attended that meeting. Thirteen BLM California Desert District Office, comments were received during the 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, scoping period. Moreno Valley, CA 92553. Interested The BLM published a Notice of persons may also review the ROD on the Availability of the Draft Supplemental internet at: https://bit.ly/2QiGK0m. EIS on July 19, 2019 (84 FR 34924), FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: announcing a 45-day public comment Miriam Liberatore, BLM Project period. The BLM held a public Manager, by telephone at 541–618– comment meeting on August 5, 2019. 2412; by mail at Bureau of Land Seven individuals attended that Management, Medford District Office, meeting. The BLM received 13 comment 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504; letters during the comment period. or by email at mliberat@blm.gov. Following the public comment period, Persons who use a comments were used to inform the Final telecommunications device for the deaf Supplemental EIS. The BLM responded (TDD) may call the Federal Relay to substantive comments and made Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to appropriate revisions to the document contact Ms. Liberatore during normal or explained why a comment did not business hours. The FRS is available 24 warrant a change. These comments did hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a not result in changes in the design, message or question. You will receive a location, or timing of the Project in a reply during normal business hours. way that would cause significant effects to the human environment outside of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The the range of effects analyzed in the EIS/ Project is located in southwestern EIR. Similarly, none of the letters Imperial County, California, and involves both the Plaster City Wallboard identified new significant circumstances Plant (processing plant) and Plaster City or information relevant to Quarry (quarry). The processing plant is environmental concerns that bear on the Project and its effects. A response to located on Evan Hewes Highway substantive comments is included in the approximately 18 miles west of the city Final Supplemental EIS, released on of El Centro. The quarry is located on Split Mountain Road, approximately 26 December 6, 2019. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PO 00000 Frm 00083 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\31JAN1.SGM 31JAN1 5694 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 21 / Friday, January 31, 2020 / Notices The Supplemental EIS considered the Proposed Action, a No-Action Alternative, and six action alternatives. Alternative 1, Proposed Action, would expand the quarry as described in the Mining Plan of Operations, replace the existing waterline, and install a new waterline between the quarry and the new well. Alternative 2, No Action Alternative, would continue operations as they currently are permitted without expanding the quarry or replacing the existing waterline. Alternative 3, Partial Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Water Supply, would provide for a new waterline between the processing plant and the IID Westside Main Canal to partially replace processing water from a groundwater source with a surface water source. Alternative 4, Full IID Water Supply, would fully replace the processing water with surface water. Alternatives 5 through 8 are variations on the mining plan proposed in the Mining Plan of Operations. The BLM identified Alternative 3, Partial IID Water Supply, as the Agency-Preferred Alternative in the Final Supplemental EIS. With this ROD, the BLM adopts the Agency Preferred Alternative. The Acting Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management approval of this decision is not subject to administrative appeal under Departmental regulations at 43 CFR part 4 pursuant to 43 CFR 4.410(a)(3). Any challenge to this decision must be brought in Federal District Court and is subject to 42 U.S.C. 4370m–6(a)(1). Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10; 43 CFR 1610.2, 42 U.S.C. 4370m– 6(a)(1) Joe Stout, Acting State Director. BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLAK940000.L14100000.BX0000.20X. LXSS001L0100] Filing of Plats of Survey; Alaska Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of official filing. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: The plats of survey of lands described in this notice are scheduled to be officially filed in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska. These surveys were executed at the request of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the BLM, are VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:16 Jan 30, 2020 Jkt 250001 protest will be considered filed the next business day. A written statement of reasons in support of a protest, if not filed with the notice of protest, must be filed with the State Director for the BLM in Alaska within 30 calendar days after the notice of protest is filed. If a notice of protest against a plat of survey is received prior to the scheduled date of official filing, the official filing of the plat of survey identified in the notice of protest will be stayed pending consideration of the protest. A plat of survey will not be officially filed until the dismissal or resolution of all protests of the plat. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in a notice of protest or statement of reasons, you should be aware that the documents you submit, including your personally identifiable information, may be made publicly available in their entirety at any time. While you can ask the BLM to withhold your personally identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Authority: 43 U.S.C. Chap. 3. Douglas N. Haywood, Chief Cadastral Surveyor, Alaska. [FR Doc. 2020–01870 Filed 1–30–20; 8:45 am] Kateel River Meridian, Alaska T. 12 S., R. 6 E. U.S. Survey No. 14486, accepted December 12, 2019, situated within: BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P Copper River Meridian, Alaska T. 18 N., R. 13 E. Bureau of Land Management Copper River Meridian, Alaska T. 4 N., R. 1 W., accepted November 18, 2019 T. 9 S., R. 1 W., accepted August 21, 2019 T. 12 S., R. 5 E., accepted August 21, 2019 Seward Meridian, Alaska T. 3 S., R. 52 W., accepted January 14, 2020 T. 33 S., R. 22 W., accepted November 6, 2019 [FR Doc. 2020–01669 Filed 1–30–20; 8:45 am] SUMMARY: necessary for the management of these lands. DATES: The BLM must receive protests by March 2, 2020. ADDRESSES: You may buy a copy of the plats from the BLM Alaska Public Information Center, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Mailstop 13, Anchorage, AK 99513. Please use this address when filing written protests. You may also view the plats at the BLM Alaska Public Information Center, Fitzgerald Federal Building, 222 W. 8th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska, at no cost. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas N. Haywood, Chief, Branch of Cadastral Survey, Alaska State Office, Bureau of Land Management, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99513; 907–271–5481; dhaywood@blm.gov. People who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the BLM during normal business hours. The FRS 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 lands surveyed are: U.S. Survey No. 14485, accepted November 7, 2019, situated within: A person or party who wishes to protest one or more plats of survey identified above must file a written notice of protest with the State Director for the BLM in Alaska. The notice of protest must identify the plat(s) of survey that the person or party wishes to protest. You must file the notice of protest before the scheduled date of official filing for the plat(s) of survey being protested. The BLM will not consider any notice of protest filed after the scheduled date of official filing. A notice of protest is considered filed on the date it is received by the State Director for the BLM in Alaska during regular business hours; if received after regular business hours, a notice of PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR [LLWY920000. L51040000.FI0000. 16XL5017AR] Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Lease WYW180623, Wyoming Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: As provided for under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement of competitive oil and gas lease WYW180623 from Bondero, LLC and Wave Petroleum, LLC for land in Converse County, Wyoming. The lessees filed the petition on time, along with all rentals due since the lease terminated under the law. No leases affecting this land were issued before the petition was filed. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Hite, Branch Chief for Fluid Minerals Adjudication, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\31JAN1.SGM 31JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5693-5694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01669]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD07000.51010000.ER0000.LVRWB09B1670 18X; CACA-44014, CACA-56477; 
MO#4500141327]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the United 
States Gypsum Company Mine Expansion/Modernization Project, Imperial 
County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 
as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Record 
of Decision (ROD) to approve a Mining Plan of Operations and authorize 
Rights-of-Way (ROW) for the United States Gypsum Company Mine 
Expansion/Modernization Project, and by this Notice is announcing its 
availability.

DATES: The Acting Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management 
signed the ROD on January 24, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are available for public inspection at the 
BLM El Centro Field Office at 1661 S 4th St, El Centro, CA 92243, and 
at the BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de 
Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553. Interested persons may also review 
the ROD on the internet at: https://bit.ly/2QiGK0m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miriam Liberatore, BLM Project 
Manager, by telephone at 541-618-2412; by mail at Bureau of Land 
Management, Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 
97504; or by email at [email protected].
    Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms. 
Liberatore during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question. You will receive 
a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Project is located in southwestern 
Imperial County, California, and involves both the Plaster City 
Wallboard Plant (processing plant) and Plaster City Quarry (quarry). 
The processing plant is located on Evan Hewes Highway approximately 18 
miles west of the city of El Centro. The quarry is located on Split 
Mountain Road, approximately 26 miles northwest of Plaster City. Both 
sites are located within the BLM's California Desert Conservation Area.
    The BLM and Imperial County published a joint Draft Environmental 
Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) in 2006, and a 
Final EIR/EIS in 2008. The BLM did not issue a ROD and the United 
States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which will determine whether to 
issue a permit for the project under Section 404 of the Clean Water 
Act, was not a party to the Final EIR/EIS. This Supplemental EIS 
revises and supplements the 2008 Final EIR/EIS, updating conditions and 
effects that have changed since 2008, and includes the USACE and the 
United States Environmental Protection Agency, which has an advisory 
role regarding the Section 404 permit, as Cooperating Agencies.
    Certain aspects of the Project originally analyzed in the 2006 
Draft EIR/EIS and 2008 Final EIR/EIS have already been implemented 
under the conditions and approvals provided by Imperial County and were 
not subject to the jurisdiction of the BLM or the USACE.
    The BLM published a Notice of Intent to prepare the Supplemental 
EIS on November 27, 2017 (82 FR 56046), initiating a 30-day public 
scoping period. The BLM held a public scoping meeting on December 13, 
2017, in El Centro, California. Twelve individuals attended that 
meeting. Thirteen comments were received during the scoping period.
    The BLM published a Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Supplemental EIS on July 19, 2019 (84 FR 34924), announcing a 45-day 
public comment period. The BLM held a public comment meeting on August 
5, 2019. Seven individuals attended that meeting. The BLM received 13 
comment letters during the comment period. Following the public comment 
period, comments were used to inform the Final Supplemental EIS. The 
BLM responded to substantive comments and made appropriate revisions to 
the document or explained why a comment did not warrant a change. These 
comments did not result in changes in the design, location, or timing 
of the Project in a way that would cause significant effects to the 
human environment outside of the range of effects analyzed in the EIS/
EIR. Similarly, none of the letters identified new significant 
circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns that 
bear on the Project and its effects. A response to substantive comments 
is included in the Final Supplemental EIS, released on December 6, 
2019.

[[Page 5694]]

    The Supplemental EIS considered the Proposed Action, a No-Action 
Alternative, and six action alternatives. Alternative 1, Proposed 
Action, would expand the quarry as described in the Mining Plan of 
Operations, replace the existing waterline, and install a new waterline 
between the quarry and the new well. Alternative 2, No Action 
Alternative, would continue operations as they currently are permitted 
without expanding the quarry or replacing the existing waterline. 
Alternative 3, Partial Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Water Supply, 
would provide for a new waterline between the processing plant and the 
IID Westside Main Canal to partially replace processing water from a 
groundwater source with a surface water source. Alternative 4, Full IID 
Water Supply, would fully replace the processing water with surface 
water. Alternatives 5 through 8 are variations on the mining plan 
proposed in the Mining Plan of Operations. The BLM identified 
Alternative 3, Partial IID Water Supply, as the Agency-Preferred 
Alternative in the Final Supplemental EIS.
    With this ROD, the BLM adopts the Agency Preferred Alternative. The 
Acting Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management approval 
of this decision is not subject to administrative appeal under 
Departmental regulations at 43 CFR part 4 pursuant to 43 CFR 
4.410(a)(3). Any challenge to this decision must be brought in Federal 
District Court and is subject to 42 U.S.C. 4370m-6(a)(1).

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10; 43 CFR 1610.2, 42 
U.S.C. 4370m-6(a)(1)

Joe Stout,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-01669 Filed 1-30-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
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