Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Thacker Pass Project, Two Plans of Operations Submitted by Lithium Nevada Corporation for Mining and Exploration in Humboldt County, Nevada, 78349-78350 [2020-26599]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Notices
similar to those contained in the
supplemental contract that provided for
the prepayment of the Jordan Aqueduct
dated October 28, 1993. The
prepayment may be provided in several
installments to reflect substantial
completion of the delivery facilities
being prepaid and may not be adjusted
on the basis of the type of prepayment
financing utilized by the District.’’
In accordance with Public Law 102–
575, the District prepaid the municipal
and industrial repayment obligation
associated with Block Notice 7A–2 from
the Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water
Delivery System, a component of the
Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah
Project. The terms of the prepayment
were publicly negotiated between the
District and Interior on September 23,
2020.
used it to analyze the potential impacts
of approving LNC’s request for an
incidental take permit for golden eagles.
FWS has evaluated the LNC’s Eagle
Conservation Plan (ECP), which
describes their request for incidental
take of eagles and a 5-year incidental
take permit for golden eagles under the
Eagle Act.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days after the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its notice
of availability of the Thacker Pass
Lithium Mine Project Final EIS DOI–
BLM–NV–W010–2020–0012–EIS in the
Federal Register. BLM will coordinate
with the FWS on impacts to golden
eagles and the Eagle Act permitting
process prior to signing a Record of
Decision.
Reed R. Murray,
Program Director,Central Utah Project
Completion Act Office, Department of the
Interior.
ADDRESSES:
[FR Doc. 2020–26738 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4332–90–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[DOI–BLM–NV–W010–2020–0012–EIS;
LLNVW00000.L51100000.GN0000.
LVEMF1907180.19X .MO# 4500149816]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Thacker Pass Project,
Two Plans of Operations Submitted by
Lithium Nevada Corporation for Mining
and Exploration in Humboldt County,
Nevada
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) Humboldt
River Field Office, Winnemucca,
Nevada, as the lead agency, has
prepared the Thacker Pass Lithium
Mine Project Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS), for the proposed
Lithium Mine Project Proposed Plans of
Operations and Reclamation Plan
Permit Applications (the Project) in
Humboldt County, Nevada, and by this
notice announces the availability of the
FEIS. In accordance with the Bald and
Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act),
the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is
a cooperating agency with the BLM on
the development of this FEIS and has
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:18 Dec 03, 2020
Jkt 253001
Copies of North-South
Exploration and the Thacker Pass Mine
Plans of Operations and the Thacker
Pass Project Final EIS are available for
public inspection on the internet at
https://bit.ly/2Npgf9l.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
questions about the proposed Project
contact Mr. Ken Loda, Lead Geologist,
Bureau of Land Management Humboldt
River Field Office telephone: (775) 623–
1500, address: 5100 East Winnemucca
Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445.
For questions concerning the Eagle Act
permitting process, contact Mr. Thomas
Leeman, Deputy Chief, Migratory Bird
Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior Region 10, at
(916) 978–6189. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact either of the above individuals
during normal business hours. The FRS
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, to leave a message or question
with either one of the above individuals.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
applicant, LNC proposes to construct,
operate, reclaim, and eventually close
an open pit lithium mine, processing
operation, and continued exploration
activities (the Project), on public lands
in northern Humboldt County, Nevada.
LNC currently has two approved
Plans of Operation, one for exploration
and one for a specialty clay mine,
approved within the area proposed for
the new lithium mine. There are 75
acres of exploration disturbance
approved under LNC’s existing
exploration Plan, and 140 acres of
existing disturbance approved under
their clay mine Plan.
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
78349
LNC has submitted two new Plans of
Operations to develop the Project and to
provide a description of the proposed
lithium mining, processing, and
exploration operations. Each of these
new Plans of Operation include a
reclamation plan for the activities
identified under its respective Plan of
Operation. The operations proposed
under the two new Plans of Operation
would involve a project area of about
18,000 acres, with an ultimate
disturbance footprint of approximately
5,700 acres. The new lithium mine Plan
of Operation boundary overlaps the
existing approved Plan boundaries.
LNC proposes to develop the Project
in two phases over the estimated 41year mine life. Pending LNC receiving
the required authorizations and permits
for Phase 1 of the Project, pre-stripping
would commence in early 2021, and
construction in the first quarter of 2021,
with mining production and ore
processing estimated to commence in
late 2022. LNC estimates that it would
complete mining, processing, and
concurrent reclamation activities in
2061, after which, reclamation, site
closure activities, and post-closure
monitoring would occur for a minimum
of five years.
The proposed activities and facilities
associated with the Project include
development of an open pit mine,
construction and operation of lithium
processing and production facilities,
mine facilities to support mining
operations, two waste rock storage
facilities, a run-of-mine stockpile, a clay
tailings filter stack, water supply
facilities, two power transmission lines
and substations, and various ancillary
facilities. Pit dewatering is not expected
to be required as part of the Project until
2055, and concurrent backfill of the
open pit would occur after sufficient
volume has been excavated to initiate
direct placement of waste rock.
Exploration would be conducted under
both new Plans. In addition, the Project
would affect golden eagle nests and
territories by planned blasting within a
two-mile radius of golden eagle nests;
therefore, LNC has requested
authorization from the FWS to disturb
eagle nests and a 5-year incidental take
permit for golden eagles under the Eagle
Act. The permit application includes an
Eagle Conservation Plan, which
contains commitments to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate adverse effects
on golden eagles resulting from the
implementation of the Project. Issuance
of an eagle take permit must comply
with the Eagle Act and all related
regulatory requirements (50 CFR 22.26).
The Final EIS describes and analyzes
the proposed Project’s direct, indirect,
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
78350
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Notices
and cumulative impacts on all affected
resources. In addition to the Proposed
Action, Alternative A, the following
alternatives are also analyzed in the
document: Alternative B, which is a
partial backfilling of the pit that would
result in a small wet area; Alternative C
which does not backfill the pit and
would result in three small, and
probably seasonal, pit lakes; and the No
Action Alternative. Alternatives A, B
and C include an application for an
eagle take permit for loss of productivity
of three golden eagle breeding pairs.
Additionally, Alternative C would
require nest site enhancement as
compensatory mitigation under the Bald
and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the proposed Project was
published in the Federal Register on
July 31, 2020 (85 FR 10460). Two virtual
public meetings were held during the
comment period. The BLM received 63
public comment documents during the
45-day comment period. The documents
contained 813 individual substantive
comments which included concerns on
potential impacts to groundwater
quality, potential impacts to springs and
stream flows in the surrounding area of
the mine, storage and management of
waste rock and tailings, grazing
allotments, and mine closure. These
comments were considered and
addressed in Appendix R (Comments
Responses) of the Final EIS.
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
corrections or the addition of clarifying
text but did not significantly change the
proposed action.
The BLM has consulted with the
Nevada State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO) on the Project in
accordance with the 2014 State Protocol
Agreement between the BLM and
Nevada SHPO for Implementing the
National Historic Preservation Act. The
BLM has determined that the Project
would cause adverse effects to 57
historic properties and the Nevada
SHPO has concurred. The BLM and
Nevada SHPO recently executed a
Memorandum of Agreement to resolve
adverse effects to the 57 historic
properties. The specific actions
necessary to resolve adverse effects to
historic properties would be carried out
if the Project is authorized, prior to
Project implementation.
The BLM has consulted and continues
to consult with Indian tribes on a
government-to-government basis in
accordance with Executive Order 13175
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:18 Dec 03, 2020
Jkt 253001
and other policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts to Indian trust assets
and potential impacts to cultural
resources have been analyzed in the
Final EIS.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR
1506.10)
Ester M. McCullough,
Winnemucca District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2020–26599 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[21X.LLAK930000 L16100000.PN0000]
Notice of Availability of the Proposed
Resource Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Bering Sea-Western Interior
Planning Area, Alaska
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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), Anchorage Field
Office, Anchorage, Alaska, prepared a
Proposed Resource Management Plan
(RMP)/Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Bering Sea–
Western Interior region of Alaska and by
this notice is announcing its
availability.
DATES: BLM planning regulations state
that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the
regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5–2 may
protest the BLM’s Proposed RMP/Final
EIS. A person who meets the conditions
must file or postmark their protest no
later than 30 days from the date of the
Final EIS Notice of Availability
published by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
ADDRESSES: Copies or notification of the
electronic availability of the RMP for the
Bering Sea–Western Interior Proposed
RMP/Final EIS are being sent to affected
federal, State, tribal, and local
government agencies and to other
stakeholders. The electronic Proposed
RMP/Final EIS is available on the BLM’s
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) Register (https://
eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/
project/36665/510 [please use Chrome])
and at https://www.blm.gov/programs/
planning-and-nepa/plans-indevelopment/alaska/BSWI. On the
project summary page, click on
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
‘‘Documents’’ on the left side of the
screen to find the electronic version of
this material. Hard copies of the
Proposed RMP/Final EIS are also
available for public inspection. Please
contact each of the following facilities
prior to visiting to determine the
specific COVID–19 protocols in place,
such as needing an appointment and
face mask to enter:
BLM Anchorage Field Office, 4700 BLM
Road, Anchorage, AK 99507, (907)
261–1246.
BLM Fairbanks District Office, 222
University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK
99709, (907) 474–2200.
BLM Alaska Public Information Center,
James M. Fitzgerald Federal Building,
222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, AK
99513 (907) 271–5960.
Alaska Resources Library & Information
Services, 3211 Providence Drive,
Suite 111, Anchorage, AK 99508,
(907) 272–7547.
All protests must be in writing and
filed with the BLM Director, either as a
hard copy or electronically via BLM’s
National NEPA Register by the close of
the protest period. The only electronic
protests the BLM will accept are those
filed through BLM’s National NEPA
Register. All protest letters sent to the
BLM via fax or email will be considered
invalid unless a properly filed protest is
also submitted.
Instructions for filing a protest may be
found in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’ Letter of the
Bering Sea–Western Interior Proposed
RMP/Final EIS, at 43 CFR 1610.5–2, and
online at https://www.blm.gov/
programs/ planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/filing-a-plan-protest. If
you do not have the ability to file your
protest electronically, hard copy
protests must be mailed to one of the
following addresses:
• Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box
261117, Lakewood, CO 80226
• Overnight Delivery: BLM Director
(210), Attention: Protest Coordinator,
2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO
80215.
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jorjena Barringer, BLM Anchorage Field
Office, telephone: (907) 267–1317,
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 234 (Friday, December 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78349-78350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26599]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2020-0012-EIS; LLNVW00000.L51100000.GN0000.
LVEMF1907180.19X .MO# 4500149816]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Thacker Pass Project, Two Plans of
Operations Submitted by Lithium Nevada Corporation for Mining and
Exploration in Humboldt County, Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Humboldt River
Field Office, Winnemucca, Nevada, as the lead agency, has prepared the
Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), for the proposed Lithium Mine Project Proposed Plans of
Operations and Reclamation Plan Permit Applications (the Project) in
Humboldt County, Nevada, and by this notice announces the availability
of the FEIS. In accordance with the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection
Act (Eagle Act), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a cooperating
agency with the BLM on the development of this FEIS and has used it to
analyze the potential impacts of approving LNC's request for an
incidental take permit for golden eagles. FWS has evaluated the LNC's
Eagle Conservation Plan (ECP), which describes their request for
incidental take of eagles and a 5-year incidental take permit for
golden eagles under the Eagle Act.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days after the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
its notice of availability of the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project
Final EIS DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2020-0012-EIS in the Federal Register. BLM
will coordinate with the FWS on impacts to golden eagles and the Eagle
Act permitting process prior to signing a Record of Decision.
ADDRESSES: Copies of North-South Exploration and the Thacker Pass Mine
Plans of Operations and the Thacker Pass Project Final EIS are
available for public inspection on the internet at https://bit.ly/2Npgf9l.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the proposed
Project contact Mr. Ken Loda, Lead Geologist, Bureau of Land Management
Humboldt River Field Office telephone: (775) 623-1500, address: 5100
East Winnemucca Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445. For questions
concerning the Eagle Act permitting process, contact Mr. Thomas Leeman,
Deputy Chief, Migratory Bird Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior Region 10, at (916) 978-6189. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact either of the above
individuals during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with either one of
the above individuals. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, LNC proposes to construct,
operate, reclaim, and eventually close an open pit lithium mine,
processing operation, and continued exploration activities (the
Project), on public lands in northern Humboldt County, Nevada.
LNC currently has two approved Plans of Operation, one for
exploration and one for a specialty clay mine, approved within the area
proposed for the new lithium mine. There are 75 acres of exploration
disturbance approved under LNC's existing exploration Plan, and 140
acres of existing disturbance approved under their clay mine Plan.
LNC has submitted two new Plans of Operations to develop the
Project and to provide a description of the proposed lithium mining,
processing, and exploration operations. Each of these new Plans of
Operation include a reclamation plan for the activities identified
under its respective Plan of Operation. The operations proposed under
the two new Plans of Operation would involve a project area of about
18,000 acres, with an ultimate disturbance footprint of approximately
5,700 acres. The new lithium mine Plan of Operation boundary overlaps
the existing approved Plan boundaries.
LNC proposes to develop the Project in two phases over the
estimated 41-year mine life. Pending LNC receiving the required
authorizations and permits for Phase 1 of the Project, pre-stripping
would commence in early 2021, and construction in the first quarter of
2021, with mining production and ore processing estimated to commence
in late 2022. LNC estimates that it would complete mining, processing,
and concurrent reclamation activities in 2061, after which,
reclamation, site closure activities, and post-closure monitoring would
occur for a minimum of five years.
The proposed activities and facilities associated with the Project
include development of an open pit mine, construction and operation of
lithium processing and production facilities, mine facilities to
support mining operations, two waste rock storage facilities, a run-of-
mine stockpile, a clay tailings filter stack, water supply facilities,
two power transmission lines and substations, and various ancillary
facilities. Pit dewatering is not expected to be required as part of
the Project until 2055, and concurrent backfill of the open pit would
occur after sufficient volume has been excavated to initiate direct
placement of waste rock. Exploration would be conducted under both new
Plans. In addition, the Project would affect golden eagle nests and
territories by planned blasting within a two-mile radius of golden
eagle nests; therefore, LNC has requested authorization from the FWS to
disturb eagle nests and a 5-year incidental take permit for golden
eagles under the Eagle Act. The permit application includes an Eagle
Conservation Plan, which contains commitments to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate adverse effects on golden eagles resulting from the
implementation of the Project. Issuance of an eagle take permit must
comply with the Eagle Act and all related regulatory requirements (50
CFR 22.26).
The Final EIS describes and analyzes the proposed Project's direct,
indirect,
[[Page 78350]]
and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. In addition to the
Proposed Action, Alternative A, the following alternatives are also
analyzed in the document: Alternative B, which is a partial backfilling
of the pit that would result in a small wet area; Alternative C which
does not backfill the pit and would result in three small, and probably
seasonal, pit lakes; and the No Action Alternative. Alternatives A, B
and C include an application for an eagle take permit for loss of
productivity of three golden eagle breeding pairs. Additionally,
Alternative C would require nest site enhancement as compensatory
mitigation under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the proposed Project was published in the Federal
Register on July 31, 2020 (85 FR 10460). Two virtual public meetings
were held during the comment period. The BLM received 63 public comment
documents during the 45-day comment period. The documents contained 813
individual substantive comments which included concerns on potential
impacts to groundwater quality, potential impacts to springs and stream
flows in the surrounding area of the mine, storage and management of
waste rock and tailings, grazing allotments, and mine closure. These
comments were considered and addressed in Appendix R (Comments
Responses) of the Final EIS.
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 corrections or the addition of
clarifying text but did not significantly change the proposed action.
The BLM has consulted with the Nevada State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO) on the Project in accordance with the 2014 State Protocol
Agreement between the BLM and Nevada SHPO for Implementing the National
Historic Preservation Act. The BLM has determined that the Project
would cause adverse effects to 57 historic properties and the Nevada
SHPO has concurred. The BLM and Nevada SHPO recently executed a
Memorandum of Agreement to resolve adverse effects to the 57 historic
properties. The specific actions necessary to resolve adverse effects
to historic properties would be carried out if the Project is
authorized, prior to Project implementation.
The BLM has consulted and continues to consult with Indian tribes
on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order
13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to Indian
trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have been
analyzed in the Final EIS.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 1506.10)
Ester M. McCullough,
Winnemucca District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2020-26599 Filed 12-3-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P
