Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed East Tailings Expansion Project (Project), Near Magna, Salt Lake County, Utah, 16418-16419 [2023-05501]
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16418
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 52 / Friday, March 17, 2023 / Notices
beneficial use sites identified in Tampa
Harbor. Rocky material is likely to be
utilized for hardbottom creation and
expansion of existing artificial reefs next
to the channel. Additional beneficial
use options are being determined and
analyzed for other dredge material types
and include island creation/
enhancement at Alafia Bank Sanctuary,
MacDill Air Force Base shoreline
enhancement, and beach nourishment
on Ft. Desoto Beach.
Significant Issues: Impacts are
expected to be short-term and temporary
in nature, including short-term
disturbance to hardbottom and creation
of new hardbottom habitat adjacent to
the channel edge, short-term turbidity at
the dredge and placement sites,
temporary noise impacts to fish and
wildlife resources, impacts to swimming
sea turtles during dredging operations,
impacts to nesting sea turtles during
material placement and long-term
benefits from beach nourishment, and
disruption of recreation and navigation
during dredging and placement
activities.
However, due to the volume of
material expected to be dredged—up to
40 million cubic yards—and the likely
beneficial use of a majority of that
material, possibly to restore Egmont
Key, an EIS is being proposed.
Public Involvement and Scoping: A
scoping letter was sent November 1,
2021, to invite comments from Federal,
State, and local agencies, affected Indian
tribes, and other interested private
organizations and individuals. USACE
hosted two (2) virtual NEPA scoping
meetings on November 18, 2021.
USACE received comments from
agencies, organizations, and individuals
in favor of the project and requesting
additional information on concerns over
the impacts to property, flood hazards,
and wildlife. USACE addressed the
comments, both at the meeting and in
email. Due to the scale of effects, the
USACE is inviting additional comments
with this Notice of Intent.
Environmental Review and
Consultation Requirements: The
proposed project is subject to review
pursuant to (but not limited to) the
Coastal Zone Management Act,
Endangered Species Act, Fish and
Wildlife Coordination Act, MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, Marine Mammal
Protection Act, Clean Water Act, Marine
Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries
Act, National Historic Preservation Act,
and NEPA.
Project Schedule: The Draft Integrated
General Reevaluation Report and
Environmental Impact Statement is
expected to be available for public
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:04 Mar 16, 2023
Jkt 259001
review in July of 2023. A 45-day public
review period will be provided for
interested parties and agencies to review
and comment on this draft document.
All interested parties are encouraged to
respond to this notice and provide a
current address if they wish to be
notified of the Draft EIS circulation. A
Record of Decision would be approved
and signed no earlier than 30 days after
the Final EIS.
Daniel H. Hibner,
Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2023–05480 Filed 3–16–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed East Tailings Expansion
Project (Project), Near Magna, Salt
Lake County, Utah
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Sacramento District
(USACE), intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for
the proposed Project. The Project is
proposed due to the planned expansion
of the Bingham Canyon Mine (Mine), a
commercial open pit copper mining
operation near Magna, Salt Lake County,
Utah. Kennecott Utah Copper LLC
(Applicant) has applied for a
Department of the Army (DA) permit for
discharges of dredged or fill materials
into 44.86 acres of waters of United
States, including wetlands, to construct
the Project. This notice opens the public
scoping phase and invites interested
parties to identify issues and reasonable
alternatives to the proposed action that
should be considered in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments for
consideration in the development of the
scope of the NEPA EIS are due to the
addresses below no later than April 17,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Please send written
comments to Nicole Fresard, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District,
Bountiful Regulatory Field Office, 533
West 2600 South, Suite 150, Bountiful,
Utah 84010; email at Nicole.D.Fresard@
usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and EIS can be answered by Nicole
Fresard, (801) 295–8380 extension 8321;
email: Nicole.D.Fresard@
usace.army.mil. Please refer to
identification number SPK–2009–
01213–UO.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Applicant has applied for a DA permit
under Section 404 of the Clean Water
Act to construct the East Tailings
Expansion with related infrastructure
and to buttress the east slope of the
historic South Tailings Impoundment.
The Applicant is developing an
updated mine plan for the Bingham
Canyon Mine that would extend the
open pit life of mine to approximately
year 2038 and would generate an
additional 1.2 to 1.7 million tons (Mt) of
copper equivalent product. To fully
implement the updated mine plan, the
Applicant has stated that it needs to
expand the eastern portion of the
historic south impoundment to provide
an additional 100 Mt of tailings storage
that cannot be met using existing storage
capacity. In addition, studies have
shown that the east slope of the historic
South Tailings Impoundment is
potentially susceptible to earthquakeinduced tailing flows resulting from
impoundment failure. The Project
would buttress the east slope of the
historic South Tailings Impoundment to
improve seismic stability and reduce the
risk of runout caused by a seismic event
to a level as low as reasonably
practicable.
The Project purpose is to increase
tailings storage capacity for continued
mining operations at the Bingham
Canyon mine until approximately 2038
and to improve seismic stability of the
east slope of the historic South Tailings
Impoundment.
The project is located approximately
ten miles west of Salt Lake City near the
community of Magna, Utah. The
additional infrastructure would include:
new access roads; a new drainage
system including finger drains;
relocation of the clarification canal; a
new 50-foot electrical corridor;
relocation of Outfall 002 (which
discharges to the C–7 ditches);
installation of tailings and water piping,
pumps, and valve stations required to
operate the Project; and a dust control
system. Construction of the Project
infrastructure is planned to begin in
2024 and extend through 2026.
The project would impact
approximately 539 acres, including 327
acres within the footprint of the existing
South Tailings Impoundment, 39 acres
of the existing clarification canal and
the closed sedimentation pond
(industrial process waters), and 173
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17MRN1
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 52 / Friday, March 17, 2023 / Notices
acres on land without previous tailings
deposition. In an approved
jurisdictional determination and a
preliminary jurisdictional determination
dated May 2022, USACE reviewed a
351-acre survey area within and
adjacent to the Project along the
southeast boundary of the existing
tailings impoundment and determined
that 38.78 acres are industrial process
waters, and 9.85 acres are artificial
wetlands not subject to regulation under
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors
Act. In addition, USACE determined
that 54.93 acres of aquatic resources are
potentially subject to Section 404 of the
Clean Water Act. The project proposes
to impact 44.86 acres of these
potentially jurisdictional aquatic
resources, including wetlands.
USACE anticipates that the draft EIS
will be made available for public
comments in November 2023. At that
time, a minimum 45-day public review
period will be provided for individuals
and agencies to review and comment on
the Draft EIS. USACE anticipates the
Final EIS will be published in July 2024.
At that time, a minimum 30-day public
review period will be provided for
individuals and agencies to review and
comment on the Final EIS. A Record of
Decision is anticipated in September
2024.
Alternatives. The EIS will include an
evaluation of a reasonable range of
alternatives. Currently, the following
alternatives are expected to be analyzed
in detail: (1) The no action alternative
(no permit issued) and (2) the Proposed
Action (Project). The no action
alternative assumes that the Applicant
would continue to operate the mine in
its existing footprint; no changes to
existing infrastructure would occur,
with all potential waters of the U.S.
avoided. In addition to the Proposed
Action, USACE anticipates evaluating
additional on-site and off-site
alternatives for potential detailed
analysis. As part of this notice, USACE
requests comments on any additional
on-site and off-site alternatives,
information, and analyses relevant to
the proposed action. All reasonable
alternatives to the proposed federal
action that meet the purpose and need
will be considered in the Draft EIS.
Scoping. The USACE scoping process
for the EIS includes a public
involvement program with several
opportunities to provide oral and
written comments. In addition to public
meetings and notifications in the
Federal Register, USACE will issue
public notices when the draft and final
EIS are available.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:04 Mar 16, 2023
Jkt 259001
Affected federal, state, and local
agencies, Native American tribes, and
other interested private organizations
and parties are invited to participate.
Potentially significant issues to be
analyzed in the EIS include, but are not
limited to impacts to waters, hydrology,
water supply, water quality, cultural
resources, biological resources, traffic
and transportation, and air quality.
The USACE is the lead federal agency
for preparation of the EIS under the
requirements of NEPA. USACE has
invited the following Tribes and federal
and state agencies to participate as
cooperating agencies for the EIS: Ute
Indian Tribe of The Uintah & Ouray
Reservation, Utah, Northwestern Band
of the Shoshone Nation, Skull Valley
Band of Goshute Indians of Utah, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah
Department of Natural Resources, and
Utah Department of Environmental
Quality.
Other environmental review and
consultation requirements for the
proposed action include the need for the
Applicant to obtain water quality
certification under Section 401 of the
Clean Water Act from the Utah Division
of Water Quality. The proposed project
will not affect any federally listed
threatened or endangered species;
however, it may affect state-listed
special status species. USACE will
consult with the State Historic
Preservation Officer under Section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act
concerning properties listed, or
potentially eligible for listing, on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Interested parties may register for the
USACE public notice email notification
lists at: https://www.spk.usace.
army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/
Permitting/Request-for-Public-NoticeNotification/.
Public Scoping Meetings. USACE will
hold in-person public scoping meetings
in Magna, Utah at the Webster
Community Center, 8952 West Magna
Main Street, from 6 to 8 p.m. MT on
April 4, 2023, and in Kearns, Utah at the
Element Event Center, 5624 South
Cougar Lane, Kearns, Utah 84118 from
6 to 8 p.m. MT on April 5, 2023.
Interested parties can provide oral and
written comments at the meetings.
Interested parties may also submit
written comments on this notice.
Scoping comments may be submitted at
any time prior to publication of the
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Fmt 4703
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16419
Draft EIS, which is anticipated in
November 2023.
Antoinette R. Gant,
Brigadier General, USA, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2023–05501 Filed 3–16–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Fund for
the Improvement of Postsecondary
Education—Open Textbooks Pilot
Program
Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Education
(Department) is issuing a notice inviting
applications for new awards for fiscal
year (FY) 2023 for the Open Textbooks
Pilot program conducted under the
Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE),
Assistance Listing Number (ALN)
84.116T. This notice relates to the
approved information collection under
OMB control number 1894–0006.
DATES:
Applications Available: March 17,
2023.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: May 16, 2023.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: July 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for
obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common
Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary
Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on December 7, 2022
(87 FR 75045), and available at
www.federalregister.gov/d/2022–26554.
Please note that these Common
Instructions supersede the version
published on December 27, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kurrinn Abrams, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 987–1920. Email:
kurrinn.abrams2@ed.gov.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or
have a speech disability and wish to
access telecommunications relay
services, please dial 7–1–1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Open
Textbooks Pilot program supports
projects at eligible institutions of higher
education (IHEs) or State higher
E:\FR\FM\17MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16418-16419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05501]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed East Tailings Expansion Project (Project),
Near Magna, Salt Lake County, Utah
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District (USACE),
intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the
proposed Project. The Project is proposed due to the planned expansion
of the Bingham Canyon Mine (Mine), a commercial open pit copper mining
operation near Magna, Salt Lake County, Utah. Kennecott Utah Copper LLC
(Applicant) has applied for a Department of the Army (DA) permit for
discharges of dredged or fill materials into 44.86 acres of waters of
United States, including wetlands, to construct the Project. This
notice opens the public scoping phase and invites interested parties to
identify issues and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action that
should be considered in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments for consideration in the development of the
scope of the NEPA EIS are due to the addresses below no later than
April 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Nicole Fresard, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, Bountiful Regulatory Field
Office, 533 West 2600 South, Suite 150, Bountiful, Utah 84010; email at
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and EIS can be answered by Nicole Fresard, (801) 295-8380 extension
8321; email: [email protected]. Please refer to
identification number SPK-2009-01213-UO.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Applicant has applied for a DA permit
under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act to construct the East Tailings
Expansion with related infrastructure and to buttress the east slope of
the historic South Tailings Impoundment.
The Applicant is developing an updated mine plan for the Bingham
Canyon Mine that would extend the open pit life of mine to
approximately year 2038 and would generate an additional 1.2 to 1.7
million tons (Mt) of copper equivalent product. To fully implement the
updated mine plan, the Applicant has stated that it needs to expand the
eastern portion of the historic south impoundment to provide an
additional 100 Mt of tailings storage that cannot be met using existing
storage capacity. In addition, studies have shown that the east slope
of the historic South Tailings Impoundment is potentially susceptible
to earthquake-induced tailing flows resulting from impoundment failure.
The Project would buttress the east slope of the historic South
Tailings Impoundment to improve seismic stability and reduce the risk
of runout caused by a seismic event to a level as low as reasonably
practicable.
The Project purpose is to increase tailings storage capacity for
continued mining operations at the Bingham Canyon mine until
approximately 2038 and to improve seismic stability of the east slope
of the historic South Tailings Impoundment.
The project is located approximately ten miles west of Salt Lake
City near the community of Magna, Utah. The additional infrastructure
would include: new access roads; a new drainage system including finger
drains; relocation of the clarification canal; a new 50-foot electrical
corridor; relocation of Outfall 002 (which discharges to the C-7
ditches); installation of tailings and water piping, pumps, and valve
stations required to operate the Project; and a dust control system.
Construction of the Project infrastructure is planned to begin in 2024
and extend through 2026.
The project would impact approximately 539 acres, including 327
acres within the footprint of the existing South Tailings Impoundment,
39 acres of the existing clarification canal and the closed
sedimentation pond (industrial process waters), and 173
[[Page 16419]]
acres on land without previous tailings deposition. In an approved
jurisdictional determination and a preliminary jurisdictional
determination dated May 2022, USACE reviewed a 351-acre survey area
within and adjacent to the Project along the southeast boundary of the
existing tailings impoundment and determined that 38.78 acres are
industrial process waters, and 9.85 acres are artificial wetlands not
subject to regulation under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. In addition, USACE determined
that 54.93 acres of aquatic resources are potentially subject to
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The project proposes to impact
44.86 acres of these potentially jurisdictional aquatic resources,
including wetlands.
USACE anticipates that the draft EIS will be made available for
public comments in November 2023. At that time, a minimum 45-day public
review period will be provided for individuals and agencies to review
and comment on the Draft EIS. USACE anticipates the Final EIS will be
published in July 2024. At that time, a minimum 30-day public review
period will be provided for individuals and agencies to review and
comment on the Final EIS. A Record of Decision is anticipated in
September 2024.
Alternatives. The EIS will include an evaluation of a reasonable
range of alternatives. Currently, the following alternatives are
expected to be analyzed in detail: (1) The no action alternative (no
permit issued) and (2) the Proposed Action (Project). The no action
alternative assumes that the Applicant would continue to operate the
mine in its existing footprint; no changes to existing infrastructure
would occur, with all potential waters of the U.S. avoided. In addition
to the Proposed Action, USACE anticipates evaluating additional on-site
and off-site alternatives for potential detailed analysis. As part of
this notice, USACE requests comments on any additional on-site and off-
site alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed
action. All reasonable alternatives to the proposed federal action that
meet the purpose and need will be considered in the Draft EIS.
Scoping. The USACE scoping process for the EIS includes a public
involvement program with several opportunities to provide oral and
written comments. In addition to public meetings and notifications in
the Federal Register, USACE will issue public notices when the draft
and final EIS are available.
Affected federal, state, and local agencies, Native American
tribes, and other interested private organizations and parties are
invited to participate. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed
in the EIS include, but are not limited to impacts to waters,
hydrology, water supply, water quality, cultural resources, biological
resources, traffic and transportation, and air quality.
The USACE is the lead federal agency for preparation of the EIS
under the requirements of NEPA. USACE has invited the following Tribes
and federal and state agencies to participate as cooperating agencies
for the EIS: Ute Indian Tribe of The Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah,
Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Skull Valley Band of Goshute
Indians of Utah, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Utah Department of Natural Resources, and Utah
Department of Environmental Quality.
Other environmental review and consultation requirements for the
proposed action include the need for the Applicant to obtain water
quality certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act from the
Utah Division of Water Quality. The proposed project will not affect
any federally listed threatened or endangered species; however, it may
affect state-listed special status species. USACE will consult with the
State Historic Preservation Officer under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act concerning properties listed, or potentially
eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places.
Interested parties may register for the USACE public notice email
notification lists at: https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permitting/Request-for-Public-Notice-Notification/.
Public Scoping Meetings. USACE will hold in-person public scoping
meetings in Magna, Utah at the Webster Community Center, 8952 West
Magna Main Street, from 6 to 8 p.m. MT on April 4, 2023, and in Kearns,
Utah at the Element Event Center, 5624 South Cougar Lane, Kearns, Utah
84118 from 6 to 8 p.m. MT on April 5, 2023. Interested parties can
provide oral and written comments at the meetings. Interested parties
may also submit written comments on this notice. Scoping comments may
be submitted at any time prior to publication of the Draft EIS, which
is anticipated in November 2023.
Antoinette R. Gant,
Brigadier General, USA, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2023-05501 Filed 3-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
