Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment, Juniper Project, White Pine County, Nevada, 45915-45917 [2024-11501]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 102 (Friday, May 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45915-45917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11501]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_MO 4500178788]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment, 
Juniper Project, White Pine County, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely 
District, Bristlecone Field Office (BFO), Nevada announces the 
availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment (Juniper Project) in 
White Pine County, Nevada.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum 
of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is available for review on the BLM ePlanning 
project website at https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g.
    Written comments related to the Bald Mountain Mine Juniper Project 
may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     ePlanning Website: https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: BLM Bristlecone Field Office, ATTN: BMM EIS Project, 
702 North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada 89301.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at the 
ePlanning website and at the Bristlecone Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Gresh, Planning and Environmental 
Specialist, telephone 775-289-1809; address 702 North Industrial Way, 
Ely, Nevada 89301; email [email protected]. Individuals in the United 
States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech 
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. Gresh. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: KG Mining (Bald Mountain) Inc. (KG-BM) owns 
and operates the Bald Mountain Mine (BMM), a large-scale, open-pit gold 
mine primarily on public lands administered by the BLM Bristlecone 
Field Office. The BMM is in northwestern White Pine County, Nevada, 
approximately 60 miles southeast of the city of Elko, Nevada and 60 
miles northwest of Ely, Nevada. The BMM operates on patented and 
unpatented Federal mining claims owned, leased, or otherwise controlled 
by KG-BM. The BMM has been in continuous operation for more than 40 
years; therefore, mine areas and facilities are in various stages of 
development, operation, and reclamation. The BMM is subdivided into two 
plan of operation areas, which consist of the North Operations Area 
(NOA) and South Operations Area. KG-BM is proposing to amend its plan 
of operations for the NOA (NOA Plan) to enable continued mining, 
processing, exploration, and reclamation of the open pit mining 
operations and to reestablish underground mining.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

BLM

    The BLM's purpose for this Federal action is to evaluate and 
respond to KG-BM's proposed amendment to the NOA Plan in accordance 
with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The need for the 
action is established by the BLM's responsibility under FLPMA, the 
Mining Law of 1872, the BLM's Surface Management Regulations (43 Code 
of Federal Regulations [CFR] 3809), and its Use and Occupancy 
Regulations (43 CFR 3715) to respond to KG-BM's

[[Page 45916]]

proposal, while preventing unnecessary or undue degradation of public 
land.

USFWS

    As a cooperating agency for this EIS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's 
(USFWS) purpose for this Federal action is to evaluate and respond to 
KG-BM's proposed nest removal and incidental take permit application in 
accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The USFWS's 
need for this action is established by the USFWS's responsibility under 
the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act to respond to KG-BM's request 
for a nest removal and incidental take permit authorization, while 
maintaining stable or increasing breeding populations in all eagle 
management units and the persistence of local populations throughout 
their geographic range.

BLM Proposed Action and Alternatives

Proposed Action

    KG-BM's proposed NOA Plan Amendment, referred to as the Juniper 
Project, would develop, expand, modify, reconfigure, reclassify, 
realign, or eliminate select mine components or portions thereof in the 
NOA. Specifically, this action involves the expansion or modification 
(i.e., pit floor elevation change, backfill) of 7 authorized open pits 
(Redbird, Rat, Top, Poker Flats, Bida, Saga, and Winrock South), the 
development of the Royale and South Duke Pits, the development of 3 
rock disposal areas (RDAs) (Royale, South Duke RDA 2, and Bida), the 
modification of 13 authorized RDAs, and the elimination of a portion of 
the authorized but not yet constructed Poker Flats RDA. Modification or 
development is proposed for heap leach facilities, haul roads, interpit 
areas, process areas, ancillary areas, and support facilities 
(infrastructure).
    Other aspects of the Juniper Project include conducting planned 
concurrent reclamation activities, implementing a growth media 
stockpile management program, applying a road design strategy to select 
haul roads, creating haul road placement zones for three haul roads, 
reestablishing the Top Pit underground mine, creating a sequencing and 
backfill schedule for the Poker Flats Pit, increasing the height of the 
Poker Flats heap, and reusing spent heap leach ore. Proposed non-
surface disturbing activities involve administrative actions such as 
renaming authorized mine components or recategorizing authorized 
surface disturbance. The Juniper Project would extend the authorized 
NOA Plan boundary in five areas totaling 3,425 acres. Life-of-mine 
surface disturbance in the NOA would increase from 10,782 acres to 
14,752 acres, resulting in a net surface disturbance increase of 
approximately 3,969 acres. Mine life would extend for an additional 11 
years.

Alternative A (Agency Preferred)

    Alternative A, the agency preferred alternative, was developed to 
address refinements to two designated mule deer migration corridors 
through the western portion of the NOA. Under Alternative A, some of 
the surface disturbance described in the Proposed Action would not be 
developed, some of the authorized but not constructed disturbance would 
be canceled, some partial pit backfilling would occur, and some of the 
existing surface disturbance would undergo concurrent reclamation. The 
Alternative A design modifications were developed in coordination with 
the Nevada Department of Wildlife and are intended to improve mule deer 
migration through the NOA and reduce energy expenditure of migrating 
mule deer compared to the Proposed Action. Alternative A would remove 
6.9 acres of proposed new surface disturbance and 10.5 acres of 
authorized surface disturbance that would not be constructed, resulting 
in a 17.4-acre reduction in comparison with the Proposed Action. The 
total proposed surface disturbance under Alternative A would be about 
14,735 acres. Alternative A is the same as the Proposed Action in all 
other respects.

No-Action Alternative

    Under the No-Action Alternative, the BLM would not authorize the 
proposed NOA Plan Amendment (Juniper Project). The Juniper Project 
would not be developed, and KG-BM would continue its construction, 
operations, closure, reclamation, and post-mining monitoring activities 
within the authorized NOA Plan boundary under the terms, permits, and 
approvals as authorized by the BLM and State of Nevada. Operations in 
the NOA would continue for 7 years after the disapproval of the Juniper 
Project.

USFWS Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The decision for the eagle take permit is independent of the BLM's 
decision of whether to authorize the Juniper Project.

Proposed Action

    Under the Eagle Conservation Plan Proposed Action, the USFWS would 
authorize the removal of up to 5 nests and up to 15 incidents of take 
resulting from disturbance to breeding territories for up to 19 years 
as requested by KG-BM. Under this alternative, KG-BM would be required 
to implement nest protection buffers to ensure it does not exceed its 
take authorization of 15 disturbance incidents. Under the Eagle 
Conservation Permit Proposed Action, KG-BM would provide the 
compensatory mitigation as required by regulations to ensure that 
effects of take caused by KG-BM are offset at the population level. 
Additional mitigation for nest removals would also be required.

USFWS Preferred Alternative

    Under the USFWS Preferred Alternative, the USFWS would issue a 
permit with increased take authorizations and experimental compensatory 
mitigation measures. Under this alternative, the USFWS would authorize 
up to 27 incidents of eagle take from disturbance, consistent with the 
USFWS risk assessment, for a period of up to 30 years to allow for take 
coverage to extend into the mine closure and final reclamation phases. 
As required by regulation, KG-BM would provide compensatory mitigation 
for authorized take and additional mitigation for nest removals. Under 
this alternative, KG-BM would have increased flexibility to implement 
its mining activities without potentially needing to alter mining 
operation or exploration plans.

USFWS No-Action Alternative

    Under the USFWS No-Action Alternative, the USFWS would not issue an 
incidental take permit for golden eagles to KG-BM. For purposes of 
analyzing the USFWS No-Action Alternative, the USFWS assumes that KG-BM 
would implement all measures required by other agencies and 
jurisdictions to conduct the proposed Juniper Project, but the 
conservation measures proposed in the eagle incidental take permit 
application package would not be required. KG-BM may choose to 
implement some, none, or all of those conservation measures.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The final EIS is tentatively scheduled to be published on May 24, 
2024, with a Record of Decision on or after July 8, 2024.

Draft EIS Comment Response

    The BLM received a total of 376 comment submittals during the 
public comment period, which included 69 unique submittals, 300 copies 
of one form letter in support of the Juniper Project, 6 copies of a 
second form letter in support of the Juniper Project, and

[[Page 45917]]

one duplicate comment. Following statements of general support or 
opposition, the greatest number of comment excerpts were associated 
with special status species, especially Greater Sage-Grouse; water 
quality and quantity; wildlife and fisheries resources; golden eagles; 
and monitoring and mitigation. Comments on the draft EIS received from 
the public, cooperating agencies, and internal BLM review were 
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, into the Final EIS.

Robbie J. McAboy,
District Manager, Ely District Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-11501 Filed 5-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P