[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 241 (Friday, December 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74470-74471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30198]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Donlin Gold Project
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify
and analyze the potential impacts associated with the proposed Donlin
Gold Project, which would be an open pit, hardrock gold mine located 10
miles north of the village of Crooked Creek, Alaska. The Corps is the
lead Federal agency; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alaska
Department of Natural Resources will serve as cooperating agencies in
developing the EIS. The Tribal governments of Crooked Creek,
Chuathbaluk, and Napaimute have also indicated their intention to serve
as cooperating agencies. The Corps will be evaluating a permit
application for work and/or discharges of pollutants under Section 404
of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of
1899. The EIS will be used as a basis for the permit decision in
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and the DEIS should be referred to: Mr. Don Kuhle, Regulatory Division,
telephone: (907) 753-2780, email: [email protected], or mail:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 6898, Joint Base Elmendorf
Richardson, AK 99506-0898. To be added to the project mailing list and
for additional information, please visit the following web site: http://www.donlingoldeis.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Proposed Action. Donlin Gold LLC is proposing the development of
an open pit, hardrock gold mine located 277 miles west of Anchorage,
145 miles northeast of Bethel, and 10 miles north of the community of
Crooked Creek. The proposed project would require approximately 3 to 4
years to construct with a projected mine life of approximately 27.5
years. Major project components include excavation of an open pit, that
ultimately would be approximately 2.2 miles long by 1 mile wide by
1,850 feet deep; a waste treatment facility (tailings impoundment)
approximately 1 mile long, and ultimately covering 2,350 acres; a waste
rock facility covering approximately 2,300 acres; a mill facility
processing approximately 59,000 short tons of ore per day; a natural
gas-fired power plant with a total connected load of 227 MW, supplied
by a 313-mile, small-diameter (approximately 14-inches), natural gas
pipeline from the west side of Cook Inlet to the mine site; and
transportation infrastructure including a 5,000-foot airstrip, a 30-
mile-long road from the mine site to a new barge landing near Jungjuk
Creek on the Kuskokwim River, and barge terminal facilities in Bethel.
The proposed mine and related facilities would have a total foot print
of approximately 16,300 acres. There is currently no road or rail
access to the site, which is isolated from existing power and other
related infrastructure.
The pipeline route would originate at the Beluga National Gas
Pipeline, with a single compressor station at milepost 5. The route
proceeds north to the Skwentna River, continuing alongside the Skwentna
River to Puntilla Lake. It then crosses the Alaska Range through Rainy
Pass and Rohn, before turning southwest to Farewell. The route then
runs west along the north side of the Alaska Range to cross the
Kuskokwim River at approximately Devil's Elbow. The last 80 miles
follow ridgelines north
[[Page 74471]]
of the Kuskokwim River to the Donlin Gold mine site.
2. Alternatives. A reasonable range of alternatives will be
identified and evaluated through scoping and the alternatives
development process.
3. Scoping Process. The scoping period will extend from December
14, 2012 through March 29, 2013.
a. Public involvement. The Corps invites full public participation
to promote open communication on the issues to be addressed in
preparation of the EIS regarding the proposed action. All Federal,
State, Tribal, and local agencies, and other interested persons or
organizations, are urged to participate in the NEPA scoping process.
Scoping meetings will be conducted to inform interested parties of the
proposed project, receive public input on the development of proposed
alternatives to be reviewed in the EIS, and to identify significant
issues to be analyzed.
b. Scoping meetings. The Corps plans to hold scoping meetings in
Crooked Creek, Aniak, Bethel, and Anchorage in mid-January 2013.
Scoping meetings in Akiak, Nunapitchuk, Kipnuk, Quinhagak, Toksook Bay,
Hooper Bay, Emmonak, St. Mary's, Holy Cross, and McGrath are planned
for late-January through March 2013. Information about these meetings
and meeting dates will be published locally, posted at http://www.donlingoldeis.com, and available by contacting the Corps as
previously described. A description of the proposed project will be
posted on the project web site prior to these meetings to help the
public focus their scoping comments.
4. Issues To Be Analyzed in the EIS. The EIS will analyze the
potential social, economic, physical, biological, and cultural resource
impacts of the proposed project. Numerous issues will be analyzed in
depth in the EIS related to the effects of mine and associated
infrastructure construction, operation, and closure. These issues will
include, but will not be limited to, the following: Wetlands, water
quality, air quality, hazardous materials, fish and wildlife, special
status species, vegetation, cultural resources, subsistence, human
health, land use and management, socioeconomics, and cumulative
impacts.
5. Other Environmental Review and Consultation Requirements. Other
environmental review and consultation requirements include Executive
Order 13175 Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal
Governments, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of
1966, Endangered Species Act consultation; and subsistence uses in
accordance with Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act.
6. Land Ownership. The proposed mine is located predominately on
lands owned by the Kuskokwim Corporation and the Calista Corporation,
although some project components would be located on BLM, State of
Alaska and CIRI Inc. lands.
7. Estimated Date Draft EIS Available to Public. It is anticipated
that the Draft EIS will be available in August 2014 for public review.
Dated: November 28, 2012.
Don P. Kuhle,
Project Manager, Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2012-30198 Filed 12-13-12; 8:45 am]
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