[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 212-213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30864]
[[Page 212]]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environment Impact Statement
for the Proposed Lone Star Ore Body Development Project in Graham
County, Arizona
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District (Corps)
is examining the environmental consequences associated with Freeport-
McMoRan Safford Inc.'s (FMSI) application for a Department of the Army
permit under section 404 of the Clean Water Act for the proposed
development of the mineral resources associated with the Lone Star ore
body for the purpose of producing copper (the Lone Star Project). The
proposed development would include the construction of mining
facilities, including an open pit mine and attendant development rock
stockpiles and heap leach facilities, which will allow continued mining
at the Safford Mine Facility using conventional open-pit mining, heap
leaching techniques, and solution extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW)
processing, and utilizing as much of the existing Safford Mine Facility
infrastructure and processing facilities as practicable. The
construction of the proposed facilities would discharge fill materials
into approximately 90.27 acres of waters of the United States (U.S.).
The primary federal environmental concerns are the proposed discharges
of fill material into waters of the U.S. and the potential for
significant adverse environmental effects resulting from such
activities. Therefore, to address these concerns in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps is requiring
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prior to
consideration of any permit action. The action must comply with the
section 404(b)(1) Guidelines (40 CFR part 230) and not be contrary to
the public interest to be granted a Corps permit. The Corps may
ultimately make a determination to permit or deny the above project, or
permit or deny modified versions of the above project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action or
the scoping of the Draft EIS can be answered by Michael Langley, Corps
Senior Project Manager, at (602) 230-6953. Comments regarding scoping
of the Draft EIS shall be addressed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Los Angeles District, Arizona Regulatory Branch, ATTN: SPL-2014-00065-
MWL, 3636 North Central Avenue, Suite 900, Phoenix, Arizona 85012-1939,
or [email protected]. Comment letters sent via
electronic mail shall include the commenter's physical address and the
project title ``Lone Star Ore Body Development Project'' shall be
included in the subject line.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Project Site and Background Information: The Lone Star copper
ore body proposed for development is located within the boundary of the
existing FMSI Safford Mine Facility, north of the City of Safford,
Graham County, Arizona. FMSI owns and manages approximately 36,050
acres of privately held lands within and surrounding the Safford Mine
Facility, which has been in operation for almost 7 years. The Safford
Mine Facility is located within the Safford Mining District, and lands
within the district have been used for mining activities by various
entities for more than a century. FMSI (formerly Phelps Dodge Safford
Inc.) first began development of an underground copper mining operation
in the district in the 1960s, and later purchased other copper mining
operations in the vicinity.
Between 1994 and 1996, FMSI initiated discussions to obtain
authorization from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Corps to
develop open pit copper mining operations in the district, and in May
1996, formally initiated NEPA review of these proposals through
submission of a Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) to the BLM. NEPA review
of the project, termed the Dos Pobres/San Juan Project (DP/SJ Project)
after the ore bodies proposed for development, involved the publication
of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in September 1998, a
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in December 2003, and a BLM
Record of Decision (ROD; No. 1793 [AZ-040] AZA-31133) in June 2004. As
a component of the NEPA review, the Corps completed a section 404(b)(1)
Alternatives Analysis in October 1997 and issued a section 404
Individual Permit (No. 964-0202-MB) for impacts to waters of the U.S.
from development of the DP/SJ Project on September 27, 2004.
The Safford Mine Facility is currently an open-pit copper mining
operation consisting of two pits: The Dos Pobres Pit and the San Juan
Pit. The handling, processing, and support infrastructure for mineral
resources recovered from the two pits is integrated into a single
system consisting of a three-stage crushing system, two drum
agglomerators, a single heap leach pad, SX/EW processing facility, and
support facilities. Each of the pits has an associated development rock
stockpile: For Dos Pobres immediately west of the pit, and for San Juan
immediately south of the pit. A clay borrow pit is located in the
southeastern portion of the Safford Mine Facility.
2. Proposed Action: FMSI has proposed the development of the
mineral resources associated with the Lone Star ore body, located on
FMSI's privately owned lands and proximate to the existing Safford Mine
Facility. Development of the Lone Star copper ore body (the Lone Star
Project) was considered as a Reasonably Foreseeable Future Action
(RFFA) and was included in the NEPA review of cumulative impacts for
the 2003 FEIS. The applicant has designed the proposed Lone Star
Project to make use of as much of the existing Safford Mine Facility
infrastructure as is practicable. Although the location of the open pit
for the Lone Star Project is tied to the physical location of the
mineral resource, the locations of the remaining project elements have
been optimized to continue using existing infrastructure wherever
possible. New elements anticipated as necessary for the development of
the Lone Star Project include the open pit, a heap leach stockpile and
associated solution management systems, development rock stockpiles,
the ore haulage/conveyance route between the pit and crusher,
additional power distribution infrastructure, an expanded clay borrow
source, and additional stormwater management facilities.
The Lone Star Project proposes discharges to waters of the U.S. for
the development and operation of the heap leach stockpile, the
development rock stockpiles, the haul road, and for the expansion of
the clay borrow pit. Continued use of the existing facilities including
the existing crushing facilities, SX/EW facilities, the majority of the
existing support infrastructure for the current leach pad, and the mine
access road are not anticipated to require the discharge of fill to
waters of the U.S. Construction and operation of the remaining Lone
Star Project elements including the open pit and power distribution
infrastructure are not anticipated to require the discharge of
additional fill to waters of the U.S.
3. Issues: There are several potential environmental issues that
will be addressed in the Draft EIS. Additional issues may be identified
during the
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scoping process. Issues initially identified for evaluation in the
Draft EIS include:
a. Visual/aesthetics impacts from landform alterations,
b. air quality impacts from construction and operation of the
facility,
c. cultural resources (prehistoric and historic resources),
d. surface water hydrology and quality,
e. groundwater hydrology and quality,
f. potential land use incompatibility,
g. noise impacts from construction and operation,
h. socioeconomic effects,
i. soils and geology resources,
j. transportation network impacts,
k. environmental justice
l. biological impacts
m. impacts to waters of the U.S., and
n. cumulative impacts.
4. Alternatives: Alternatives to the proposed action are being
developed for evaluation in the EIS. The Draft EIS will include a co-
equal level of analysis of the No-Action and project alternatives
considered. Alternatives will be further formulated and developed
during the scoping process.
5. Scoping: The Corps will conduct a public scoping meeting in an
open house format for the proposed Lone Star Ore Body Development
Project Draft EIS to receive public comment and to assess public
concerns regarding the appropriate scope and preparation of the Draft
EIS. Participation in the public meeting by federal, state, local, and
tribal agencies and other interested organizations is encouraged. The
meeting will be held on February 4, 2015, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
(Arizona Time Zone) at the Manor House Convention Center, 415 E. U.S.
Highway 70, Safford, Arizona 85546. Representatives from the Corps and
Freeport-McMoRan Safford Inc. will provide a presentation for attendees
at 7:00 p.m. Comments on the proposed action, alternatives, or any
additional concerns should be submitted in writing. Written and
electronic comment letters will be accepted through February 20, 2015.
The Corps also anticipates formally consulting with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and
with the State Historic Preservation Officer and appropriate Tribal
Historic Preservation Officers under section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
6. Availability of the Draft EIS: The Draft EIS is expected to be
published and circulated in the fourth quarter of 2015, and a public
meeting will be held after its publication.
Dated: December 12, 2014.
David J. Castanon,
Division Chief, Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2014-30864 Filed 1-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P