[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 248 (Thursday, December 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61533-61534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28060]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, Montana Montanore
Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The Kootenai National Forest (KNF) will prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on a proposed federal action,
which is approval of a Plan of Operations for the Evaluation Phase of
the Montanore Project (Project) The Project is a proposed underground
copper and silver mine located about 18 miles south of Libby, near the
Cabinet Mountains within the Libby Ranger District, Kootenai National
Forest, Lincoln County, Montana. The Montanore Project is proposed by
Montanore Minerals Corp. (MMC), a subsidiary of Hecla Mining Co.
DATES: Scoping is not required for an SEIS (40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4)). The
Forest Service is not inviting comments at this time. The draft SEIS is
expected to be available for public review and comment in the first
quarter of 2018 and the final SEIS is expected to be issued in the
second quarter of 2018. The comment period for the draft SEIS will be
for 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Kootenai National Forest, 31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT
59923.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Hagarty, Project Coordinator,
Kootenai National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 31374 U.S. Highway 2,
Libby, MT 59923-3022. Inquiries can be made by phone at (406) 293-6211
or via email at [email protected].
[[Page 61534]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This SEIS and related proposed federal
action, which is the approval of a Plan of Operations for the
Evaluation Phase of the Montanore Project, is being completed
consistent with the Organic Administration Act, the Locatable Minerals
Regulations (36 CFR 228 Subpart A), and the Multiple Use Mining Act.
The KNF issued a Joint Final Environmental Impact Statement (JFEIS) in
December 2015 and a Record of Decision (ROD) in February 2016. The
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) also issued a ROD in
February 2016 that provided the State's approval of the Evaluation
Phase of the project. In a U.S. District Court opinion issued on May
30, 2017 in a consolidated case (Save Our Cabinets v. U.S. Dep't of
Agric., No. CV-16-53-M-DWM and Libby Placer Mining Co. v. U.S. Forest
Serv., No. CV 16-56-M-DWM), the U.S. District Court ruled that the
Forest Service violated, in various respects, the Clean Water Act, the
Organic Administration Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the
National Environmental Policy Act by approving the Montanore Project.
In a separate opinion in Save Our Cabinets v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Serv. (No. CV 15-69-M-DWM) issued concurrently with the first, the
Court ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) because the No Jeopardy conclusions
regarding bull trout and grizzly bears were flawed and that the Forest
Service violated the ESA by relying on the flawed Biological Opinions.
The Court vacated the Forest Service decision approving the project and
remanded the 2016 ROD and JFEIS back to the Forest Service for further
action, ``either through issuing a new Record of Decision that approves
only the Evaluation Phase or one that again addresses the entire
project.'' Furthermore, the Court stated that the primary problem with
the 2016 ROD was that it approved the entire project, not just the
Evaluation Phase. The Court also remanded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service its 2014 Biological Opinions. The SEIS will describe the
activities that would occur during the Evaluation Phase of the
Montanore Project, clarify what effects would occur as a result of
those activities, and update resource analyses if there are significant
new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and
bearing on the Evaluation Phase or its impacts in order to ensure a
complete analysis of the environmental effects of the proposed federal
action.
Following is a brief summary of the Evaluation Phase of the
Montanore Project, as it would occur under Alternative 3 selected by
the KNF in its 2016 ROD. Detailed descriptions of the alternatives
studied in detail are provided in the Joint FEIS and ROD, which can be
can be viewed or downloaded from the following website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/kootenai/landmanagement/projects.
Evaluation Phase
The purposes of the Evaluation Phase would be to: (1) Expand the
knowledge of the mineralized zones of the deposit; (2) assess and
define the mineralized zone within established valid existing rights;
and (3) collect, provide, and analyze additional geotechnical,
hydrological, and other information necessary for preparation of a mine
plan for subsequent phases. An updated mine Plan of Operations would be
required should MMC decide, based on the assessment of the orebody and
other information collected during the Evaluation Phase, to pursue
subsequent phases of the project. Information collected during the
Evaluation Phase would be used to confirm and update the analysis for
subsequent phases that was provided in the JFEIS, should the KNF
receive an updated mine Plan of Operations for subsequent project
phases.
The Evaluation Phase is anticipated to last 18 to 24 months. MMC
would dewater the full extent of the existing Libby Adit and develop an
additional 10,500 feet of drifts and 35 drill stations above the
currently defined ore zones. MMC would drill ahead of the drifts and
keep all drill stations 300 feet from the Rock Lake Fault and 1,000
feet from Rock Lake. The drill core would be used to support resource
modeling, mine planning, metallurgical testing, preliminary hydrology
assessment, and rock mechanic studies for the full Montanore Project.
An estimated 287,000 tons (140,000 cubic yards) of waste rock would be
generated and stored on private land at the Libby Adit Site. The waste
rock storage areas would be lined to collect runoff from the area and
seepage through the waste rock.
Water from the Libby Adit and from the waste rock storage area
would be treated before discharging to MPDES-permitted outfalls. The
MPDES permit MT0030279, which the DEQ issued in 2017, sets effluent
limits and establishes monitoring for wastewater discharges from the
Libby Adit Water Treatment Plant. Treated water would be discharged to
a percolation pond located at the Libby Adit Site.
MMC would use Tier 4 generators, if available, or Tier 3 generators
for all Evaluation Phase activities and would be subject to the limits,
emission controls, and mitigations required by its Air Quality Permit
(MAQP #3788-00). MMC would also use Tier 4 engines, if available, or
Tier 3 engines on underground mobile equipment and use ultra-low sulfur
diesel fuel in generator and underground mobile equipment engines
during the Evaluation Phase.
In addition to underground activities, MMC would conduct field
studies on National Forest System lands between Poorman and Little
Cherry Creeks. The field studies would include a site reconnaissance
and a drilling and sampling program to evaluate site geology,
groundwater conditions and water quality. Surface disturbances would be
reclaimed.
If MMC does not pursue subsequent phases of the project or if those
phases are not approved by the Forest Service, MMC would install a
concrete-reinforced hydraulic plug in the adit, reconstruct the
original adit plug, remove all surface facilities, and regrade and
revegetate the disturbed areas. Monitoring that would occur during the
Evaluation Phase is described in Appendix C of the JFEIS.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The USDA Forest Service is the Lead Agency for this project. Other
agencies may become a Cooperating Agency as the SEIS progresses.
Responsible Official
Christopher Savage, Forest Supervisor Kootenai National Forest,
31374 U.S. Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923 is the Responsible Official for
the Montanore Project.
Dated: December 8, 2017.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-28060 Filed 12-27-17; 8:45 am]
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