[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 145 (Friday, July 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35676-35678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16093]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVL00000. L51100000.GN0000. LVEMF1604790. 241A.18X; MO#4500101127]
Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Gold Rock Mine Project, White Pine County,
Nevada
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Gold Rock Mine Project, White Pine County,
Nevada.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Bristlecone
Field Office, Ely, Nevada, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Gold Rock Mine Project (Project), White Pine
County, Nevada, and by this notice is announcing its availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS for the Gold Rock Mine Project and
other documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the
Bristlecone Field Office: 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada. The
document is available for download on the internet at: http://on.doi.gov/1zAxyW9.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Ryan, Project Manager, (775)
289-1888; [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours.
The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during
normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gold Rock Mine Project would involve
construction and operation of an open-pit gold mine on public land in
White Pine County, Nevada. Midway Gold U.S. was the original proponent.
GRP Gold Rock, LLC Inc. (GRP) purchased the project in 2016. The
project would involve expansion of an existing open pit and
construction of two waste rock disposal areas, heap leaching facilities
with an adsorption/desorption refining plant, a carbon-in-leach plant,
a tailings storage facility, roads, ancillary support facilities, and
exploration areas. A 69kV power line would be built and tied into an
existing power line with the Pan Mine located north of the project
area. Water with which GRP has rights would be supplied via an existing
well located on BLM-administered lands south of the main Project
footprint. Construction and mining operations would occur within the
fenced 8,757 acres and would disturb 3,946 acres. The proposed action
also includes 200 acres of exploration disturbance in addition to the
267 acres of previously authorized exploration outside the fenced area.
The Final EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project site-
specific impacts (including cumulative effects) on all affected
resources. The Final EIS describes eight alternatives: (1) The Proposed
Action; (2) the Northern Power Line Route Alternative; (3) the Southern
Power Line Route Alternative; (4) the Northwest Main Access Route
Alternative, Northern Power Line Route; (5) the Northwest Main Access
Route Alternative, Southern Power Line Route; (6) the Modified County
Road Re-Route Alternative; (7) the Western Tailings Storage Facility
Alternative; and (8) the No Action Alternative.
1. Proposed Action
The proposed Project would be constructed and operated in the same
geographic area as the reclaimed and closed Easy Junior Mine. The
proposed Project consists of an open pit, two waste rock disposal
areas, a heap leach pad and processing ponds, a carbon-in-leach plant,
a tailings storage facility, haul and access roads, growth medium
stockpiles, ancillary support facilities, and exploration associated
with mining operation. Also under the Proposed Action, a 69-kV
transmission line would extend south from the Pan Mine, east of and
parallel to the approved Pan Mine Southwest Power Line, then extend
southeast to the mine area. The site would be accessed using the
existing main access route from US 50 on Green Springs Road (CR 5),
then west on BLM Road 1179 (BLM 1179)/CR 1204, then south on Easy
Junior Road (CR 1177) to the proposed mine area. Also under the
Proposed Action, a county road that currently passes through the Gold
Rock Mine Project area would be re-located onto existing and new BLM
and county roads. Total disturbance in the project area would be
approximately 3,946 acres.
[[Page 35677]]
2. Northern Power Line Route Alternative
The Northern Power Line Route Alternative was developed to minimize
potential impacts to Greater sage-grouse and its habitat due to surface
disturbance and from raptors using the power line between the Pan Mine
and the Project as a perch to hunt for prey. This power line route
would be shorter than the Proposed Action power line route. Fewer acres
of Greater sage-grouse Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA) and
General Habitat Management Area (GHMA) would be disturbed and fewer
acres of PHMA and GHMA would be located within 600 meters of the power
line, as compared to the Proposed Action.
3. Southern Power Line Route Alternative
The Southern Power Line Route Alternative also was developed to
minimize potential impacts to Greater sage-grouse and its habitat due
to surface disturbance and from raptors using the power line as a perch
to hunt for prey. This power line route would be shorter than Proposed
Action power line route or the Northern Power Line Route Alternative.
Fewer acres of PHMA and GHMA would be disturbed and fewer acres of PHMA
and GHMA would be located within 600 meters of the power line, as
compared to the Proposed Action power line or Northern Power Line Route
Alternative.
4. Northwest Main Access Route Alternative, Northern Power Line Route
The Northwest Main Access Route Alternative, Northern Power Line
Route was developed to address concerns about potential noise impacts
to Greater sage-grouse. It would include the benefits of the Northern
Power Line Route Alternative, and would move most mine-related traffic
away from known active Greater sage-grouse leks. This alternative would
also contribute to fewer potential vehicular collisions with big game
due to its distance away from a known migration route for the Ruby
Mountain mule deer herd.
5. Northwest Main Access Route Alternative, Southern Power Line Route
The Northwest Main Access Route Alternative, Southern Power Line
Route was developed to address concerns about potential noise impacts
to Greater sage-grouse. It would include the benefits of the Southern
Power Line Route Alternative and would move most mine-related traffic
away from known active Greater sage-grouse leks. This alternative would
also contribute to fewer vehicular collisions with big game due to its
distance away from a known migration route for the Ruby Mountain mule
deer herd.
6. Modified County Road Re-Route Alternative
The Modified County Road Re-route Alternative was developed to
lessen impacts to GHMA. This alternative would involve use of existing
roads rather than construction of a segment of new road in Greater
sage-grouse habitat.
7. Western Tailings Storage Facility Alternative
The Western Tailings Storage Facility Alternative was developed to
address concerns about potential surface disturbance impacts to PHMA
and loss of mule deer crucial winter range. Under this alternative, the
tailings storage facility would be located to the west of the heap
leach pile, outside of mule deer crucial winter range. The mine area's
eastern fence line would be shifted to the west to minimize restriction
of movement for Ruby mule deer herd in their crucial winter range.
8. No Action Alternative
The No Action Alternative would not include any activities
associated with the Proposed Action. Mineral resources in these areas
of expansion would remain undeveloped. The construction and operation
of the open pit, waste rock disposal areas, heap leach facilities,
mill, tailings storage facility, and support facilities would not occur
as currently proposed under the Proposed Action. The county road would
not be re-routed. The exploration activities previously authorized
under NVN-90376 for the project would continue, however. NEPA requires
analysis of the No Action Alternative.
The BLM's Preferred Alternative is a combination of the Northwest
Main Access Route Alternative, Southern Power Line Route (Alternative
5); the Modified County Road Re-route Alternative (Alternative 6); and
the Western Tailings Storage Facility Alternative (Alternative 7). This
Preferred Alternative would involve construction and operation of a
shorter power line route than the Proposed Action by following the
Southern Power Line Route. This power line would minimize surface
disturbance impacts to PHMA and GHMA, as well as minimize potential
raven and raptor predation of Greater sage-grouse. Total acres of
surface disturbance in the Preferred Alternative are PHMA 1,872; GHMA
1,641.
In addition, the Preferred Alternative would use the Northwest Main
Access Route, which would be located farther from known active leks
than the Proposed Action, minimizing potential noise impacts to Greater
sage-grouse. This route could contribute to fewer vehicular collisions
with big game due to its distance from a known migration route for Area
10 mule deer. The Preferred Alternative would use existing roads for
the county road re-route as presented under the Modified County Road
Re-route, minimizing new ground disturbance and impacts to GHMA.
The Preferred Alternative would incorporate the Western Tailings
Storage Facility Alternative by shifting the tailings storage facility
and related mine facility locations westward which would minimize
surface disturbance in PHMA and mule deer crucial winter range and also
would slightly increase the surface disturbance in GHMA.
The BLM identified action alternatives that would minimize impacts
to the Greater sage-grouse, as well as mitigation measures to further
avoid or minimize direct and indirect impacts PHMA and GHMA. In
addition, the proponent committed to effective environmental protection
measures, including mitigation measures to offset residual (long-term
un-reclaimed) direct surface disturbance.
The BLM prepared the Draft EIS in conjunction with its four
cooperating agencies: The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater
Reservation, Nevada; White Pine County Board of County Commissioners;
Eureka County Board of Commissioners; and the Nevada Department of
Wildlife (NDOW). After issuance of the Draft EIS, in accordance with a
Memorandum of Understanding between the BLM Nevada State Office and
California State Office, and the Nevada Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, and the USFS Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
completed on April 1, 2016, the BLM added the Nevada Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources Sagebrush Ecosystem Technical Team
(SETT) as a fifth cooperating agency.
The BLM prepared and published a notice in the Ely Times, the
Eureka Sentinel, the High Desert Advocate, and the Reno Gazette-Journal
informing the public of the availability of the Draft EIS for review.
The public was invited to provide written comments on the Draft EIS
during the 45-day comment period. The BLM conducted public meetings in
Ely, Eureka, and Reno during the review period for the Draft EIS.
A total of 26 individual comment submittals containing 253 discrete
comments were received from the cooperating agencies, the public, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
[[Page 35678]]
(EPA), and the internal BLM review. The BLM considered all comments and
incorporated them, as appropriate, into the FEIS. Those who submitted
comments on the Draft EIS expressed concerns about the handling of
leach solution and potentially acid-generating waste rock, and
potential impacts to groundwater quality; loss of mule deer crucial
winter range; potential impacts to Greater sage-grouse and their
habitat; potential indirect impacts to the Railroad Valley springfish;
loss of access to livestock grazing lands, including herding routes;
long-term impacts to forage resource health in areas impacted by the
proposed project; increased public accessibility to the area and
impacts on private property; potential impacts on wild horses;
potential impacts on Traditional Cultural Properties; socioeconomic
impacts to the communities of Ely and Eureka, and to White Pine and
Eureka counties; and particulate matter emissions and impacts to air
quality. There were also comments received in general support for the
mine. These public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying
text, but did not significantly change the analysis. The proponent
submitted a plan of operations for the Project in March 2013, and the
BLM and EPA published notices of the availability of the Draft EIS in
the Federal Register in February 2015. There have been several delays
to completion of this Final EIS since 2013 due to sale of the mine,
issuance of the Nevada and Northeast California Greater Sage-Grouse
Land Use Plan Amendment (2015), and requests by the proponent to
further address air quality concerns in 2016.The BLM has maintained on-
going coordination and consultation with the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe.
Both the BLM and GRP have committed to ongoing coordination through the
life of the mine and have a Programmatic Agreement in place with the
Nevada State Historic Preservation Office to address issues that arise.
Following a 30-day Final EIS availability and review period, the
BLM will issue a Record of Decision (ROD). The decision reached in the
ROD will be subject to appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
The 30-day appeal period will begin with the issuance of the ROD.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 40 CFR 1506.10.
Mindy Seal,
Field Manager, Bristlecone Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2018-16093 Filed 7-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P