[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28237]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: November 16, 1994]
VOL. 59, NO. 220
Wednesday, November 16, 1994
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
DASH Mining Project; Humboldt National Forest, Elko County, NV
AGENCY: Forest Service.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will be
directing the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the proposed development of an open pit and underground gold mining
project in Elko County, Nevada. This EIS will be prepared by contract
and funded by the proponent, Independence Mining Company Inc. (IMC).
DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held December 12, 1994 at the
Red Lion Inn and Casino, 2065 E. Idaho St., Elko, Nevada at 7:00 p.m.
Two informal open houses will also be held. The first will be held at
the Independence School, Tuscarora, Nevada on December 13, 1994 between
4 and 7 p.m. The second open house will be held at the Holiday Inn,
1000 6th Street, Reno, Nevada on December 14, 1994 between 3 and 7 p.m.
Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be
received by December 19, 1994 to ensure timely consideration.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: R.M. ``Jim'' Nelson, Acting Forest
Supervisor, Humboldt National Forest, 2035 Last Chance Road, Elko,
Nevada 89801.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Direct questions about the proposed project and preparation of the EIS
to Mary Beth Marks, Project Team Leader, Humboldt National Forest, 2035
Last Chance Road, Elko, Nevada 89801. Telephone: 702-738-5171.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: IMC has submitted to the Humboldt National
Forest, a Proposed Plan of Operations (POO) for additional mining
activities at its Jerritt Canyon Mine in Elko County, Nevada. The POO
describes the proposed mining development activities and operational
and reclamation procedures for the DASH Mining Project. The proposal
includes developing two open pits and mining of reserves by underground
methods. Waste rock dumps, soil stockpiles, pit backfills, ore
stockpiles, haul roads and support facilities would also be developed.
Ore would be processed at the existing Jerritt Canyon Millsite located
on BLM administered lands adjacent to the project site. The proposal
would affect approximately 700 acres of public and private lands.
Preliminary internal scoping has identified several issues which would
be addressed in the analysis process. The following list of issues is
not intended to be all inclusive. They are: impacts to ground and
surface water resources; impacts to grazing resources; impacts to
Waters of the United States including wetlands; mine economics;
threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and wildlife species; and
visual resources. These issues and any others identified during the
scoping process may be used to develop alternatives to the proposed
action. In addition, the No Action alternative will be considered in
the analysis.
Public participation is important during the EIS scoping process.
As part of the scoping process, the Forest Service will be seeking
information and comments from Federal, State, County and local agencies
and other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or
affected by the proposed actions. This input will be used in the
preparation of the draft EIS and final EIS.
Several government agencies will be invited to participate in this
project as cooperating or participating agencies. These agencies
include, but are not limited to, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nevada
Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Division of Wildlife, and
Elko County Board of Commissioners. In addition to the Plan of
Operations, various Federal, State, and local permits and licenses may
be required to implement the proposed action. These may include, but
are not limited to, a Section 404 permit, Water Pollution Control
Permit, Reclamation Permit for Mining Operations, and a General
Discharge Permit for Stormwater.
The Forest Service is the lead agency for this project and R.M.
``Jim'' Nelson, Acting Forest Supervisor of the Humboldt National
Forest is the responsible official. He will make a decision to approve
the proposed Plan of Operations or one of the alternatives analyzed.
IMC's rights under the 1872 Mining Law as amended, applicable Forest
Service regulations and the Humboldt National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan (1986) will be taken into account throughout the
analysis.
The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and be available for review in June of 1995. At
that time, EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS
in the Federal Register.
The comment period on the Draft EIS will be at least 45 days from
the date the EPA's notice of availability appears in the Federal
Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact stage but that are not raised until after
completion of the final environmental impact statement may be waived or
dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022
(9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very
important that those interested in this proposed action participate by
the close of the 45 day comment period so that substantive comments and
objections are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it
can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final
environmental impact statement. To assist the Forest Service in
identifying and considering issues and concerns on the proposed action,
comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be as
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific
pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also address the
adequacy of the draft environmental impact statement or the merits of
the alternatives formulated or discussed in the statement. Reviewers
may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations
for implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Dated: November 9, 1994.
R.M. ``Jim'' Nelson,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Humboldt National Forest.
[FR Doc. 94-28237 Filed 11-15-94; 8:45 am]
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