[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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