[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29538]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 2, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[NV-010-95-1990-00]

 

Elko District, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
on a mining Plan of Operations for Newmont Gold Company in Eureka and 
Elko Counties, Nevada; and notice of scoping period and public 
meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 and 43 CFR Part 3809, the Bureau of Land Management 
will be directing the preparation of an EIS to be prepared by a third-
party contractor on the impacts of a proposed Plan of Operations for 
gold mining by Newmont Gold Company, in Eureka and Elko Counties, 
Nevada. The Bureau invites comments on the scope of the analysis.

DATES: Scoping meetings will be held December 7, 1994, at the Bureau of 
Land Management, Elko District Office, 3900 E. Idaho, Elko Nevada, and 
on December 8, 1994, at the Holiday Inn, 1000 E. 6th St., Reno, Nevada, 
to identify issues and concerns to be addressed in the EIS. Both 
meetings are scheduled from 7:00-9:00 pm. Representatives of Newmont 
Gold Company will be available to answer questions about the Plan of 
Operations. Additional scoping meetings may be held as appropriate. 
Written comments on the Plan of Operations and the scope of the EIS 
will be accepted until January 3, 1995.
    A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is expected to be 
completed by the summer of 1995, and made available for public review 
and comment. At that time a Notice of Availability of the DEIS will be 
published in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will 
be 60 days from the date the Notice of Availability is published.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scoping comments may be sent to: 
District Manager, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 831, Elko, Nevada 
89803. ATTN: Bootstrap EIS Coordinator. For additional information, 
write to the above address or call Deb McFarlane at (702) 753-0200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Newmont Gold Company of Carlin, Nevada, has 
submitted a Plan of Operations to re-open their Bootstrap open pit mine 
and initiate mining at the Tara open pit mine, located 1,500 feet south 
of Bootstrap. The proposed mines and associated facilities are located 
in portions of Sections 2, 3, 10, 11, 14, and 15 of Township 36 North, 
Range 49 East, MDM; approximately 30 air miles northwest of Carlin, 
Nevada. Newmont developed the Bootstrap open pit mine in 1974, and the 
heap leach facility in 1977. Operations were conducted through 1984. 
Newmont performed closure and reclamation procedures on the leach 
facility during 1987 and 1988. The proposal is to re-open the Bootstrap 
pit and develop the new Tara pit, create two new waste dumps, develop a 
new heap leach facility, and reroute and upgrade the existing access 
and haulage roads. Following public notice and comment, Newmont 
acquired a permit from the Army Corp of Engineers to divert Boulder 
Creek around the planned mining activities. Diversion construction has 
commenced on private land and is expected to be completed in early 
1995. Previous surface disturbance was to 121 acres of public land and 
153 acres of private land. Part of the proposed operation would be 
confined to previously disturbed areas. Additional surface disturbance 
is anticipated on approximately 802 acres of public land and 288 acres 
of private land.
    The issues expected to be analyzed in the EIS include potential 
impacts to cultural resources, wildlife, pit water quality, air 
quality, soils, vegetation, hazardous materials, paleontology, and 
social and economic values. Cumulative impacts will also be addressed. 
In addition, the following resources will be analyzed: recreation and 
wilderness, geology, range management, lands and realty, visual 
resources, and land use planning. The analysis will be conducted by an 
interdisciplinary team.
    A range of alternatives (including but not limited to alternative 
reclamation measures and the no-action alternative) will be developed 
to address the issues. Mitigating measures will be considered to 
minimize environmental impacts and to assure that the proposed action 
does not result in undue or unnecessary degradation of public lands.
    Federal, state and local agencies and other individuals or 
organizations who may be interested in or affected by the Bureau's 
decision on the Plan of Operations are invited to participate in the 
scoping process with respect to this environmental impact analysis. 
These entities and individuals are also invited to submit comments on 
the DEIS.
    It is important that those interested in the Plan of Operations 
participate in the scoping and commenting process. Comments should be 
as specific as possible.
The tentative project schedule is as follows:

Begin Public Comment Period--December 1994
Issuance of Draft Environmental Impact Statement--Summer of 1995
File Final Environmental Impact Statement--Winter of 1995/1996
Record of Decision--Winter of 1995/1996
Begin Construction of Operation--Spring of 1996

    The Bureau of Land Management's scoping process for the EIS will 
include: (1) Identification of issues to be addressed; (2) 
Identification of viable alternatives; (3) Notification of interested 
groups, individuals and agencies so that additional information 
concerning these issues, or other additional issues, can be obtained.
Rodney Harris,
Elko District Manager.
[FR Doc. 94-29538 Filed 12-1-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P