[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30536]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 13, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-030-7122-03-8534]

 

Proposed Reestablishment of the Little Rock Mine in Grant County, 
New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and notice of scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Las Cruces District Office, will be directing the preparation of 
an EIS to be prepared by a third party contractor. The EIS will 
describe the potential impacts of the proposed reestablishment of the 
Little Rock open-pit copper mining project located approximately 10 
miles southwest of Silver City in Grant County, New Mexico. The 
proposed Little Rock Project would reestablish an open-pit copper 
mining operation at a site that was developed and operated sporadically 
between the 1950' and 1972. The proposed Little Rock Project would 
resume mining operations at the site and would have a projected 
operating life of between 2 and 4 years.
    The public is invited to participate in the planning process. A 
public scoping meeting will be held at the following time and location:

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    Time/Date                            Location                       
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7:00 p.m.,        Western New Mexico University, Light Hall Building,   
Jan. 5, 1995....   College Avenue (no street address), Silver City, New 
                   Mexico.                                              
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DATES: Written comments on the scoping process will be accepted through 
January 17, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Juan Padilla, Bureau of Land 
Management, 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Juan Padilla, BLM Las Cruces District 
Office, at (505) 525-4376.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1993, Phelps Dodge Mining Company 
submitted a Plan of Operations (POO) to reestablish mining activities 
at the Little Rock mine. Since it was indicated by the BLM that the 
preparation of an EIS would likely be required, no Environmental 
Assessment (EA) was done. Instead, Phelps Dodge agreed to proceed in 
preparing an EIS and completed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between 
themselves, the BLM, and the United States Forest Service (USFS) 
outlining the responsibilities of each party to the agreement.
    Phelps Dodge and the current owner, MM Holdings of San Jose, 
California, have entered into a lease-purchase agreement whereby Phelps 
Dodge has an option to purchase the Little Rock property pending a 
successful effort on its part to obtain the necessary environmental and 
operating permits and approvals.
    The Little Rock mine is a small oxide copper deposit located 
approximately 1 mile west of the existing Phelps Dodge mining operation 
at Tyrone, New Mexico. It has operated sporadically, most recently 
between 1970 and 1972, producing copper via leaching and subsequent 
copper cementation.
    As proposed in the POO, the project would be a conventional open-
pit mining operation with a daily production rate of as high as 160,000 
tons for a period of between 2 and 4 years. No processing or waste 
disposal facilities are planned for the project area. All material 
mined will be transported to the existing Tyrone mine facilities via a 
haul road to be constructed from the Tyrone mine to the project site. 
Overburden or other inert, non-mineralized materials will be 
transported to the existing Tyrone tailing dams for use as cover 
material for tailing dam closure or stockpiled for reclamation of the 
site. All leachable material will be processed at existing permitted 
processing sites at the Tyrone mine. All solid wastes generated at the 
Little Rock mine will be transported to and disposed of at existing 
permitted facilities at the Tyrone mine.
    No permanent facilities will be constructed for the operations 
proposed under this Plan, with the possible exception of dewatering 
facilities if required by the New Mexico State Engineer or the New 
Mexico Environment Department. Minimal associated facilities specific 
to future mining of this site will be required and will consist of a 
temporary office trailer, a dewatering system, a water pipeline and 
fill station to provide water for dust suppression, a 46kV power 
distribution system, and a fuel dock. All these facilities will be 
transported or aligned along the proposed haul road or existing routes 
and will be removed upon completion of mining.
    All mine overburden (waste) will be hauled off-site to be 
stockpiled on private property on top of existing, permitted Phelps 
Dodge tailing piles located northeast of the site. All suitable leach 
material mined from the site will be hauled to existing, permitted 
leach facilities on Phelps Dodge property. Existing leach and waste 
stockpiles from prior mining activities on the site would also be 
removed to these sites or remediated in-place, as required.
    Remaining waste products from the mining operations will be 
negligible since maintenance, office, and managerial functions will be 
located at the Tyrone mine. The Little Rock mine and associated 
facilities will be provided with trash dumpsters and will utilize the 
existing Tyrone solid waste landfill.
    Reclamation of some items (e.g., removal of existing foundations, 
stockpiles and trash) would be done prior to, or concurrent with, 
mining activities. All existing debris would be transferred to the 
Tyrone mine for recycling or disposal. All non-recyclable materials 
will be disposed of at Tyrone's existing solid waste landfill. 
Reclamation of the majority of the site will follow mining to allow 
final limits of disturbance to be determined.
    The EIS will address issues of geology and minerals, soils, water 
resources, vegetation, wildlife, range management, air quality, visual 
resources, reclamation, land use, access, recreation, wilderness, 
cultural resources, social and economic values, transportation and 
noise.
    The BLM has identified the following potentially significant 
impacts as requiring additional analysis: The quality and quantity of 
post-mining water generated by the open pit; the effect on surface 
water quality and riparian areas of the proposed haul road to the 
Little Rock site; and the effect on surface water quality and riparian 
areas of the proposed diversion of California Gulch around the Little 
Rock site.
    Because these issues were determined to require special 
investigation, it is anticipated that the majority of work for other 
resources will be limited to summarizing and incorporating by reference 
data and analyses from existing environmental studies as prescribed in 
40 CFR 1500.4 and 1500.5. Additional investigation may be indicated for 
other resources after review of existing data and comments received 
during the scoping process.
    BLM's scoping process for the EIS will include: (1) Identification 
of issues to be addressed; (2) identification of viable alternatives; 
and (3) notifying interested groups, individuals, and agencies so that 
additional information concerning these issues can be obtained. The 
scoping will consist of a news release announcing the start of the EIS 
process; letters of invitation to participate in the scoping process; 
and a scoping document which further clarifies the proposed action and 
significant issues being considered to be distributed to those on the 
mailing list and available upon request.

    Dated: December 7, 1994.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
District Manager, Las Cruces.
[FR Doc. 94-30536 Filed 12-12-94; 8:45 am]