[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]