[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7783-7784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3275]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[NV-060-1990-01; N64-94-008P]


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Phoenix Project Mining Plan of Operation

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Battle Mountain Gold Company Phoenix Project Plan of Operation 
for mining in Lander County, 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 (NEPA) of 1969 as amended, and to 43 CFR Part 3809, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be directing the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed development of a new 
mill facility, expanded heap leaching and tailings impoundment in 
Lander County, Nevada. The EIS will be prepared by contract and funded 
by the proponent, Battle Mountain Gold Company. The BLM invites 
comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis.

DATES: Scoping meetings will be held on February 27, 1995, from 7-9 
p.m. at the Battle Mountain District BLM Office conference room, 50 
Bastian Rd., in Battle Mountain, Nevada; and on February 28, 1995, from 
7-9 p.m. at the Airport Plaza Hotel, 1981 Terminal Way, in Reno, 
Nevada. The purposes of these meetings are to identify issues to be 
addressed in the EIS, and to encourage public participation in the NEPA 
process. Representatives of the BLM and Battle Mountain Gold Company 
will be summarizing the Plan of Operations and the anticipated 
environmental impacts resulting from the project and will be accepting 
comments from the audience. Additional briefing meetings will be held 
as appropriate. Written comments on the Plan of Operation and the scope 
of the EIS will be accepted until April 14, 1995. A Draft EIS is 
expected to be completed by November of 1995, at which time the 
document will be made available for public review and comment.

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be sent to: BLM, Lynn Pettit, Phoenix 
Project EIS Project Manager, Battle Mountain District Manager, 50 
Bastian Rd., P.O. Box 1420, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.

[[Page 7784]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lynn Pettit, Project Manager, at (702) 635-4000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Battle Mountain Gold Mining Company has 
recently submitted a proposal to develop a mining facility at the south 
end of the Battle Mountain Range, in Lander County, Nevada, 
approximately 15 miles southwest of Battle Mountain. The proposed 
mining development will involve an expansion of the current heap 
leaching and tailings facilities, and a new mill. One extracted from 
proposed open pits will be processed for gold recovery by milling and 
heap leaching processes. Dewatering will be necessary in order to mine 
several of the proposed open pits. To prevent anticipated pit lake 
quality problems due to the composition of the host rock in one of the 
pits, Battle Mountain Gold is proposing a permanent ground water 
conveyance system that would begin at an entry way within the pit, 
travel downgradient through an underground drainage system to a portal 
opening and from there travel via an above ground channel to a location 
that would serve as an infiltration basin and/or wetland. The majority 
of the waste rock will be partially, or completely, backfilled into 
open pits and used to cap existing copper leach run-of -mine dumps. The 
total land disturbance (private + public) over the life of the mine 
could reach 1,909 acres. Land previously disturbed by mining related 
activity would make up 1,278 of these acres.
    Potentially significant and significant direct, indirect, 
cumulative and residual impacts from the proposal will be analyzed in 
the EIS. Significant issues to be addressed in the EIS include those 
relating to air quality, surface and ground water resources, 
geochemistry, reclamation, and social and economic values, and 
cumulative impacts. Additional significant issues to be addressed may 
arise during the scoping process. Federal, state, and local agencies 
and other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or 
affected by the BLM's decision on this plan of operation are invited to 
participate in the scoping process.

    Dated: January 30, 1995.
Michael C. Mitchel,
Acting District Manager.
[FR Doc. 95-3275 Filed 2-8-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-M