[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 86 (Thursday, May 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19606-19607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10847]



      
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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 86 / Thursday, May 2, 1996 / 
Notices  

[[Page 19606]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


GRIFFON Project; Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests, White Pine 
County, Nevada

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 gold mining project in the 
White Pine Range northwest of Ellison Guard Station in White Pine 
County, Nevada (T14N, R58N, sec 24 & 25). This EIS will be prepared by 
contract and funded by the proponent, Alta Gold Company. (Alta).

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be 
received by May 31, 1996 to ensure timely consideration.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: David Valenzuela, Project Team 
Leader, Ely Ranger District, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests, PO Box 
539, Ely, Nevada 89301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Direct questions about the proposed project and preparation of the EIS 
to David Valenzuela, Project Team Leader, at the same address, 
Telephone: 702-289-3031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Alta has submitted to the Humboldt-Toiyabe 
National Forests, a Proposed Plan of Operations (POO) for a new mine in 
White Pine County, Nevada. The POO describes the proposed mining 
development activities and operational and reclamation procedures for 
the GRIFFON Project. The proposal includes developing two open pits. 
Waste rock dumps, soil stockpiles, ore stockpile, haul roads and 
support facilities would also be developed. Ore would be processed at a 
proposed mill-site located on the project site.
    The proposal would affect approximately 161 acres of public 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 
White Pine 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 Monica 
J. Schwalbach, Assistant Forest Supervisor for the Central Nevada 
Ecosystem of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests is the responsible 
official. She will make a decision to approve the proposed Plan of 
Operations or one of the alternatives analyzed. Alta's rights under the 
1872 Mining Law as amended, applicable Forest Service regulations and 
the Humboldt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plant (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 November 1996. 
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 notice 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

[[Page 19607]]

Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these 
points.
    Pursuant to 7 CFR, Part 1, Subpart B, Section 1.27, all written 
submissions in response to this notice shall be made available for 
public inspection including the submitter's name, unless the submitter 
specifically requests confidentiality. Anonymous comments will be not 
accepted. All written submissions from business entities and 
organizations, submitted on official letterhead, in response to this 
notice shall be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: April 22, 1996.
Monica J. Schwalbach
Assistant Forest Supervisor, Central Nevada Ecosystem, Humboldt-Toiyabe 
National Forests.
[FR Doc. 96-10847 Filed 5-1-96; 8:45 am]
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