[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 120 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31502-31504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-15719]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service


Environmental Impact Statement for the Thunder Mountain Project, 
Dewey Gold/Silver Mine, on the Krassel Ranger District of the Payette 
National Forest, Valley County, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for a proposal submitted by USMX Inc. USMX's proposal 
is to develop a new open pit gold/silver mine in the Thunder Mountain 
Mining District located in Valley County, Idaho. The mine would be 
located on private and National Forest System (NFS) lands

[[Page 31503]]

within the Krassel Ranger District of the Payette National Forest.

    The EIS will focus on: (1) construction of one mine pit, process 
facility, and haul road or conveyer on private land in the headwaters 
of Mule Creek, (2) construction of one waste dump on NFS land in the 
headwaters of Mule Creek, (3) construction of a dedicated heap facility 
on private land in Venable Saddle, and (4) the transportation of 
equipment and fuel across NFS lands to the mine site. The proposal will 
be referred to as the Dewey Mine project.
    The Forest Service invites comments on the scope of the analysis to 
be included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). In 
addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is beginning a full 
environmental analysis of this proposal and that interested or affected 
people may participate and contribute to the final decision. Issues 
raised will help establish the scope of the environmental analysis and 
develop the range of alternatives to be considered. The Forest Service 
welcomes any public or agency comments on this proposal.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by July 21, 1996, to ensure timely consideration. The Forest Service 
will conduct three open-house scoping meetings to allow interested 
parties an opportunity to identify issues and concerns. Representatives 
of the Forest Service and USMX will be available to answer questions 
about the proposed Plan of Operations.
    Meetings will be held as follows:

June 26, 1996, 7:00 pm (MDT) at the Payette National Forest 
Supervisor's Office, 800 West Lakeside Avenue, in McCall, Idaho.
June 27, 1996, 7:00 pm (MDT) at location to be announced, in Boise, 
Idaho.
July 1, 1996, 7:00 pm (MDT) at the Town Hall in Yellow Pine, Idaho.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions to: Dewey Mine EIS, 
Payette National Forest, P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho, 83638.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Direct questions about the proposed action and DEIS to Fred Dauber, 
Krassel District Ranger, Krassel District Office, P.O. Box 1026, 
McCall, Idaho, 83638, telephone (208) 634-0614.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USMX, Inc., has submitted to the Payette 
National Forest a proposed Plan of Operations for a new mine to be 
located in the Thunder Mountain Mining District in Valley County, 
Idaho. The Plan describes proposed development, operational, and 
reclamation activities for the Dewey Mine, an open pit precious metal 
(gold and silver) mining and cyanide heap leaching operation. The 
proposal includes the following components:
     Developing an open pit in the vicinity of existing 
underground and surface workings which were last worked in the early 
1980's by the Golden Reef Joint Venture.
     Constructing a synthetically lined pad and loading it with 
ore to which a sodium cyanide solution will be applied in order to 
leach gold and silver values. This pad will be at the location of the 
former Sunnyside Mine on-off leach pad used by Coeur d'Alene Mines 
Corporation in the late 1980's.
     Constructing one or more waste rock dumps near the open 
pits.
     Constructing and maintaining one or more soil stockpiles 
and an ore stockpile.
     Constructing haul roads or constructing a conveyor system 
to transport ore from the pit to the crusher.
     Constructing storage ponds for excess run-off and process 
solutions, including a lined pond in the partially backfilled Sunnyside 
Pit.
     Constructing or relocating one or more buildings in which 
gold recovery operations will occur and in which diesel generators for 
power generation will be located.
     Construction or relocation of storage tanks for diesel 
fuel.
     Reclaiming the site, including removal of roads and 
revegetation of the waste rock dumps and heap.
    Proposed mine development and operation would affect approximately 
223 acres within the Thunder Mountain Mining District, a 5,980-acre 
enclave within the Frank Church--River of No Return Wilderness. Of this 
223 acres, 80.9 acres are unpatented mining claims on public lands and 
142 acres are in private ownership. All of the affected acres have been 
disturbed to some extent by previous mining activities during the past 
100 years. In addition, development and operation of the mine would 
require the use of approximately 100 miles of County and Forest System 
roads.
    The EIS will consider a range of alternatives, including the no-
action alternative. Other alternatives will be developed or modified to 
address issues and mitigate impacts. Agencies and the public have 
expressed preliminary concerns regarding effects on: surface and ground 
water, air quality, soils, geology, wildlife, fisheries, socioeconomic 
and social impacts, recreation and visual resources, public safety and 
transportation, and cultural resources.
    The Forest Service will further expand and/or clarify issues based 
on public input provided during the scoping process. All interested and 
affected members of the public may participate in the scoping process. 
All interested and affected members of the public may participate in 
the scoping process. This process will include:

1. Identification of issues.
2. Identification of issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Development of alternatives.
4. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed action 
and alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and cumulative effects and 
connected actions).

    If requested, the Forest Service may make a copy of all comments 
provided in response to this Notice available to the public. This will 
include names, addresses, and any other personal information provided 
with the comments.
    David F. Alexander, Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest, 
McCall, Idaho, is the responsible official for this action. The DEIS is 
expected to be available for public review in May, 1997.
    The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will 
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
the notice of availability 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 reviewers position and contents. 
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 statement 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

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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 
raised by the proposed action, comments on the draft environmental 
impact statement or the merits of the alternatives formulated should be 
as specific as possible. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in 
addressing these points.
    The FEIS is scheduled to be completed and available to the public 
by August, 1997. The responsible official will document the decision 
and the reasons supporting it in a Record of Decision. That decision 
will be subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

    Dated: June 12, 1996.
Jerry D. Greer,
Planning Branch Chief, Payette National Forest.
[FR Doc. 96-15719 Filed 6-19-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M