[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 213 (Friday, November 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56567-56568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28019]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Managment, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for a mining Plan of Operations (POO) for the Kinross-Goldbanks 
Mine project, Pershing County, Nevada; and notice of scoping period and 
public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 and 43 CFR part 3809, the Bureau of Land Managment 
(BLM) will be directing the preparation of an EIS for the proposed 
development of a mine in Pershing County, Nevada. The EIS will be 
prepared by contract and funded by Kinross-Goldbanks Mining Company 
(KGMC). A public meeting will be held to identify issues to be 
addressed in the EIS, and to encourage public participation in the 
review process. Representatives of the BLM and KGMC will be summarizing 
the POO and accepting comments from the audience. The BLM invites 
comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis.

DATES: The scoping meeting will be held Wednesday, December 4, 1996 at 
the office of the Winnemucca District BLM, from 7-9 p.m. Written 
comments on the POO and scope of the EIS will be accepted until 
December 16, 1996. The Draft EIS is expected to be completed by July of 
1997, at which time the document will be made available for public 
review and comment.


[[Page 56568]]


ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be sent to: District Manager, 
Winnemucca District Office BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, 
NV 89445, Attn: Ken Loda, Project NEPA Coordinator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Loda, Winnemucca District Office 
BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445, phone (702) 623-
1500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Kinross-Goldbanks Mining Company of 
Winnemucca, Nevada, has submitted to the Winnemucca District Office of 
the BLM a POO for development of the Goldbanks Mine. This is a precious 
metals project located in Pershing County, approximately thirty miles 
south of Winnemucca, Nevada. The project site is located in the 
Goldbanks Hills on the east flank of the East Range. The project will 
ultimately consist of two separate mining areas and associated waste 
rock dumps, and a heap leach process area, various ancillary 
facilities, and two access roads. The total project area encompasses 
approximately 16,208 acres of BLM-administered public land and 160 
acres of fee land. Approximately 2,761 acres of public land will be 
disturbed by the proposed action. During the eleven year production 
life 85,583,000 tons of ore and 261,252,000 tons of overburden and 
interburden will be mined.
    Operations are scheduled to begin the spring of 1998. The Goldbanks 
Project will consist of two open pits and two rock waste rock dumps, a 
crushing facility and leach pad, a class III landfill site, 
bioremediation area, an office, laboratory and truck shop/warehouse 
facility, roads, power lines and water lines to support the operation. 
An existing road right-of-way to the project area has previously been 
obtained from the BLM. All proposed activities are planned on public 
land administered by the BLM. At present the only currently permitted 
activities are exploration drilling.
    Reclamation of the facilities will include detoxification of the 
heap leach facility, grading of the waste rock dumps and heap leach 
facility, removal of all buildings and facilities followed by topsoil 
replacement and revegetation. The Main Zone pit will not be backfilled 
but a berm will be constructed following mining. The KW pit may be 
backfilled to near natural ground level, or may be left unfilled.
    This EIS will address the issues of geology, minerals, soils, water 
resources, vegetation, wildlife, grazing management, air quality, 
aesthetic resources, cultural resources, ethnographic concerns, 
paleontological resources, land use, access, recreation, social and 
economic values related to project development.
    Federal, state, and local agencies and other individuals or 
organizations who may be interested in or affected by the BLM's 
decision on the POO are invited to participate in the scoping process. 
The Authorized Officer will respond to public input and comment as part 
of the final EIS. The decision regarding the proposal will be recorded 
as a Record of Decision, which is subject to appeal under 43 CFR part 
4.

    Dated: October 18, 1996.
Colin P. Christensen,
Acting District Manager, Winnemucca.
[FR Doc. 96-28019 Filed 10-31-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P