[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 7035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-3697]



[[Page 7035]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[UT-060-05-3800-006, UTU-72499]


Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for SUMMO USA Corporation; Lisbon Valley Open Pit Copper Mine in San 
Juan County, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the final environmental impact 
statement prepared for SUMMO USA Corporation's Lisbon Valley Open Pit 
Copper Mine in San Juan County, Utah.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 202 of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been 
prepared, under third party contract, by the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Moab District Office. The FEIS has been prepared to analyze 
impacts and alternatives for SUMMO USA Corporation's proposed Lisbon 
Valley Open Pit Copper Mine. The proposed project would occur on 1103 
acres of federal, state, and private lands located in San Juan County, 
Utah.
    Copies of the FEIS can be obtained from the Moab District Office at 
82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab, Utah, or by calling (801) 259-6111 and 
requesting a copy of the document. Additionally, copies of the FEIS 
will be distributed to all attendees at the scoping meetings, public 
meeting, and individuals, agencies or companies that have previously 
submitted comments or requested to be placed on the mailing list to 
receive a copy of the FEIS.

DATES: Following Federal Register publication by the Environmental 
Protection Agency of the Notice of Availability of the FEIS, a 30 day 
review period will be provided prior to issuance of the Record of 
Decision. The anticipated date of EPA Federal Register publication is 
February 14, 1997. The Record of Decision would not be issued until 
after the 30 day review period is complete.

ADDRESSES: Request for copies of the FEIS should be addressed to: Kate 
Kitchell, Moab District Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 82 East 
Dogwood Avenue, Moab, Utah, 84532.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Lynn Jackson, Project Coordinator, Moab 
Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab, 
Utah, 84532, (801) 259-6111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS analyzes a proposal by SUMMO USA 
Corporation of Denver, Colorado, to develop an open pit copper mining 
and heap leaching operation on 1103 acres of private fee lands, state 
leases and unpatented mining claims in south Lisbon Valley, located 
approximately 18 miles southeast of LaSal, Utah, in San Juan County, 
Utah.
    The copper ore would be mined by conventional open pit mining 
methods from four open pits, encompassing 231 total acres, utilizing 
drilling, blasting and ripping of the ore and associated overburden. 
Approximately 93 million cubic yards of overburden would be removed and 
stockpiled in three waste dumps encompassing 394 acres total.
    Approximately 42 million cubic yards of copper bearing ore would be 
mined from the pits and hauled by truck to a 266 acre lined leach pad. 
The ore would be crushed and stacked on the leach pad to a height of 
100 feet. The copper would then be recovered by a heap leaching method, 
utilizing low concentrations of sulfuric acid trickled through the 
stacked ore pad. The leached copper solution would emanate from the 
bottom of the leach pad, and be recovered in lined ponds after 
percolating through the stacked ore. This recovered solution would be 
further refined by standard solvent extraction and electrowinning 
processes located on-site.
    The project is currently projected to have a 10 year mining life. 
The facilities are designed to mine an average of 16,500 tons of ore 
per day, to produce 17,000 tons of 99.99% pure copper cathodes per 
year. SUMMO would employ up to 143 people at one time over the life of 
the project. The construction workforce would be approximately 80 
people. Processing would continue after mining ceases for an additional 
one year.
    To the extent possible, reclamation would occur simultaneously with 
mining. Final closure and reclamation activities would take 
approximately 5 years. All waste dumps and the leach pad would be 
reclaimed in place by covering with a 12 inch layer of cover soil and 
re-vegetating. The leach pad would be rinsed with fresh water and 
chemically treated to reduce residual acidic levels in the stacked ore 
to neutral pH levels prior to closure. The 231 area of open pits would 
remain. Long-term monitoring of potential groundwater impacts would 
occur for a period of 25 years after mining operations are completed. 
Summo has proposed a reclamation bond of $8.6 million dollars. 
Provisions would also require the posting of a long-term trust bond 
commensurate with the long-term monitoring requirements, to provide 
financial assurances in the event long-term monitoring identifies 
adverse impacts.
    The FEIS analyzes environmental impacts from SUMMO's proposal, 
along with four alternatives designed to mitigate environmental impacts 
associated with this project, as identified during the scoping and 
public comment process. These alternatives are: (1) No Action, (2) Open 
Pit Backfilling, (3) Facility Layout, and (4) Waste Rock Selective 
Handling.
    BLM's Preferred Alternative is a combination of the Facility Layout 
Alternative and the Waste Rock Selective Handling Alternative, which in 
essence would allow the project to proceed with modifications to the 
layout of waste rock dumps to minimize impacts to soils, sedimentation 
and visual resources, along with selectively handling potentially acid 
generating waste rock in the waste dump piles to eliminate to the 
extent possible the potential for long-term acid generation at the 
project site.

    Dated: February 3, 1997.
 Katherine Kitchell,
 Moab District Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-3697 Filed 2-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P