[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 156 (Friday, August 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49238-49239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20438]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6609-9]


Pogo Gold Mine Project in Delta Junction, Alaska; Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--Region X.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Pogo Gold Mine Project in Delta Junction, Alaska.

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PURPOSE: In accordance with Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), EPA has identified a need to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and therefore issues this 
Notice of Intent in accordance with 40 CFR 1507.7.

For a Copy of the Scoping Document and to be Placed on the Project 
Mailing List Contact: Matthew Harrington, EIS Project Officer, Office 
of Water, (M/S-130), U.S. EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, 
Washington 98101, Telephone: (206) 553-0246.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will evaluate the 
impacts associated with the development of a 1.3 million ton per year 
gold mine in the Goodpaster Valley, 38 miles northeast of Delta 
Junction, Alaska. The project would consist of an underground mine 
designed to feed gold ore to the mill at an initial rate of 
approximately 2,500 tons per day (tpd). This would increase to 3,500 
tpd over time. The property

[[Page 49239]]

would produce 375,000 ounces (oz) of gold annually at start-up, 
increasing to 500,000 oz per year. The Pogo project would require 2 to 
3 years to construct and would have an operating life of 12 years based 
on the current ore reserves. The administrative actions that the EIS 
must address include issuing an EPA Clean Water Act (CWA) National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and a United 
States Corps of Engineers CWA 404 permit. The EIS will also address 
issues related to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 
access and mining authorizations.
    Alternatives: The alternatives to be evaluated include at this time 
the ``no action'' alternative, various dry tailings disposal site 
alternatives, transportation corridor alternatives, various power 
alternatives, and reclamation alternatives. The proposed project is a 
joint venture between Teck Resources, Inc., and subsidiary companies of 
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Corporation of Tokyo, 
Japan. Teck Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Teck 
Corporation of Vancouver, Canada, is the operator of the project.
    Scoping: Scoping meetings for the purpose of identifying issues to 
be evaluated in the EIS will be held in Delta Junction and Fairbanks, 
Alaska, on September 26 and September 27, respectively. The exact 
location and times of the meetings will be announced in local 
newspapers. The public is invited to attend and identify issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS. A scoping document that explains in 
greater detail the project and alternatives identified at this time is 
being sent to known interested parties as of the date of this notice of 
intent. The public can obtain a copy of the scoping document by 
contacting Matthew Harrington at the phone number and address listed 
above in this notice.
    Estimated Date of DEIS Release: February 1, 2001.
    Responsible Official: Charles E. Findley, Acting Regional 
Administrator.

Anne N. Miller,
Acting Director, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 00-20438 Filed 8-10-00; 8:45 am]
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