[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 172 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52736-52738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22614]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Buckhorn Mountain Project, a Supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for Crown Jewel Mine, Okanogan and 
Wenatchee National Forests, Okanogan County, WA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the USDA, Forest Service and the 
Washington State Department of Ecology will jointly prepare a 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for a proposal by 
Crown Resources Corporation (Crown) to develop a mine and mill for 
precious mineral extraction in the vicinity of Chesaw, Washington. The 
Buckhorn Mountain Project will supplement the Final environmental 
impact statement (FEIS) for Crown Jewel Mine, which was released 
February 7, 1997. The Buckhorn Mountain Project is located 
approximately 21 miles east of Oroville, Washington and 3\1/2\ miles 
south of the Canadian border. Crown proposes to develop an underground 
gold mine on Buckhorn Mountain approximately 3.5 air miles east of 
Chesaw, Washington in sections 24 and 25, T. 40 N., R. 30 E., W.M. with 
a satellite milling facility 2 miles south of Chesaw in Section 4, T. 
39 N., R. 30 E., W.M. The purpose of the SEIS will be to evaluate an 
underground mining and milling configuration that is different from the 
underground mining operation proposed in the Crown Jewel Mine FEIS. The 
proposed project will comply with the direction in the December 1989 
Okanogan National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest 
Plan), as amended. The Forest Plan provides the overall

[[Page 52737]]

guidance for management of NFS lands included in this proposal. The 
agencies invite written comments on the scope of this project. In 
addition, the agencies give notice of this analysis so that interested 
and affected individuals are aware of how they may participate and 
contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis must be received 
by October 20, 2003. Public information and scoping meetings are 
proposed to be held in September to provide information about the 
project to the public and to allow people to comment on the project. 
The Draft SEIS is expected to be filed in October 2004. The Final SEIS 
is expected to be filed in April 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions concerning the scope 
of the analysis to Phil Christy, Project Coordinator, Tonasket Ranger 
District, 1 West Winesap, Tonasket, Washington 98855 [Phone: (509) 486-
5137].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Direct questions about the proposed action and 
SEIS to Phil Christy, Project Coordinator, Tonasket Ranger District, 1 
West Winesap, Tonasket, Washington 98855 [Phone: (509) 486-5137].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for this action is to respond to the plan of 
operations and other permit applications submitted by Crown Resources 
Corporation to construct and operate a mine of the specific body of ore 
on Buckhorn Mountain, along with processing facilities, while 
protecting surface resources.

Proposed Action

    The Project would consist of an underground mine on NFS land and 
private land with an off-site mill and tailings facility on private 
land. The mineral deposit itself lies under both private and NFS lands. 
The ore would be transported from the mine to the mill site by road in 
highway-legal trucks. The majority of underground mine openings would 
be backfilled upon completion of mining. The backfill would consist of 
development rock from the mine and gravel excavated during development 
of the mill/tailings facility. A cement binder would be added to some 
of the backfill. Haul trucks would transport the backfill gravel to the 
mine site. Water used in the milling facility would be obtained using 
existing surface and ground water rights controlled by Crown. Water 
would be conveyed in a buried pipe from the location of the water 
rights to the mill for process use. The mine site would consist of 
approximately 27 acres of fenced surface facilities located above the 
ore deposit. Approximately 23 acres of NFS lands would be disturbed. 
The mill and tailings disposal facility would occupy approximately 90 
acres of private land. The transportation route from the mine to the 
mill is along a road alignment approximately 7 miles in length.
    Approximately 8 months of underground development work is required 
prior to initial ore production. The 88,000 tons of development rock 
generated during this initial period would be temporarily staged on the 
surface until returned underground as backfill. Construction of the 
mill, administrative office, and the tailings disposal facility would 
occur concurrently. Full-scale production of fifteen hundred tons of 
ore per day is likely to begin twelve months after project initiation. 
Commercial production is projected to continue for approximately 90 
months (7.4 years). Active physical decommissioning of site facilities 
would continue for approximately 2 additional years upon mining 
cessation, followed by a minimum of three additional years of 
reclamation monitoring and final closure. The estimated number of 
employees is 90 at the peak of construction activities and 150 during 
operations, including full time contract trucking employees. The SEIS 
will include analysis and development of mitigation measures and 
monitoring requirements for reclamation, environmental education of 
employees, spill prevention/emergency response planning, water quality 
monitoring, erosion and sediment control, air quality, wildlife impacts 
and protection, and public safety. Mill tailings, composed of dilute 
cyanide process solution and ground ore, is proposed to be detoxified 
using a closed circuit destruction process and piped to an engineered 
disposal facility on private land.

Possible Alternatives

    The Crown Jewel Mine FEIS analyzed a reasonable range of 
alternatives. The new underground mine proposal differs from the 
underground mine presented in the Crown Jewel Mine Final EIS, although 
some components remain the same. Because a reasonable range was 
established in the preceding FEIS, possible alternatives will be 
limited to alternative components to the underground mining/milling 
operation and will be based on the response to scoping.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Ecology 
will be joint lead agencies in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.5(b), and 
are responsible for preparation of the SEIS. The Washington State 
Department of Natural Resources will be a cooperating agency in 
accordance with 40 CFR 1501.6. Scoping will determine if additional 
cooperating agencies are needed.

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor for the Okanogan and Wenatchee National 
Forests will decide whether or not to permit a mining operation on 
Buckhorn Mountain, and if it is permitted, what mitigation measures and 
monitoring will be required. The Forest Supervisor will only be making 
a decision regarding operations on NFS lands.

Scoping Process

    Public participation will be especially important at several points 
during the analysis. The participating agencies will be seeking 
information, comments, and assistance from Federal, State, local 
agencies, Native American Tribe and other individuals and organizations 
who may be interested in or affected by the proposed project. This 
input will be used in preparation of the Draft SEIS. The scoping 
process includes:
    [sbull] Identifying potential issues not addressed in the Crown 
Jewel Mine EIS.
    [sbull] Identifying major issues to be analyzed in depth.
    [sbull] Identifying issues, which have been addressed by a relevant 
previous environmental analysis include the Crown Jewel Mine EIS.
    [sbull] Exploring additional potential components of an underground 
mine/mill alternative, which will be derived from issues recognized 
during scoping activities.
    [sbull] Identifying potential environmental effects of this 
project.
    [sbull] Determining potential cooperating agencies and task 
assignments.
    [sbull] Notifying interested members of the public of opportunities 
to participate through meetings, personal contacts, or written comment. 
Keeping the public informed through the media and/or written material 
(e.g. newsletters, correspondence, etc.)

Preliminary Issues

    A number of issues were identified in the Crown Jewel Mine EIS. The 
major issues identified concerned water quality and quantity, wildlife 
habitat impacts, increased traffic, the use of toxic materials for 
processing the ore, extraction impacts, potential spills, the

[[Page 52738]]

effects on the visual quality of the area, and social/economic impacts. 
Because of the very limited impacts to NFS lands, the current proposal 
minimizes the issues of wildlife habitat, extraction impacts and visual 
quality, and eliminates the issue of the use of toxic materials on NFS 
lands. Because of the change in the transportation route, the issue of 
potential spills on NFS lands is also minimized.

Permits or Licenses Required

    Numerous permits and licenses are required for this project. A list 
of these can be requested at the contact address above.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
development of the SEIS. The Forest Service is seeking public and 
agency comment on the proposed action to determine if any additional 
issues arise which were not already addressed in the Crown Jewel Mine 
EIS. Additional issues may lead either to other alternatives, or 
additional mitigation measures and monitoring requirements.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A Draft SEIS will be prepared for comment. Copies will be 
distributed to interested and affected agencies, organizations, and 
members of the public for their review and comment. The comment period 
on the Draft SEIS 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 
a Draft SEIS 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 SEIS stage but that are not raised 
until after the completion of the Final SEIS 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 participating agencies at a time 
when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the Final 
SEIS.
    To assist the participating agencies in identifying and considering 
issues and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft SEIS 
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 SEIS or the merits of the 
alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement. 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.
    In the Final SEIS, the participating agencies are required to 
respond to comments and responses received during the comment period 
that pertain to the environmental consequences discussed in the Draft 
SEIS and applicable laws, regulations, and policies considered in 
making a decision regarding the proposal.
    Comments received including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.
    The Forest Supervisor for the Okanogan and Wenatchee National 
Forest will be the responsible official for this SEIS and its Record of 
Decision. As the responsible official, the Forest Supervisor will 
document the decision and reasons for the decision in the Record of 
Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal 
Regulations (36 CFR part 215).

    Dated: August 28, 2003.
Richard Emmick,
Engineering, Lands and Minerals Group Leader.
[FR Doc. 03-22614 Filed 9-4-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M