[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8607-8608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3238]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Moapa Cement Plant, Limestone Quarry and Associated 
Facilities, Moapa Indian Reservation, Clark County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA), in cooperation with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians 
(Tribe), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and Ash Grove Cement 
Company (Ash Grove), will be gathering information needed for the 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and permits that 
may be issued by individual regulatory agencies. The information 
included in the EIS will be used to support the approval of multiple 
leases, right-of-way easements, special use permits, and/or other 
agreements between the Tribe and Ash Grove for the construction, 
operation, and maintenance of a proposed cement plant, a limestone 
quarry, other raw material extraction site(s) and infrastructure on the 
Moapa River Indian Reservation (Reservation) in Clark County, Nevada. 
The purpose and need for this proposed project is to provide an 
economic development opportunity for the Tribe, to provide a new source 
of cement in the southwestern United States, and to address the growing 
demand for cement in the United States. This notice also announces 
public scoping meetings to identify potential issues and alternatives 
for inclusion in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and implementation of this 
proposal must arrive by March 23, 2005. The public scoping meetings 
will be held March 9 and 10, 2005, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

ADDRESSES: You may mail, hand carry or telefax written comments to (1) 
Amy L. Heuslein, Regional Environmental Protection Officer, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Western Regional Office, P.O. Box 10, Phoenix, Arizona 
85001, 400 North Fifth Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, Telefax (602) 
379-3833; or (2) Kellie Youngbear, Agency Superintendent, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Southern Paiute Agency, 180 North 200 East, St. George, 
Utah 84771, Telefax (435) 674-9714.
    The March 9, 2005, public scoping meeting will be held at the Moapa 
Tribal Hall, Number 1 Lincoln Street, Moapa River Indian Reservation, 
Moapa, Nevada. The March 10, 2005, meeting will be held at the BLM 
Field Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Heuslein, (602) 379-6750, or Paul 
Schlafly, (435) 674-9720.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will assess the environmental 
consequences of BIA, BLM, EPA, ACOE and Tribal approval of the proposed 
long-term leases, right-of-way easements, special use permits and/or 
other agreements collectively involved in the development of a maximum 
of 2,200 acres of Reservation lands, encompassing all of the proposed 
project components described below. The proposed project area is 
located in the southern portion of the Reservation, in Township 16 
South, Range 64 East and Township 16 South, Range 65 East in Clark 
County, approximately 35 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. Ash 
Grove intends to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed project 
on the Reservation for a period of 75 years.
    The proposed cement plant would be constructed within a footprint 
encompassing approximately 160 acres (``plant site''), and have a 
production capacity of approximately 1.5 to 2.0 million tons of cement 
per year. Components of the cement production process include a quarry, 
grinding mills, unloading and storage areas, a kiln feed system, a 500 
foot tall pre-heater tower, and a clinker and cement cooling system. A 
core building on the proposed plant site would include a control room, 
offices, maintenance shops and an equipment fueling station. The 
proposed quarry location would include a small office, a maintenance 
shop building and an equipment fueling station.
    Fuel for plant components would principally be coal, possibly 
augmented by natural gas, oil/used oil, tire derived fuel and/or 
petroleum coke. Fuel would be shipped to the site via rail or truck. 
Natural gas would be supplied by buried pipeline from the existing Kern 
River Gas transmission pipeline, which is located in the Utility Right-
of-Way through the Reservation. Coal, liquid fuels, raw materials, in-
process materials and final product would be stored on the proposed 
plant site in silos, aboveground storage tanks or other enclosed 
structures. Electricity for the plant would be supplied by an overhead 
power line that would be constructed from either the Crystal Substation 
located approximately one-half mile to the south of the Reservation 
boundary, the Tortoise Substation located near the Reid Gardner power 
plant, or other source(s).
    A total of approximately 500 acre-feet per year of water would be 
used in the manufacturing process and for dust control in the proposed 
project. The water would be supplied from the Tribe's groundwater or 
surface water rights, or if sufficient tribal water is not available, 
acquired from yet to be identified non-tribal sources off of the 
Reservation. Water would be transported by construction of a new 
pipeline to the proposed plant site, quarry, and/or other locations as 
required for dust control, and stored in aboveground tanks.
    A new paved service road and railroad underpass would be 
constructed to provide access from the plant site to one of three 
Interstate 15 interchanges: the Crystal--Interstate 15 Interchange; the 
Apex--Interstate 15 Interchange; or the Ute--Interstate 15 Interchange. 
A railroad siding and loop track would be constructed to provide access 
to the Union Pacific railroad line. The various Portland cement 
products manufactured in this proposed plant would be loaded in trucks 
and rail cars on the plant site for shipment to customers via 
Interstate 15 and the Union Pacific Railroad.
    The quarry where drilling and blasting for limestone would occur 
would be developed in the Arrow Canyon Range on Reservation lands, 
involving approximately 1,300 acres in Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 of 
Township 16 South, Range 64 East. The quarried limestone would be 
crushed and delivered to the proposed cement plant site by belt 
conveyor, where it would be stored in an enclosed structure. Other 
additives or materials used in the cement manufacturing process would 
be delivered to the proposed plant site by truck or railroad and stored 
in enclosed structures. These materials mainly include coal, iron, 
silica, clay, alumina source and gypsum. Some additives or materials 
may be extracted from areas located on the Reservation, but if so, 
would be subject to separate leases or special use permits.
    The proposed cement plant is expected to generate limited amounts 
of hazardous waste per month from maintenance and laboratory activity, 
thus would be classified as a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity 
Generator. Any hazardous wastes generated would be inventoried and 
disposed of appropriately at an approved off-reservation hazardous 
waste recycling or disposal facility. In

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this and in all other respects, the proposed cement plant project would 
meet or exceed all federal, state and/or tribal criteria under 
applicable law.
    Significant issues to be addressed in the EIS include, but are not 
limited to air quality, geology and soils, surface and groundwater 
resources, biological resources including threatened and endangered 
species, cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, land use, 
aesthetics or visual resources, environmental justice, and Indian trust 
resources. The range of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the 
EIS may be expanded or reduced, based on comments received in response 
to this notice and at the public scoping meetings.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES 
section, during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address 
from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by the 
law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All submissions 
from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the 
Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), 
Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the exercise 
of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--
Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: February 10, 2005.
Michael D. Olsen,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-3238 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P