[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 71 (Thursday, April 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 19727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7480]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 71 / Thursday, April 14, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 19727]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Proposal by Alpha Calcit Arizona, Limited, To Operate a Marble 
Mine; Coronado National Forest, Douglas Ranger District, Cochise 
County, AZ

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Cancellation of notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, hereby cancels 
a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the proposed operation of a marble mine by Alpha Calcit 
Arizona, Limited. The NOI was published in the Federal Register on 
January 27, 2003 (Vol. 68, No. 17, FR 3856-3858). Preparation of this 
EIS is being terminated because there is presently insufficient data 
and information to characterize the mineral deposit in terms of quality 
and quantity and to sufficiently evaluate the proposed Plan of 
Operation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teresa Ann Ciapusci, Program Leader, 
Ecosystem Management and Planning, Coronado National Forest, 300 West 
Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701, (520) 388-8350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 31, 2001, the project proponent, 
Alpha Calcit Arizona, Limited, submitted a Plan of Operation to the 
Coronado National Forest requesting approval, under the Mining Law of 
1872, to reopen, expand, and operate an existing, non-operational 
marble quarry on the Tapia-Bliss mining claims in the Dragoon Mountain 
Range of southeastern Arizona. The Forest Service subsequently 
published a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to evaluate the proposal on January 27, 2003 (68 FR 
3856-3858).
    In general, the Plan of Operation proposed the (1) expansion of the 
existing quarry to obtain 100,000 short tons of marble, limestone, and 
related products annually for a period of 20 years; (2) construction of 
a crushing facility on private land approximately 2300 feet north of 
the center of the mine; (3) use of blasting material and heavy 
equipment to transport the product to the crushing facility; (4) 
construction of approximately 0.5 mile of new road to access the top of 
the exposed Escabrosa Limestone Formation and top bench of the mine; 
and (5) reconstruction (widening to about 30 feet) of approximately 0.5 
mile of existing access road from the Forest boundary to the mine. 
Because new road construction would be located in an area designated by 
the Forest Service as an Inventoried Roadless Area (http://roadless.fs.fed.us/states/az/coro.pdf), the project may be subject to 
regulations in Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations 294.12, and policy 
direction in Interim Directive Forest Service Manual 1925.

Abel M. Camarena,
Deputy Regional Forester, Southwestern Region.
[FR Doc. 05-7480 Filed 4-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P