[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38122-38123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13018]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the Construction and Operation of an Open Pit Copper/Nickel/Cobalt/
Precious Metals Mine, an Ore Processing Plant, and Tailings Basin 
Proposed by PolyMet Mining, Inc. Near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes in St. 
Louis County, MN

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: PolyMet Mining, Inc., has applied to the St. Paul District, 
Corps of

[[Page 38123]]

Engineers (Corps) for a permit to discharge fill material into wetlands 
to facilitate the construction and operation of an open pit copper/
nickel/cobalt/precious metals mine in the low grade polymetallic 
disseminated magmatic sulfide NorthMet deposit in northeastern 
Minnesota, approximately 6 miles south of the town of Babbitt. The 
mining process would require the construction of waste and product 
stockpiles near the open pit. Ore processing would be conducted at a 
currently inactive taconite processing plant (modifications would be 
necessary), and ore tailings would be disposed of in a currently 
inactive taconite tailings basin adjacent to the processing plant. The 
processing plant and tailings basin are located about 8 miles west of 
the NorthMet deposit and about 5 miles north of the town of Hoyt Lakes. 
Ore would be transported from the mine to the processing plant via an 
existing railroad line. Construction of a railroad spur to the mine and 
a connecting railroad line to the plant site would be required. Project 
plans call for the mining of up to 32,000 tons of ore per day after 
overburden and waste rock stripping and stockpiling. Mining operations 
would be conducted 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, over the 20-
year life of the project. Processing the ore would involve crushing, 
grinding, flotation, and hydrometallurgical processing. Cathode copper 
(high purity metal) would be produced on-site by solvent extraction and 
electrowinning. The processing would produce other metals (nickel, 
cobalt, palladium, platinum, and gold) as precipitates rather than as 
finished metal. The precipitates would be shipped offsite for further 
refining.
    The project would require dredging or discharging fill material 
into an estimated 1,257 acres of wetlands. While some of the wetlands 
may be isolated, the majority of the wetlands are adjacent to the 
Partridge River, which is a tributary to the St. Louis River, which is 
a navigable water of the United States. A specific compensatory wetland 
mitigation plan has not yet been developed for the project. PolyMet 
Mining, Inc., has expressed interest in working with various interested 
federal and state agencies to develop an acceptable plan that would 
meet federal and state compensatory mitigation requirements. The 
discharge of fill material into waters of the United States requires a 
permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The final 
environmental impact statement will be used as a basis for the permit 
decision and to ensure compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the DEIS can be 
addressed to Mr. Jon K. Ahlness, Regulatory Branch by letter at U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, 190 Fifth Street East, St. Paul MN 55101-1638, 
by telephone at (651) 290-5381, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps and the State of Minnesota will 
jointly prepare the DEIS. The Corps is the lead federal agency and the 
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR) is the lead state 
agency. The U.S. Forest Service is a cooperating agency. The Corps and 
the MnDNR will prepare and release to the public a Scoping 
Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and a Draft Scoping Decision 
Document. The public will have 30 days to provide comments on those two 
documents. The Corps and the MnDNR will conduct a public scoping 
meeting in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota during the 30-day public comment 
period. A notice will be published or aired in local media once the 
meeting has been scheduled. Additional meetings will be conducted as 
needed. In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.5(c) and Corps policy, a third 
party contractor will be selected to prepare the DEIS. We anticipate 
that the DEIS will be available to the public in the summer of 2006.
    The DEIS will assess impacts of the proposed action and reasonable 
alternatives, identify and evaluate mitigation alternatives, and 
discuss potential environmental monitoring. Significant issues and 
resources to be identified in the DEIS will be determined through 
coordination with responsible federal, state, and local agencies; the 
general public; interested private organizations and parties; and 
affected Native American Tribes. Anyone who has an interest in 
participating in the development of the DEIS is invited to contact the 
St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers. Major issues identified to date 
for discussion in the DEIS are the impacts of the proposed project on:
    1. Natural resources including: Fishery, wildlife, vegetation, 
waters of the U.S., including wetlands, and riparian areas.
    2. Water quality, water quantity, groundwater, erosion, and 
sedimentation.
    3. Air quality.
    4. Social and economic resources.
    5. Downstream resources.
    Additional issues of interest may be identified through the public 
scoping meeting and agency meetings.
    The development of an open pit sulfide ore mine and associated ore 
processing and tailings facilities would be considered major in scope. 
The project: (1) Would have a significant adverse effect on wetlands 
(which are special aquatic sites), (2) has the potential to 
significantly affect water quality and groundwater, and (3) would also 
adversely affect plankton, fish, and wildlife. Our environmental review 
will be conducted to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Council 
of Environmental Quality Regulations, Endangered Species Act of 1973, 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and applicable laws and 
regulations.

    Dated: June 23, 2005.
Michael F. Pfenning,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 05-13018 Filed 6-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-CY-M