[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72308-72309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6768]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-060-1990]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement To 
Analyze the Proposed Amendment to the Pipeline/South Pipeline Plan of 
Operations (NVN-067575) for the Cortez Hills Expansion Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior.

Cooperating Agency Nevada Department of Wildlife. Consultation is 
ongoing with the Environmental Protection Agency on Cooperating Agency 
status.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
to analyze the Proposed Amendment to the Pipeline/South Pipeline Plan 
of Operations (NVN-067575) for the Cortez Hills Expansion Project, 
Lander and Eureka Counties, Nevada, and notice of scoping period.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500-1508 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, and 43 Code of Federal 
Regulations 3809, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Battle 
Mountain Field Office will be directing the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze proposed pit and 
process facility expansions and development of a new open-pit gold mine 
and associated facilities, in Lander and Eureka counties, Nevada. The 
EIS will be prepared by a third-party contractor directed by the BLM 
and funded by the proponent, Cortez Gold Mines. The project will 
involve public and private lands in Lander and Eureka counties, Nevada. 
The BLM invites comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments on 
the scope of the EIS can be submitted in writing to the address below 
and must be post-marked or otherwise delivered by 4:30 p.m. on January 
3, 2006. Scoping meetings will be held in Crescent Valley and in Battle 
Mountain, Nevada. All scoping meetings will be announced through the 
local news media, newsletters or flyers, at least 15 days prior to each 
event. The minutes and list of attendees for each meeting will be 
available to the public and open for 30 days after the meeting to any 
participants who wish to clarify the views they expressed.
    The purpose of the public scoping meetings is to identify issues to 
be addressed in the EIS, and to identify potentially viable 
alternatives that address these issues. BLM personnel will be present 
to explain the NEPA process, mining regulations, and other requirements 
for processing the proposed Plan of Operations Amendment and the 
associated EIS. Representatives of Cortez Gold Mines will also be 
available to describe their proposal.

ADDRESSES: Written scoping comments should be sent to the Bureau of 
Land

[[Page 72309]]

Management, Battle Mountain Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle 
Mountain, Nevada 89820, ATTN: Chris Worthington. Written comments may 
also be faxed to Chris Worthington at (775) 635-4034. Documents 
pertinent to this proposal as well as comments, including names and 
street addresses of respondents, may be examined at the Battle Mountain 
Field Office during regular business hours (7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday 
through Friday, except holidays). Comments may be published as part of 
the EIS.
    Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name or street 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 law. All submissions from 
organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Worthington, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, Battle Mountain Field Office, 50 Bastian 
Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820 (775) 635-4144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cortez Gold Mines (CGM), on behalf of the 
Cortez Joint Venture, proposes to expand its Pipeline/South Pipeline 
Project, an existing open-pit gold mining and processing operation. The 
Pipeline/South Pipeline Project is located in north-central Nevada 
approximately 31 miles south of Beowawe in Lander County.
    The proposed Cortez Hills Expansion Project (Project) is located 
within Township 27 North (T27N), Range 47 East (R47E); T27N, R46E; 
T26N, R47E; T26N, R48E; T28N, R46E; and T28N, R47E in Lander and Eureka 
counties. The currently authorized disturbance area associated with the 
Pipeline/South Pipeline Project is 9,103 acres. Approximately 6,139 
additional acres of disturbance would occur as a result of the proposed 
mine expansion, most of which would occur on federal land administered 
by the Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain Field Office.
    The project would involve the construction and development of the 
following primary components in the Cortez Hills and Cortez Mine area: 
New open pit for development of the Cortez Hills and Pediment ore zones 
with an in-pit groundwater dewatering system; expansion of existing 
Cortez Mine open pits; two new heap leach facilities with associated 
solution ponds and two carbon-in-column facilities; new ore, subgrade 
ore, and growth media stockpiles; two new waste rock disposal 
facilities; expansion of the existing waste rock disposal facility at 
the Cortez Mine; new ancillary facilities (maintenance shop, 
administrative facilities, and fuel and lubricant storage facilities); 
new primary crusher, stock pile area, and 12-mile conveyor system; 
expansion of the existing tailings facility at the Cortez Mill; new 
water supply well(s) and associated power line and pipeline; potential 
new cross-valley water pipelines; Horse Canyon haul road modifications; 
relocation of existing county road and relocation of existing 69-kV 
transmission line segments in the project area; installation of a new 
120-kV transmission line and substation; new borrow area; and 
construction of a new land fill and reactivation of the existing 
landfill near the Cortez Mill.
    The project also would involve the construction or modification of 
the following primary components in the Pipeline/South Pipeline and 
Gold Acres areas:
    Expansion of the existing Pipeline waste rock disposal facility, 
relocation of the existing county road around the waste rock disposal 
facility expansion area, expansion of the existing Pipeline/South 
Pipeline open pit, and an increase in the Pipeline Mill processing 
capacity from the currently permitted 13,500 tons per day (tpd) to an 
average of 15,000 tpd.
    CGM proposes to mine the ore body in the Cortez Hills Expansion 
area concurrently with their existing Pipeline/South Pipeline ore 
bodies. Although a portion of the ore from the Cortez Hills Expansion 
area may be processed at the existing Cortez and/or Pipeline mills, the 
primary method of processing would be heap leaching at the Cortez Hills 
site. Construction and operation of the Cortez Hills Expansion Project 
is anticipated to be initiated in 2007. The life of the mine would 
include approximately 10 years of active mining and an additional 3 
years for on-going ore processing. Concurrent reclamation would be 
conducted during this period as areas become available. Site closure 
and final reclamation would continue for a few additional years.
    Potential significant direct, indirect, residual, and cumulative 
impacts from the proposed action will be analyzed in the EIS. 
Significant issues to be addressed in the EIS include dewatering 
activities, cultural and native American issues, and visual impacts. 
Additional issues to be addressed may arise during the scoping process. 
Federal, state, and local agencies, and other individuals or 
organizations that may be interested in or affected by the BLM's 
decision on this Plan of Operations amendment are invited to 
participate in the scoping process.

     Dated: October 26, 2005.
Gerald M. Smith,
Field Manager, Battle Mountain Field Office.
 [FR Doc. E5-6768 Filed 12-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P