[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5877-5878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1515]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-320-06-7122-EO-8030]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Blackfoot Bridge Mine, Caribou County, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior, Pocatello Field Office.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 [NEPA, 102(2)(C)] and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Pocatello Field Office, will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to consider approval of the proposed Blackfoot Bridge 
Mine and Reclamation Plan (MRP) for proposed operations at the 
Blackfoot Bridge Phosphate Mine, Caribou County, Idaho, located 
approximately 9 miles northeast of Soda Springs, Idaho.

DATES: To receive full consideration, written comments concerning 
specific issues and the scope of the analysis described in this Notice 
should be received within 30 days of the last public scoping meeting. 
The scoping process for this EIS will include mailings, news releases 
or legal notices, and public scoping meetings. The dates, times, and 
specific locations of the scoping meetings will be announced through 
local media at least 15 days in advance.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jerry Koblitz, Greystone 
Environmental Consultants, Inc., 5231 Quebec Street, Greenwood Village, 
CO 80111. They may also be submitted in writing at one of the public 
meetings or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle Free, Bureau of Land Management, 
Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, 
phone (208) 478-6368, fax (208) 478-6376.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area includes 1,447 acres. The 
proposed mining operations would utilize private lands and public lands 
administered by the Bureau of Land Management. This activity is in 
conformance with the Pocatello Resource Management Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement (BLM, 1987). Mining is proposed to take 
place on Federal Phosphate Leases I-05613 and I-013709 which comprise a 
total of 631 acres. Proposed lease modifications included within the 
proposed project area would add an additional 200 acres to the existing 
I-05613 lease. Some off-lease ancillary disturbances within the 1,447-
acre project area such as roads and overburden disposal sites are also 
proposed.
    The company, P4 Production, LLC, herein after referred to as P4, 
has submitted the MRP for BLM to consider. P4 must receive approval of 
the MRP and obtain additional federal and state permits prior to mining 
under the proposed mine plan. This EIS would evaluate effects to the 
human environment including the potential effects of selenium and other 
contaminants.
    It is anticipated that the Idaho Departments of Lands and 
Environmental Quality will participate in preparation of the EIS as 
cooperating agencies because of their special expertise and 
responsibilities for mining, reclamation, and the environment.
    The MRP proposes a new open pit mining operation on federal leases 
I-05613 and I-013709. In addition, external waste rock piles, a topsoil 
stockpile, haul road, and runoff/sediment control and other facilities 
would be constructed. Mining would include best management practices 
for control and prevention of releases of sediment and dissolved 
contaminants such as selenium to nearby surface and groundwaters, such 
as the Blackfoot River, which is located as close as 585-ft from the 
proposed excavation site but is believed to be hydrologically 
separated. The excavation site would not be visible from the Blackfoot 
River. The proposed open pits would be located along a ridge and would 
cross the upper drainage of an intermittent

[[Page 5878]]

stream known locally as State Lands Creek. The drainage would be 
reestablished in its original location after mining has been concluded. 
Preliminary baseline information suggests that some areas within the 
proposed mine pits may intercept ground water during mining. A haulroad 
would be constructed to handle ore and overburden. No public road 
closures would occur as a result of the proposed action. The total mine 
life is expected to span 15 years. P4 currently supplies their 
elemental phosphorous plant with ore from their South Rasmussen Mine 
about 10 miles northeast of the Blackfoot Bridge property.
    Existing haul roads, maintenance, and administrative facilities 
would be used during the mine period. Ore from the Blackfoot Bridge 
Mine would be hauled by truck 8 miles to P4's processing facilities 
near Soda Springs, Idaho. Disturbed lands directly resulting from the 
proposed excavation activities would total 764 surface acres of 
private, State, and Federal lands. Reclamation efforts would be 
concurrent with mining and would include backfilling most of the 
proposed open pit areas, regrading fill slopes, spreading topsoil, 
planting of appropriate vegetation, and installation and maintenance of 
runoff and sediment control facilities.
    Preliminary issues include potential effects or concerns related 
to: Ground water and surface water quantity and quality, release of 
naturally occurring contaminants, recreation, downstream uses, wildlife 
and their habitats, livestock grazing, wetlands and riparian habitat, 
socio-economics, and development of best management practices for mine 
operations. The Blackfoot River is currently listed for sediment on 
Idaho's Impaired Waters List approved by EPA (Clean Water Act, Section 
303(d) List). The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ), the 
regulatory agency charged with protecting the water quality within the 
State of Idaho, may consider listing this segment of the Blackfoot 
River for selenium or other Constituents of Potential Concern (COPCs) 
in the future. An active bald eagle nest is also known to exist near 
the project area.
    The EIS will analyze the Proposed Action, a No Action Alternative, 
and other alternatives raised during the scoping process, which may 
include alterations to portions of the proposed mining plan or 
sequence, and changes in design parameters to provide Best Management 
Practices and mitigation to protect resources of concern. Excess 
overburden disposal alternatives will also be considered.
    Agency Decisions--The BLM Pocatello Field Office Manager, who is 
the responsible official for the EIS and administers mineral 
development activities on Federal leases, will consider approval of a 
mine and reclamation plan. The final decision will include 
consideration of public comments and responses; anticipated 
environmental consequences discussed in the EIS; and applicable laws, 
regulations, and policies. Decisions may include approval of a site-
specific Mine and Reclamation Plan; issuance of phosphate lease 
modifications by the BLM, and alternatives. A Section 404 Clean Water 
Act Permit is anticipated to be required by the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (Corps). The Corps would render a separate decision related 
to that permit and how to mitigate the impacts to affected wetlands and 
waters of the United States.
    The tentative project schedule is as follows:
    Estimated date for Draft EIS--October, 2006.
    Public Comment Period on Draft EIS--60 days from when the Notice of 
Availability is published in the Federal Register by the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA).
    Final EIS--April 2007.
    Record of Decision--May 2007.
    Two public scoping meetings will be held, each an open house, from 
7 p.m.-9 p.m. The open houses would include displays explaining the 
project and a forum for commenting on the project. Scoping meetings 
will be held in the Soda Springs City Office Building, Soda Springs, 
Idaho, and in the BLM Field Office, Pocatello, Idaho. Dates for the two 
scoping meetings will be published in the Caribou County Sun and in the 
Idaho State Journal newspapers at least 15 days in advance. 
Alternatively, interested parties may contact the BLM project lead 
listed above for specific information regarding the public meetings.
    To be most helpful, you should submit formal scoping comments 
within 30 days after the last public meeting. The minutes and list of 
attendees for each scoping meeting will be available to the public and 
open for 30 days after the meeting to any participant who wishes to 
clarify the views he or she expressed. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/or 
address from public review or disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. The BLM will honor such requests to the extent 
allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and 
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials 
of organizations or businesses, are available for public inspection in 
their entirety.
    The BLM is seeking input and written comments from Federal, State 
and local agencies as well as individuals and organizations who may be 
interested in, or affected by, the proposed action. To assist the BLM 
in identifying and considering issues and concerns related to the 
proposed action, comments for scoping, and later for the Draft EIS, 
should be as specific as possible.
    The BLM 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 
draft EISs must structure their participation in the environmental 
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to 
reviewer positions 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 EIS stage but that are not raised until 
after completion of the final EIS 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 60-day comment period for the draft EIS so that substantive 
comments and objections are made available to the BLM at a time when it 
can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final EIS.

    Dated: January 3, 2006.
Philip Damon,
Field Manager, BLM Pocatello Field Office.
[FR Doc. E6-1515 Filed 2-2-06; 8:45 am]
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