[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6762-6763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1212]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Construction and Operation of an Open Pit Taconite Mine Proposed by 
Ispat Inland Mining Between Biwabik and McKinley 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: Ispat Inland Mining (Ispat) has applied to the St. Paul 
District, Corps of Engineers (Corps) for a permit to discharge dredged 
or fill material into wetlands to facilitate the construction and 
operation of a taconite mine consisting of two conventional open pits 
in a deposit known as the East Reserve (formerly known as the J&L East 
Reserve) between Biwabik and McKinley in St. Louis County, MN. The 
combined area of the two open pits would be 364 acres. The proposed 
pits contain an estimated 116,000,000 long

[[Page 6763]]

tons of ore. The ore would be hauled by truck approximately 1.9 miles 
on a proposed new haul road spur and then an additional 5.5 miles on an 
existing haul road to Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca 
taconite processing facility north of Virginia, MN. Tailing waste would 
be disposed of in Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca and 
Upland tailings basins. The mining process would require the 
construction of overburden, waste rock, and lean ore stockpiles on the 
north side of the proposed pits. The total stockpile area would cover 
approximately 375 acres. Project plans call for the mining of an 
average of just over six million long tons of crude ore per year over 
the proposed 18-year life of the mine. The project would allow mining 
operations and taconite processing at the Minorca Plant to continue 
until 2024.
    The project would require the discharge of dredged or fill material 
into approximately 75.7 acres of wetlands. While some of the wetlands 
may be isolated, the majority of the wetlands are adjacent to an 
unnamed tributary to the Embarrass River, which is a tributary to the 
St. Louis River, which is a navigable water of the U.S., or the 
wetlands are adjacent to an unnamed tributary to the Pike River, which 
is a navigable water of the United States. Ispat proposes to utilize 
wetland credits from the existing Ispat Inland wetland mitigation bank 
in Aitkin County, MN to compensate for the lost wetland functions and 
values that would be caused by the proposed project. The discharge of 
dredged or fill material into waters of the United States requires a 
permit issued by the Corps under 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).

ADDRESSES: Questions concerning the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) can be addressed to Mr. Jon K. Ahlness, Regulatory 
Branch by letter at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 190 Fifth Street 
East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 55101-1638, by telephone or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jon K. Ahlness, (651) 290-5381.

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 agency. 
The MnDNR has already completed its scoping process and had hired a 
consultant to prepare its DEIS. The Corps is joining with the MnDNR to 
prepare a joint Federal/State DEIS. The Corps, with assistance from the 
MnDNR, will prepare and release to the public a Draft Scoping Decision 
Document, along with the MnDNR Scoping Environmental Assessment 
Worksheet (EAW). The public will have 30 days to provide comments on 
those two documents. In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.5(c) and Corps 
policy, the Corps will determine the suitability of the MnDNR 
consultant for Federal purposes. We anticipate that the DEIS will be 
available to the public in May 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. Fish, wildlife, and ecologically sensitive resources.
    2. Water resources, including: Water use and potential impacts to 
the water supplies of Biwabik and McKinley; surface water hydrology; 
groundwater hydrology; waters of the U.S., including wetlands; and 
receiving stream geomorphology.
    3. Water quality, including: Surface water runoff; storm water 
management; and mercury discharges from pit dewatering.
    4. Cumulative impacts, including: Wildlife habitat loss/
fragmentation and habitat corridor obstruction/landscape barriers; 
wetlands; and water flow/volume and water quality in unnamed streams 
and the Embarrass River.

Additional issues of interest may be identified through the public 
scoping process.
    Issuing a permit for the development of an open pit taconite mine 
is considered to be a major Federal action that may have a significant 
impact on the quality of the human environment. The project: (1) Would 
have a significant adverse effect on wetlands (which are special 
aquatic sites), and (2) has the potential to significantly affect water 
quality, groundwater, 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 other applicable laws and 
regulations.

    Dated: January 29, 2006.
Michael F. Pfenning,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 06-1212 Filed 2-8-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-CY-M