[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 193 (Friday, October 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57062-57063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19696]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-060-1990]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for a Proposed Expansion of Existing Gold Mining/Processing 
Operations in Lander and Eureka Counties, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

Cooperating Agency: Nevada Department of Wildlife.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 43 CFR Part 3809, and the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations found at 40 CFR 1500-1508, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) Battle Mountain Field Office has prepared a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the Cortez Gold Mines' 
(CGM) proposed Cortez Hills Expansion Project, which is a proposed 
amendment to the Pipeline/South Pipeline Plan of Operations. The DEIS 
analyzes the environmental effects of the Proposed Action and 
alternatives, including the No Action Alternative.

DATES: The DEIS is available for public comment for 60 days starting on 
October 5, 2007, the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. To provide 
the public with an opportunity to review the proposal and project 
information, the BLM will host public meetings in Crescent Valley and 
Battle Mountain, Nevada. The BLM will notify the public of the meeting 
dates, times, and locations at least 15 days prior to the meetings. 
Announcements of the public meeting will be made by news release to the 
media, individual letter mailings, and posting on the BLM Web site: 
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html.
    Comments, including names and street addresses, will be available 
for public review at the address below during regular business hours, 
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and 
will be published as part of the Final EIS. Before including your 
address, phone number, e-mail address or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment and 
personal identifying information may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public 
review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to the Bureau of Land 
Management, ATTN: Stephen Drummond, Battle Mountain Field Office, 50 
Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Drummond, 775-635-4000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CGM, on behalf of 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 
in:

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada

T. 27 N., R. 48 E.;
T. 27 N., R. 47 E.;
T. 27 N., R. 46 E.;
T. 26 N., R. 47 E.;
T. 26 N., R. 48 E.;
T. 28 N., R. 46 E.; and
T. 28 N., R. 47 E. in Lander and Eureka counties.

    The Proposed Action would require new surface disturbance of 6,792 
acres, including 6,571 acres of public land administered by the BLM 
Battle Mountain Field Office and 221 acres of private land owned by 
CGM. Existing CGM mining and processing facilities are located in three 
main areas in the Cortez Gold Mines Operations Area. These areas are 
referred to as the Pipeline Complex, Cortez Complex and Gold Acres 
Complex . The existing and proposed disturbance acreages for the 
Project would total 16,231 acres. The Proposed Action would include 
development of new mining facilities in the proposed Cortez Hills 
Complex, including development of a new open pit, underground mining, 
three new waste rock facilities, new heap leach pad, construction of a 
12-mile conveyor system, modification or construction of related roads 
and ancillary facilities, and a new groundwater dewatering system to 
include in pit, perimeter, and underground facilities. The Proposed 
Action also would include continued use of existing facilities in the 
Pipeline Complex, Cortez Complex and Gold Acres Complex, as well as 
expansion of existing facilities (pits and waste rock facilities) in 
the Pipeline Complex and Cortez Complex. CGM proposes to mine the ore 
bodies associated with the Cortez and Cortez Hills complexes 
concurrently with their existing Pipeline/South Pipeline ore bodies. 
The majority of the high grade ore mined

[[Page 57063]]

under the Cortez Hills Expansion Project would be processed at the 
existing Pipeline and/or Cortez mills. The proposed Project would 
expand existing tailings facilities at both the Pipeline and Cortez 
complexes. A lesser quantity of refractory ore would be sold to an off-
site processing facility. The primary method of processing low-grade 
ore would be heap leaching.
    The DEIS addresses concerns identified by the BLM and other 
agencies, as well as comments raised during the public scoping period 
in 2005. Issues analyzed in the DEIS include: Air quality, cultural 
resources, water quality, environmental justice, floodplains, hazardous 
materials and solid waste, invasive, and/or non-native species, 
migratory birds, Native American religious concerns, special status 
species, wetlands and riparian zones, and wilderness characteristics. 
Construction and operation of the proposed Cortez Hills Expansion 
Project is projected to begin in 2008. The life of the mine would 
include approximately 10 years of active mining and concurrent 
reclamation as areas become available, as well as an additional three 
years for ongoing ore processing, final reclamation, and closure.
    A range of alternatives (including alternate waste rock facility 
and heap leach pad locations, underground mining only, and the No 
Action Alternative) has been developed and analyzed to address the 
concerns and issues that were identified. Other alternatives under 
consideration and the rationale for their elimination from detailed 
analysis also are discussed. Mitigation measures have been identified 
to minimize potential environmental impacts and to assure that the 
proposed Project would not result in undue or unnecessary degradation 
of public lands. In addition, the DEIS includes an analysis of 
cumulative impacts, including a comprehensive evaluation of potential 
impacts to Native American religious concerns.

     Dated: August 20, 2007.
Gerald M. Smith,
 Battle Mountain Field Office Manager.
[FR Doc. E7-19696 Filed 10-4-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P