[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18875-18877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8391]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLIDI02000. L71220000.EO0000.LVTFD0975750]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Dairy Syncline Mine and Reclamation Plan, Caribou County, 
ID

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; U.S. Forest Service, 
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pocatello Field Office and the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS), Caribou-Targhee 
National Forest, will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) to determine and analyze the effects of a proposed phosphate mine 
and reclamation plan on people and the environment. The BLM will serve 
as the lead agency. Plans have been developed and submitted for agency 
review of proposed open pit mining operations at the Dairy Syncline 
Phosphate Lease Area in Caribou County, Idaho by the J.R. Simplot 
Company (Simplot). The Dairy Syncline Phosphate Lease Area is located 
about 12 miles east of Soda Springs, Idaho.
    The proposed new mining operations at the Dairy Syncline Phosphate 
Lease Area lie within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest on lands 
where the surface estate is administered by the FS, and the Federal 
mineral estate is administered by the BLM. In 2000, the BLM completed 
an EIS to support a decision to lease. The BLM issued Federal mineral 
lease I-28115 to Simplot by competitive bid in 2000. The Federal 
mineral lease I-0258 was transferred from P4 Production LLC to Simplot 
in 2009. These leases grant the lease holder, Simplot in this case, 
exclusive rights to mine and otherwise dispose of the Federally owned 
phosphate deposit at the site. Through development of this EIS, the BLM 
will analyze environmental impacts of the proposed mining operations, 
land exchanges and reasonable alternatives. Appropriate mitigation 
measures also will be formulated.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the scope of the analysis described in this Notice 
by May 13, 2010. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and 
any other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance 
through public notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Dairy Syncline Mine EIS, Bureau of 
Land Management, Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, 
Idaho 83204. E-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barry Myers, Bureau of Land 
Management, Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 
83204, phone (208) 478-6369. Information is also available at: http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/pocatello/planning/dairy_syncline_mine.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Agency Decisions: The BLM Idaho State Director or delegated 
official will make a decision regarding approval of the proposed mine 
and reclamation plan, proposed land sale with mitigation, proposed 
lease modification and/or fringe acreage lease approvals (enlargement 
of leased areas), appropriate land use authorizations on leased lands, 
and an amendment to the current Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the 
Pocatello Resource Area. Decisions will be based on the EIS and any 
recommendations the FS may have regarding surface management of leased 
National Forest System lands. The Caribou-Targhee National Forest 
Supervisor makes:
    1. Recommendations to the BLM concerning surface management and 
mitigation on leased lands within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest; 
and
    2. Decisions on mine related activities which occur off-lease.
    Special use authorizations from the FS will be necessary for all 
off-lease support structures for the mine. A FS decision regarding the 
proposed exchange of FS land for private holdings will be issued by the 
Regional Director of Lands. The Army Corps of Engineers may also make 
decisions related to permits under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
    Scoping Procedure: The scoping procedure to be used for this EIS 
will involve: Notification in the Federal Register; a mailing to 
interested and potentially affected individuals, groups, Federal, 
State, and local government entities requesting comments, issues and 
concerns; news releases or legal notices; and public scoping meetings.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted, 
including names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of respondents, 
will be available for public review and disclosure at the address 
listed below during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday, except holidays.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Background: Simplot has operated the existing Smoky Canyon Mine 
since 1983. Simplot has indicated that they will eventually complete 
mining of currently permitted reserves, necessitating the proposed 
expansion to the Dairy Syncline phosphate leases. Because of the 
significant construction time associated with the infrastructure needed 
for the proposed mine (i.e. new mill and tailings impoundment), this 
proposal is being analyzed in advance of depleting the currently 
permitted reserves at the Smoky Canyon Mine.
    The Dairy Syncline Phosphate Lease Area represents a significant 
phosphate ore deposit that is economically feasible for prolonged 
development. In total, approximately 2,133 acres are proposed for 
disturbance. The proposed project would include an open pit phosphate 
mine, a new milling facility, installation of underground phosphate 
slurry, tailings and water lines, a new tailings impoundment, a new 
power line, and a land sale with mitigation (BLM) and a land exchange 
(FS) of Federal lands for private holdings. The proposed mitigated land 
sale would require an amendment to the 1988 Pocatello RMP.
    The proposal also includes six lease modification or fringe acreage 
lease areas that are contiguous with the existing leases that would 
allow for optimum recovery of the existing phosphate ore body. 
Disturbance on these proposed lease modification and/or fringe acreage 
lease areas represent approximately 347 acres of the total

[[Page 18876]]

proposed disturbance. The development of the ore deposits would result 
in six pits representing approximately 1,389 acres of pit disturbance. 
Proposed sequencing for the Dairy Syncline mine plan would begin with 
mining a portion of the west pit along with the north pit. Initial 
overburden from the west pit would be placed directly to the east of 
the initial disturbance in an external overburden storage facility on-
lease. Mining would continue within the north pit, followed by the 
northeast pit, the east pit, south pit, and finally the southeast pit. 
There would be some concurrent mining of pits to maintain a consistent 
grade of ore available for milling purposes as well as maintaining an 
economic mine pit stripping ratio.
    In their mine and reclamation plan, Simplot has proposed management 
practices to reduce environmental impacts. As mining progresses, 
reclamation would begin concurrently. Simplot's plan emphasizes total 
backfill of mine pits and limiting the amount of overburden placed 
external to the pits. In addition, Simplot's mine plan contains 
provisions aimed at limiting the amount of time seleniferous overburden 
is exposed to the elements. To reduce the potential for contaminant 
release to water or uptake into reclamation vegetation, Simplot is 
proposing to cover over all seleniferous overburden with non-
seleniferous material consisting of approximately 2 feet of chert, 
overlain by 2 feet of Dinwoody and/or Salt Lake Formation, and finally 
a topsoil layer estimated at 6 to 12 inches, contingent upon the 
baseline soil resources study.
    Associated new facilities that are proposed include: Main office/
security building, mill and shop complex, support facilities, ore 
stockpile, tailings pond, groundwater supply well(s), and pipelines. 
The proposed location of the main office/security building is an area 
southeast of the mouth of Wilde Canyon and west of the Slug Creek Road. 
This location is on National Forest System lands off-lease and would 
require a Special Use Authorization from the FS. Approximately 5 acres 
would be disturbed for the office and parking areas.
    The proposed location for the mill/shop complex is in the mining 
area between the north and south pits. The complex would disturb about 
20 acres. The mill would be required to process the ore into 
concentrated slurry that would be pumped in a proposed 8-mile 
underground pipeline to a currently existing pipeline that connects to 
Simplot's Don Fertilizer Plant just outside of Pocatello, Idaho. The 
proposed mill is assumed to be configured essentially the same as the 
operating Smoky Canyon Mill. In addition, a shop would be required for 
repairing and maintaining the mining equipment. The shop area would be 
included in the mill/shop complex.
    An ore stockpile (of 750,000 to 1,000,000 tons) is proposed for 
supplying ore to the mill. The location of the stock pile would be on-
lease near the mill building at the mill/shop complex. The stockpile 
would be approximately 13 acres in size. The simple milling process 
would consist of crushing and grinding the phosphate ore to a fine 
powder. Associated clay would be physically removed from the finely 
ground ore and would then be mixed with water and pumped into another 
new underground pipeline to the tailings impoundment. The product and 
tailings pipelines would be installed next to each other. To facilitate 
mobile equipment operation and personnel, some small support facilities 
at the active mining sites would be required. Typically, these 
facilities would consist of equipment ready lines (cold climate hot 
starts), electrical power, fuel and grease storage within secondary 
containment, communication, and safety structures. The location of 
these facilities would vary during the mining process.
    A new tailings pond is proposed for the mining operation. The 
proposed location would be approximately 4.4 miles northwest of the 
Dairy Syncline leases. A land sale with mitigation (BLM) and a land 
exchange (FS) of Federal lands for private holdings are proposed for 
the proposed tailings pond area. An earthen dam structure on the north 
end of the pond would be constructed resulting in a design capacity of 
20 million cubic yards of material. The proposed configuration would be 
large enough to hold all of the tailings expected to be generated 
during the life of the mine.
    Three pipelines are proposed for the project; one each for delivery 
of tailings, ore concentrate, and a water return line. The pipelines 
would be buried in one earth covered trench. The ore concentrate 
pipeline would transport ore in slurry form from the proposed mill site 
to the existing pipeline. The buried 8-inch diameter steel pipe would 
be about 8 miles long. The proposed pipeline route would originate at 
the mill/shop complex, follow the access road on the north side of 
Wilde Canyon, and then follow the western side of the Slug Creek Valley 
where it would tie into the existing ore concentrate pipeline from 
Smoky Canyon to the Conda Pump Station. This pipeline route represents 
approximately 14 acres of off-lease disturbance.
    The tailings pipeline would transport tailings from the mill/shop 
complex to the proposed tailings pond. The pipeline would be 
approximately 5 miles long. The proposed pipeline route would originate 
at the mill/shop complex and be placed in the same trench as the ore 
concentrate pipeline. At a location near the tailings pond, the 
tailings line would go east to the southern end of the pond. A number 
of pipeline branches would be installed around the pond to ensure even 
distribution of tailings in the pond.
    The water return line would transport water from the tailings pond 
back to the mill and would be approximately 5 miles long. As noted 
above, this line would be in the same trench as the tailings and 
concentrate pipeline.
    Off-lease facilities would include the main office/security 
building, tailings pond, and portions of access roads, pipelines, a 
power line, and storm water control features. The proposed power line 
would run northeast to connect with an existing power line and existing 
corridor in Upper Dry Valley. It is estimated that off-lease activities 
would total about 337 acres of disturbance, which would include the 
assumed disturbance for the power line.
    Truck haulage would transport both ore to the proposed on-lease ore 
stockpile and overburden to its permanent disposal site. Several 
external pit roads would be required throughout the life of the mine 
for both overburden and ore transportation. All of these roads are 
located on-lease and would be constructed of chert or limestone with 
cut side ditches, culverts as appropriate, and fill side berms where 
necessary for safety. Access to the mine site for employees, equipment, 
and supplies is proposed through Georgetown Canyon and along Slug Creek 
via the existing FS road. Upgrades to this road will be necessary for 
safe passage of two-way traffic.
    Potential impacts to surface resources and water quality include 
erosion, sediment, and dissolved contaminants such as selenium. Simplot 
has proposed to implement practices designed to reduce, eliminate, or 
mitigate these impacts. Suitable topsoil would be salvaged from 
disturbed areas for use in reclamation. Reclamation of mining 
disturbances would include: removal of facilities and equipment, 
backfilling pits, regrading slopes, restoring drainages, spreading 
topsoil, stabilizing surfaces, revegetation, testing and treatment for 
remaining hydrocarbon contaminants, and environmental monitoring.

[[Page 18877]]

    Issues initially identified for the proposed mining of the Dairy 
Syncline phosphate leases include potential effects on: Groundwater and 
surface water quantity and quality; wildlife and their habitats; 
livestock grazing; wetlands and riparian habitat; recreation; socio-
economics; Native American rights, treaties, and land uses; inventoried 
roadless areas; visual resources; and cumulative effects.
    The EIS will analyze the Proposed Action and the No Action 
Alternative. Other alternatives may consider: Alternative access 
road(s); alternative tailings pond locations; alternatives to the land 
sale with mitigation and land exchange; use of conveyors to transport 
ore to the existing mill; revising the layout or sequencing of the 
proposed mining facilities; different methods for reducing potential 
impacts from overburden handling; and other alternatives that could 
provide mitigation for potential impacts.
    The tentative EIS project schedule is as follows:
     Begin Public Scoping Period and Meetings: Winter/Spring 
2010.
     Estimated date for Draft EIS and associated comment 
period: Fall 2011.
     Final EIS Publication: June 2013.
     Record of Decision: August 2013.
    At least four ``open-house'' style public scoping meetings will be 
held which will include displays explaining the project and providing a 
forum for commenting on the project. Meetings are currently planned for 
Pocatello, Fort Hall, Georgetown, and Soda Springs, Idaho. The dates, 
times, and locations of the public scoping meetings will be announced 
in mailings and public notices issued by the BLM (see contact 
information above). The BLM and FS are seeking information and written 
comments from Federal, State, and local agencies as well as Tribal 
entities, individuals and organizations interested in, or affected by, 
the Proposed Action or Alternatives. To assist the BLM and FS in 
identifying issues and concerns related to the Proposed Action or 
Alternatives, comments for scoping, and later for the Draft EIS, should 
be as specific as possible.

Joe Kraayenbrink,
District Manager, Idaho Falls District, Bureau of Land Management.
Brent Larson,
Forest Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2010-8391 Filed 4-12-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GG-P