[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61415-61417]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24907]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Admiralty National Monument: Tongass National Forest; Alaska; 
Expansion of Tailings Disposal Facility, Greens Creek Mine 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the 
proposal to create additional tailings and waste rock disposal capacity 
and related infrastructure at the Greens Creek Mine on northern 
Admiralty Island on the Admiralty Island National Monument, Tongass 
National Forest. The proposed action provides for an expansion of the 
existing tailings facility area to the south for an increase of 
approximately 200 acres. This would include an increase of about 60 
acres for tailings placement and an addition of approximately 140 acres 
for supporting infrastructure.

DATES: A scoping letter will be mailed out in early October. 
Individuals who want to receive a copy of this mailing or who want to 
be on the project mailing list should contact the Admiralty Island 
National Monument at the address below. Comments concerning the scope 
of the analysis must be received by November 4, 2010. The Draft EIS is 
projected to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 
the summer of 2011 and will begin a 45 day public comment period. The 
Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision are 
expected to be published in the spring of 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may comment on the project in the following ways: Send 
written comments to the Admiralty Island National Monument, Tongass 
National Forest, Attn: Greens Creek Tailings Expansion, 8510 Mendenhall 
Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801. Hand delivered comments may be taken to 
this same address. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to [email protected] with Greens Creek 
Tailings EIS on the subject line, or via facsimile to 907-586-8808. 
Include your name, address and organization name if you are commenting 
as a representative of an organization.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposal and the 
EIS should be directed to Chad VanOrmer, District Ranger, Admiralty 
Island National Monument, 8510 Mendenhall Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, 
telephone (907) 789-6202, or Sarah Samuelson, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader, Tongass National Forest Minerals Program Leader, 8510 
Mendenhall Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, telephone (907) 789-6274. 
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company (HGCMC) operates an underground 
polymetallic mine located approximately 18 miles southwest of Juneau, 
Alaska on the northern part of Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. 
Exploration work at the site began in the mid-1970s, with the first 
exploration portal to go underground started in 1981. Before mining 
operations began the Forest Service completed a Greens Creek Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (1983) and Record of Decision for 
overall development and operations of the mine. Full scale mine 
development began in 1987.
    The original General Plan of Operations (GPO) called for 
underground mining with the ore crushed and concentrated in the mill 
near the portal. The tailings were to be slurried in a pipeline 
parallel to the road corridor to a disposal site at the Cannery Muskeg. 
In 1986 the new owners of the mine (Amselco) decided to change the 
method of tailings disposal; instead of transporting tailings in a 
slurry via a pipeline, the owners proposed to truck ``dry tailings'' to 
a smaller area at the same Cannery Muskeg for disposal. In 1988, the 
Forest Service completed the Environmental Assessment for Proposed 
Changes to the General Plan of Operation for the Development and 
Operation of the Greens Creek Mine (1988) and approved the dry-stack 
tailings method for the Greens Creek Mine.
    In 1990 new mine owners (Kennecott Greens Creek Mining Company--
KGCMC) sought approval for additional waste rock disposal capacity. In 
1991, the Forest Service began a third National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) review, the Environmental Assessment for Additional Waste 
Rock Disposal Capacity at Greens Creek Mine (1992).
    In 2001, KGCMC submitted an application to the Forest Service 
requesting a modification of the then-current GPO for expansion of the 
existing tailings facility. Based on known ore reserves and the success 
of the exploration program, it was estimated that the approved tailings 
facility could not contain tailings associated with projected future 
operations. In 2003, the Greens Creek Tailings Disposal Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (2003) and ROD were completed; this 
provided for a modification of the GPO to allow for an expansion of the 
tailings disposal facility.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Forest Service has been requested by HGCMC to consider 
additional tailings expansion at the Greens Creek Mine. With continued 
positive exploration results, improved metal prices, and ongoing 
operational efficiencies, there is a need for additional tailings and 
waste rock disposal and related infrastructure at the Greens Creek Mine 
to allow for continuous site operations in a safe, environmentally 
sound, technically feasible, and economically viable manner, while 
being in compliance with regulatory requirements. The purpose of this 
EIS is for the Forest Service to consider certain changes to the 
approved HGCMC General Plan of Operations regarding tailings and waste 
rock disposal and related infrastructure. The existing tailings 
facility is considered sufficient to provide for HGCMC needs until 2014 
but HECLA has indicated that preparation work for tailings must begin 
during the 2012 construction season.

Proposed Action

    HGCMC is proposing a tailings expansion which will accommodate an

[[Page 61416]]

estimated additional 20 million tons of tailings and waste rock 
material. This volume would allow capacity for ongoing operation and 
project reserves, plus provide volume for waste rock co-disposal and an 
expanded resource base as identified needs are proven with on-site 
exploration activities. An estimated 200 additional acres are requested 
to accommodate this expansion need; approximately 60 acres will 
accommodate the tailings and waste rock co-disposal and about 140 acres 
to provide space for supporting infrastructure.

Public Participation and Scoping

    This project was placed on the July 2010 Schedule of Proposed 
Action. This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process which 
guides the development of the EIS. Public participation will be an 
integral component of the study process and will continue to be 
especially important at several points during the analysis. The Forest 
Service will be seeking information, comments and assistance from 
tribal governments and corporations, Federal, State and local agencies, 
individuals, and organizations that may be interested in, or affected 
by, the proposed activities. The mailing list will include: Those who 
have requested to be on this project mailing list, outfitters/guides 
that have permits within or adjacent to this area; and local, State and 
federally-recognized tribal governments and corporations and federal 
government agencies. The scoping package will be available at future 
public open house meetings to be held in mid-October in both Juneau, 
Alaska and Angoon, Alaska.
    Based on results of scoping and the resource capabilities within 
the project area, alternatives, including the ``No Action'' alternative 
will be developed for the Draft EIS. Subsistence hearings, as provided 
for in Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation 
Act (ANILCA) will be conducted, if necessary, during the comment period 
on the Draft EIS.
    The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 
the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. 
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and 
in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of the 
Final EIS. Comments on both scoping and eventually, the Draft EIS, 
should be provided prior to the close of the comment period and should 
clearly articulate the reviewers concerns and contentions. The 
submission of timely and specific comments can affect a reviewer's 
ability to participate in a subsequent administrative review or 
judicial review. Comments received in response to this solicitation, 
including names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the 
public record for this proposed action (Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 
1508.22; 36 CFR 220.5; also Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 
21). Comments submitted anonymously will not provide the respondent 
with standing to participate in subsequent administrative review or 
judicial review. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person 
may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record 
by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such 
confidentiality. Requesters should be aware that, under FOIA, 
confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such 
as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the 
requester of the agency's decision regarding the request for 
confidentiality, where the request is denied, the Forest Service will 
return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be 
resubmitted with or without name and address within 7 days.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns of the proposed action, comments during the scoping and 
comments on the Draft EIS should be as specific as possible. It is also 
helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the Draft 
EIS. Comments may also address the adequacy of the Draft EIS or the 
merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement. 
Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA at 40 
CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Forest Service is the lead agency for this environmental 
analysis. The following agencies have agreed to participate as 
cooperating agencies:
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
     State of Alaska--lead by the Office of Project Management 
and Permitting.
     The City and Borough of Juneau.

Responsible Official

    Forrest Cole, Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest, Federal 
Building, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 is the responsible official.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor is the responsible official for this action 
and will decide whether or not to amend the approved GPO. The decision 
will be based on information that is disclosed in the Final EIS. The 
responsible official will consider the comments, responses, disclosure 
of environmental consequences, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies in making the decision and state the rationale in the Record 
of Decision.

Preliminary Issues

    Tentative issues identified for the analysis in the EIS includes 
the potential long-term effects on water quality as a result of the 
project expansion; both during operation and after closure. A second 
issue involves how the proposed expansion area in and adjacent to the 
National Monument boundary may affect the ``Monument values'' including 
wetlands, habitat, and the intrinsic characteristics that warranted the 
Monument's initial establishment.

Permits or Licenses Required

    Permits required for implementation include the following:

1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

     Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 wetlands permit for the 
discharge of dredge or fill material into waters of the United States, 
including jurisdictional wetlands.

2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

     Review Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan.

3. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources

     Reclamation Plan Approval.
     State water rights permits for water withdrawals.

4. Office of Project Management & Permitting (DNR)

     Coastal Zone Consistency Determination under the Coastal 
Zone Management Act and the Alaska Coastal Management Program Act of 
1977.

5. State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation

     Waste Management Permit covering disposal of mine 
tailings, waste rock, overburden, and solid waste, management of ground 
water, storage and containment of hazardous chemicals, facility 
reclamation and facility closure.
     Air Quality Permit to Operate (Title V).
     CWA Section 401 certifications of reasonable assurance for 
COE/Section 404 permit.

[[Page 61417]]

     Alaska National Pollution Discharge Elimination System 
Permit.

6. Alaska Department of Fish and Game

     Fish habitat permits for diversions and water withdrawals.

    Dated: September 27, 2010.
Forrest Cole,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-24907 Filed 10-4-10; 8:45 am]
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