[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 232 (Friday, December 2, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75554-75555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30926]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVB01000 L51100000.GN0000.LVEMF09CF010; NVN-082096; NVN-084632; 12-
08807; MO: 4500027396; TAS: 14X5017]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Mount Hope Project, Eureka County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Mount 
Hope Project and by this notice is announcing the opening of the 
comment period.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Mount Hope Project Draft EIS within 90 days 
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce 
future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement activities 
at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, Web 
site postings, and/or mailings.

[[Page 75555]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Mount Hope Project by 
any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (775) 635-4034, Attention: Angelica Rose, Mt. Hope 
Project.
     Mail: BLM Battle Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian 
Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 Attn: Angelica Rose, Mt. Hope Project.

Copies of the Mount Hope Project Draft EIS are available at the Battle 
Mountain District Office at the above address, and on the Battle 
Mountain District's NEPA Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/national_environmental.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angelica Rose, Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, telephone: (775) 635-4000; address: 50 
Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820; email: [email protected]. 
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call 
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-(800) 877-8339 to 
contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Eureka Moly, LLC, (EML) has submitted a Plan 
of Operations (NVN-082096) to the BLM for the proposed Mount Hope 
Molybdenum Mining Project (project). The proposed project would be 
located in central Nevada approximately 23 miles northwest of Eureka, 
Nevada. The proposed project includes a power transmission line, a 
water well field, and associated mine-processing facilities. The 
project would be located on both public and private lands in Eureka 
County, Nevada. The surface disturbance associated with the proposed 
activities totals 8,318 acres, of which 8,056 acres are on public land 
and 262 acres are on private land. This proposed project would consist 
of the following primary components: an open pit with associated pit 
dewatering; two waste rock disposal facilities; milling facilities; a 
molybdenite concentrate roaster and packaging plant; a ferromolybdenum 
plant for production of ferromolybdenum alloy using a metallothermic 
process and a separate packaging plant for drums and bags; two tailings 
storage facilities; an ongoing exploration program; low-grade ore 
stockpile; water supply in the Kobeh Valley Well Field Area; a 24-mile 
long, 230-kilovolt electric power supply line from the existing 
Machacek substation, with a substation and distribution system. 
Ancillary facilities would include: haul, secondary, and exploration 
roads; a ready line; warehouse and maintenance facilities; storm water 
diversions; sediment control basins; pipeline corridors; reagent and 
diesel storage; storage and laydown yards; ammonium nitrate silos; 
explosives magazines; fresh and fire water storage and a process water 
storage pond; monitoring wells; an administration building; a security 
and first aid building; a helipad; a laboratory; growth media and cover 
stockpiles; borrow areas; mine power loop; communications equipment; 
hazardous waste management facilities; a Class III waivered landfill; 
an area to store and treat petroleum contaminated soils; and turn lanes 
on State Route 278.
    The estimated 80-year project would have an 18-month construction 
phase and mine life of 32 years, which is concurrent with an ore 
processing timeline of 44 years, followed by 30 years of reclamation 
and 5 years of post-reclamation monitoring. Concurrent reclamation 
would not commence until after the first 15 years of the project. The 
Mount Hope ore body contains approximately 966 million tons of 
molybdenite (molybdenum disulfide) ore that would produce approximately 
1.1 billion pounds of recoverable molybdenum during the ore-processing 
time frame. Approximately 1.7 billion tons of waste rock would be 
produced by the end of the 32-year mine life and approximately 1 
billion tons of tailings would be produced by the end of the 44 years 
of ore processing. Optimal development of the molybdenum deposit, to 
meet the market conditions and maximize molybdenum production, would 
utilize an open-pit mining method and would process the mined ore using 
a flotation and roasting process.
    The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project's site-
specific impacts, including cumulative impacts, on all affected 
resources. Four action alternatives, including the Proposed Action as 
described above, were analyzed in addition to the No Action 
Alternative. Eight alternatives were considered but eliminated from 
further analysis. Based on the analysis in the Draft EIS, the BLM has 
determined that the Preferred Alternative is the approval of the 
Proposed Action, with accompanying mitigation measures.
    On March 2, 2007, a Notice of Intent was published in the Federal 
Register (E7-3643) inviting scoping comments on the proposed project 
and a news release was published in three northern Nevada newspapers. 
Two public scoping meetings for the project were held: March 27, 2007 
in Eureka, Nevada, attended by five members of the public with no 
written comments submitted; and March 28, 2007 in Battle Mountain, 
Nevada, attended by 30 members of public with one written comment 
submitted. Five additional comment letters were received during the 
scoping period and three letters were received after the end of the 
scoping period. All comments received have been incorporated in a 
Scoping Summary Report and have been considered in preparation of the 
Draft EIS.
    Concerns raised during scoping include the length of time for 
mining operations and reclamation, and access to private lands. 
Potential impacts were identified to the Pony Express National Historic 
Trail, wildlife, migratory birds, special status species, threatened 
and endangered species (including sage-grouse and Lahontan cutthroat 
trout), wild horses, hydrology resources (related to water quality and 
quantity), water rights holders, wetlands, air quality, livestock 
grazing (relating to forage and water availability and reductions in 
AUMs), socioeconomic impacts on the community, visual resources; Native 
American traditional values, impacts to cultural resources, waste 
management, and reclamation. Financial concerns were raised relating to 
accountability of operators, bonding requirements, and the 
establishment of a long-term trust fund. These concerns were addressed 
in the Draft EIS to the extent practicable.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted, 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of persons who 
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the above address during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Christopher J. Cook,
Mount Lewis Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 2011-30926 Filed 12-1-11; 8:45 am]
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