[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25193-25194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10045]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLWYD03000 L51100000.GN0000.LVEMK10CW580-WYW-166318]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Lost Creek Uranium In Situ Recovery Project, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

[[Page 25194]]


ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Lost Creek ISR Project Draft EIS within 45 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, 
and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: Comments related to the Lost Creek ISR Project may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Please reference 
``Lost Creek ISR Project'' in the subject line.
     Fax: 307-328-4224.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Lost Creek ISR Project, 
Attention: Dennis Carpenter, Field Manager, 1300 N. Third Street, P.O. 
Box 2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301.
    Copies of the Lost Creek ISR Project Draft EIS are available in the 
BLM Rawlins Field Office, at the address indicated above, the BLM 
Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street, Lander, Wyoming 82520; the BLM 
High Desert District Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, 
Wyoming 82901; and the BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, 
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009; and at the following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/lostcreek.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Carpenter, Field Manager, at 
the BLM Rawlins Field Office, telephone: 307-328-4200; address: 1300 N. 
Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301, 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 named individual. You will receive a 
reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, Lost Creek ISR, LLC (Lost 
Creek), has filed a plan of operations pursuant to the 43 CFR subpart 
3809 regulations to construct a uranium ore recovery plant, an access 
road to the site, and a pipeline system for the flow of oxidizing leach 
solution to injection wells and return of fluids from recovery wells to 
the recovery plant site; to drill injection, recovery and monitoring 
wells; and to construct associated facilities such as parking lots, 
power lines, etc. Development and recovery of the uranium consists of 
dissolving underground uranium-bearing minerals into solution and then 
bringing the solution to the surface facility for concentration. The 
Lost Creek ISR Project is located about 40 miles northwest of Rawlins, 
Wyoming, in Sweetwater County. The project is located in the following 
area.

Sixth Principal Meridian

T. 25 N., R. 92 W.
    Secs. 16 to 20, inclusive;
    Secs. 29 to 31, inclusive.
T. 25 N., R. 93 W.
    Secs. 13, 24, and 25.

    The project area boundary includes approximately 4,250 acres, but 
only about 345 acres would be subjected to actual surface disturbance 
that would be approved by the BLM. Most of the surface disturbance 
would be related to construction of pads for wells used to extract 
uranium in solution from the site.
    The plant site would comprise approximately 10 acres, including 
parking space for about 50-60 employees. Multiple subsurface ore bodies 
ranging in depth from about 300-700 feet below the surface are found at 
the site. Each of the three separate production areas containing 
uranium would be established and mined, one at a time. It is expected 
that mining operations would last about 8 years. An estimated 
additional 3 years would be required for startup and closure of the 
site for a total project length of 11 years. A proposed final 
reclamation plan for the project area has been submitted. All surface 
facilities would be removed when the project is completed and the land 
re-contoured to near predisturbance condition and re-vegetated.
    The draft EIS addresses the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
impacts of the proposed action and three alternatives including the No 
Action Alternative, the ``Not Fencing the Pattern Areas'' Alternative, 
and the ``Drying Yellowcake On-Site'' Alternative.
    The No Action Alternative, as required by NEPA, describes 
conditions expected to occur if no ISR operations would be conducted 
within the permit area, although activities currently on-going would 
continue and other activities at the site during the proposed 
licensing/permitting period would still occur. Under the ``Not Fencing 
the Pattern Areas'' Alternative, temporary fencing would be installed 
only around the drill pits, including those drilled within the mine 
units, and around the plant and storage ponds, as opposed to the entire 
well field of the pattern area. Under the ``Drying Yellowcake On-Site'' 
Alternative, a yellowcake drying and packing facility would be 
constructed and operated at the permit area. As with the Proposed 
Action, yellowcake slurry (30 to 50 percent solids) would be produced; 
however, the slurry would be filter-pressed to remove additional water, 
dried, and packaged on-site.
    The Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on February 11, 2011 (76 FR 7877). Key issues identified 
during scoping include, among others, the project impact on public-land 
access, wild horse use and distribution, greater sage-grouse, air and 
water resources, livestock grazing operations, and public health and 
safety.
    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 may ask the BLM 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.

Larry Claypool,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-10045 Filed 4-26-12; 8:45 am]
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