[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 149 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46107-46109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18883]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[LLIDI002000.13300000.EO0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Husky 1-North Dry Ridge Phosphate Mine and Reclamation 
Plan, Caribou County, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; Forest Service, 
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 
1976, and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, 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 Federal mineral leases held by Nu-West Mining, Inc., in eastern 
Idaho. The EIS will also consider the effects of increasing the size of 
existing leases through lease modifications.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the scope of the analysis described in this notice 
by September 4, 2012. The BLM will announce future meetings and any 
other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through 
public notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to: Husky 1-North Dry 
Ridge Mine EIS, C/O Tetra Tech, Address: 2525 Palmer Street, Suite 2, 
Missoula, MT 59808, or via email at: [email protected]. 
Please reference ``Husky 1-North Dry Ridge Mine EIS'' on all 
correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Stout, Bureau of Land Management, 
Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, 
phone 208-478-6367. Scoping information will also be available at the 
BLM's Web-site at http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/id/en/info/nepa.html, or the FS Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/landmanagement/projects.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM, as the Federal lease administrator, 
will serve as the lead agency and the FS as the co-lead agency. The 
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is a cooperating agency. The 
mining and reclamation plans have been developed and submitted for 
agency review for the proposed open pit mining operations on the 
Federal phosphate leases IDI-05549 (Husky 1), lease IDI-8289 (North Dry 
Ridge), and on a portion of the IDI-04 (Maybe Canyon Lease), as well as 
in areas north and south of the Husky 1 lease within federally 
designated known phosphate lease area (KPLA) boundaries, in Caribou 
County, Idaho. Open pit mining operations would be conducted by Nu-West 
Mining, Inc., doing business as Agrium Conda Phosphate Operations 
(Agrium). Agrium's proposed mine plan includes two different mining 
areas separated by the historically operated, now inactive, Maybe 
Canyon Mine. Portions of the Maybe Canyon Mine are currently undergoing 
investigation and remediation through the Comprehensive, Environmental 
Response, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Husky 1-North Dry Ridge 
Phosphate Mine Project area is located about 19 miles northeast of Soda 
Springs, Idaho.
    The proposed new mining operations at the Husky 1-North Dry Ridge 
Mine Project area occur on Federal phosphate leases administered by the 
BLM, on unleased parcels of National Forest System Lands, and on 
private lands.

[[Page 46108]]

The leases are primarily located on National Forest System lands. The 
National Forest System lands involved lie within the Soda Springs 
Ranger District of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The existing 
leases grant the lessee, Agrium 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 and the FS will analyze 
environmental impacts of the proposed mining and reclamation operations 
and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. Appropriate 
mitigation measures will also be formulated.

Agency Decisions

    The BLM Idaho State Director or delegated official will approve, 
approve with modifications, or deny the proposed mine and reclamation 
plan, the proposed lease modifications and appropriate land use 
authorizations on leased lands. Decisions will be based on the EIS and 
any recommendations the FS may have regarding surface management of 
leased National Forest System lands. The FS Caribou-Targhee National 
Forest Supervisor will make:
    (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 that occur off-lease 
within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Special Use Authorizations 
from the FS would be necessary for any support structures and 
facilities for the mine located off-lease within the Caribou-Targhee 
National Forest.
    The applicable land use plans have been reviewed relative to the 
proposed action and at this time it is not anticipated that any 
amendments would be needed.
    The Army Corps of Engineers may also make decisions related to 
permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

Background

    Agrium plans open-pit mining of the phosphate on their existing 
leases according to the terms of the leases. The proposed Husky 1-North 
Dry Ridge Mine Project would include an open-pit phosphate mine and 
associated features including growth media stockpiles, temporary and 
permanent overburden storage areas, storm water retention ponds and 
mine pit backfill areas, haul roads, equipment staging areas, and re-
routing of an existing National Forest System Road (134) for 
approximately 13 years. A power line may also be needed for the 
duration of mining and reclamation.
    The existing three leases contain 3,026.59 acres. In order to 
maximize phosphate mineral recovery, the lessee has proposed lease 
modifications (enlargements) to both the Husky 1 and North Dry Ridge 
leases totaling 470 acres. Agrium has also requested off-lease Special 
Use Authorizations covering 395 additional acres to accommodate access 
roads, storm water retention facilities, and staging areas. While a 
portion of Federal Lease IDI-8289 (North Dry Ridge) occurs on Idaho 
Department of Fish and Game lands, no disturbance on these lands is 
proposed in the mine plan. The EIS will analyze a proposed disturbance 
of approximately 1,051.64 acres on private and National Forest System 
Lands; about 645.86 acres on the three existing leases, 397.24 acres on 
requested lease modifications and Special Use Authorizations, and about 
8.54 acres off lease on private lands.
    Within the disturbance area on National Forest System Lands, 
approximately 65 acres are in the Dry Ridge Inventoried Roadless Area. 
The Proposed Action is consistent with the exemptions for phosphate 
mining within the General Forest, Rangeland, and Grassland theme of the 
2008 Idaho Roadless Rule.
    The mining sequence included in the Proposed Action is to mine the 
North Dry Ridge and Husky 1 consecutively, but with some transitional 
overlap. Mining will begin in the North Dry Ridge area, and then 
progress to the Husky 1 as production at North Dry Ridge slows. It is 
anticipated that mining of the North Dry Ridge deposit will occur for 
approximately 2.6 years followed by approximately 11 years of mining 
operations on the Husky 1 deposit. Mining in the North Dry Ridge area 
will progress from north to south, with overburden placed in the 
existing North Maybe Canyon pit as backfill, followed by overburden 
placement in the North Dry Ridge pit itself as room is made available. 
In the Husky 1 area, mining will again proceed generally from north to 
south. Initially, overburden from the Husky 1 pit would be placed in a 
waste dump and into the existing South Maybe Canyon southern pit as 
overburden backfill. As mining progresses southeast in the Husky 1 pit, 
overburden would be placed in the South Maybe pit, the North Maybe 
Canyon pit, or the previously mined out areas of the North Dry Ridge as 
overburden backfill.
    Agrium has proposed management practices in its mine and 
reclamation plan to reduce environmental impacts. Reclamation would be 
conducted concurrently with mining. Agrium's plan also emphasizes the 
backfilling of mine pits, thereby limiting the amount of overburden 
placed in permanent external storage areas. To reduce the potential for 
contaminant release to water or uptake by reclamation vegetation, 
Agrium is proposing to limit the amount of time that seleniferous 
(selenium-bearing) overburden is exposed to the elements, to return all 
seleniferous overburden material to the mine pits as backfill, and to 
cap overburden with a combination of low-seleniferous material and 
liner material.
    Agrium proposes building new facilities associated with its mining 
operations including a staging area, fuel storage area, and dust 
suppression wells with water fill stands. In addition, existing offices 
and shop facilities at the nearby Dry Valley Mine would be used.
    Off-lease facilities on private lands would include haul roads, 
stockpile areas, and a train load-out facility (tipple).
    Potential impacts to water quality from dissolved metals including 
selenium will be addressed in the EIS. Agrium has proposed to implement 
practices designed to reduce, eliminate, or mitigate these impacts as 
described above. Suitable soil or other growth media would be salvaged 
from disturbed areas for use in reclamation. Concurrent mine 
reclamation would include backfilling pits as mining progresses, 
grading slopes, capping overburden disposal areas and pit backfills, 
reestablishing drainages, spreading growth media, stabilizing surfaces, 
promoting revegetation, and testing and treatment for any remaining 
contaminants. Facilities and equipment would be removed at closure. 
Environmental monitoring would be performed to ensure impacts do not 
exceed those authorized.
    Issues initially identified for the proposed mining of the Husky 
1--North Dry Ridge Mine Project include potential effects on 
groundwater and surface water quantity and quality; uptake of 
contaminants by vegetation, loss of soil and mineral resources; changes 
to air quality; loss of wildlife and their habitats (including 
fisheries); reduction of livestock grazing; impacts to wetlands and 
riparian habitat; reduced opportunity for recreation; impacts to 
inventoried roadless areas, changes in socio-economics such as 
employment and the continued operation of a fertilizer plant and 
support businesses; reduced opportunity to implement Native American 
rights, treaties, and land uses; changes to visual resources.
    The BLM and FS will use and coordinate NEPA public participation

[[Page 46109]]

requirements to assist the agency in satisfying public involvement 
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 
U.S.C. 470(f)) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about 
historic and cultural resources within the area potentially affected by 
the proposed action will assist in identifying and evaluating impacts 
to such resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the 
NHPA.
    The BLM and Forest Service will consult with Indian tribes on a 
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 
and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to treaty rights 
and potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due 
consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with tribes 
and other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the 
proposed project that is being evaluated, are invited to participate in 
the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by 
the BLM or FS to participate in the development of the environmental 
analysis as cooperating agencies.

Alternatives and Schedule

    The EIS will analyze the Proposed Action and the No Action 
Alternative. Other alternatives may be considered that could provide 
mitigation of potential impacts.
    The tentative EIS project schedule is as follows:
     Begin public scoping period and meetings: Summer 2012;
     Release draft EIS and associated comment period: January 
2015;
     Final EIS publication: Fall 2016; and
     Records of Decision: Fall 2016.

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 input by way of comments, issues and 
concerns; news releases or legal notices; and public scoping meetings.
    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. Comments will be available for public review at the BLM 
address listed above during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    The BLM and the FS are seeking information and written comments 
concerning the Proposed Action from Federal, State, tribal, and local 
agencies, individuals, and organizations interested in, or affected by, 
the Proposed Action or Alternatives. To assist the BLM and the FS in 
identifying issues and concerns related to the Proposed Action, scoping 
comments should be as specific as possible.
    At least three ``open-house'' style public scoping meetings will be 
held which will include displays explaining the project and a forum for 
asking questions and commenting on the project.
    Meetings are planned to be held in Pocatello, Fort Hall, 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 DATES above).

    Authority:  43 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508; 43 
CFR part 46; 43 U.S.C. 1701; and 43 CFR part 3590.

Joe Kraayenbrink,
District Manager, Idaho Falls District, Bureau of Land Management.
Brent Larson,
Forest Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2012-18883 Filed 8-1-12; 8:45 am]
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