[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14078-14079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05359]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLUTW02100-L13300000-EN0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Sevier Playa Project, Millard County, UT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Fillmore Field Office intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose 
impacts associated with the Sevier Playa Project, a proposed potash 
mine located on public land in central Millard County, Utah, and by 
this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to 
solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS. 
Comments on issues may be submitted in writing for 30 calendar days 
following the publication of this notice. The date(s) and location(s) 
of any scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance 
through local media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: 
www.ut.blm.gov. In order to be included in the Draft EIS, all comments 
must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later. Additional 
opportunities for public participation will be provided upon 
publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Sevier Playa Project 
by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 435-743-3135.
     Mail: BLM, Fillmore Field Office, 95 East 500 North, 
Fillmore, UT 84631.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BLM 
Fillmore Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Ledbetter, Environmental 
Coordinator; telephone 435-743-3100; address BLM, 95 East 500 North, 
Fillmore, UT 84631; email [email protected]. Contact Ms. 
Ledbetter to have your name added to our mailing list. Persons who use 
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message 
or question for Ms. Ledbetter. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, Peak Minerals Inc. (Peak 
Minerals), has requested to construct an operational potash mine on 
BLM-leased lands which they hold the right to develop, and to use off-
lease BLM-administered lands through an application for a right-of-way 
(ROW) authorization for supporting structures. Peak Minerals is 
proposing to construct, operate, and maintain the Sevier Playa Project 
which would include facilities to extract and process potash from the 
brine solution found in the leased area. Potash is defined by 
regulation under 43 CFR part 3500 and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 
as a solid leasable mineral. The Sevier Playa leased area is located in 
southwestern Utah in the central portion of Millard County, and is 
defined generally by the geographical boundaries of the Sevier Playa. 
Peak Minerals controls directly, or through agreement, the BLM mineral 
leases on more than 124,000 acres. Potash leases grant the lessee the 
exclusive right and privilege to explore for, drill for, mine, extract, 
remove, beneficiate, concentrate, or otherwise process and dispose of 
the potassium deposits and other associated minerals. The leased lands 
for the proposed Project are predominantly administered by the

[[Page 14079]]

BLM, with isolated 640-acre sections managed by the Utah School and 
Institutional Trust Lands Administration. The proposed project would be 
designed to produce 300,000 tons of potash per year in the form of 
K2SO4 or sulphate of potash (SOP), for a total 
estimated production (over the anticipated minimum project life of 30 
years) of 9 million metric tons of SOP.
    An operating plan for mining (Mining Plan) for the Sevier Playa 
Project, prepared by Peak Minerals, describes the project in detail and 
is available at the BLM Fillmore Field Office. As described in the 
Mining Plan, brine would be extracted from beneath the playa surface by 
extraction trenches and wells. Enhanced aquifer recharge would be 
implemented to support the hydraulic head necessary to maintain target 
extraction rates. Extracted brine would be transferred to concentration 
ponds to concentrate and precipitate the resource through solar 
evaporation. Potash salts would be harvested and stockpiled, then 
crushed to reduce particle size. Scrubbing and flotation would separate 
potassium-rich salts from other materials contained in the precipitate. 
Crystallization processes would further refine the product to meet 
purity specifications.
    The project facilities would include ponds, wells, a processing 
facility, power line, gas line, rail facility, freshwater well, and 
access roads. The site would be accessed via state highways on the 
north and east sides. To the extent possible, existing roads would be 
used for access for construction and maintenance. Power would be 
brought in from the north end of the playa via a new power line. The 
fresh water supply would come from a well supply due south of the plant 
site, while the natural gas supply line would be brought from a supply 
point east of the plant site. The main substation would be located on 
the northwest corner of the processing plant. An administration 
building and combined equipment shop, maintenance area, and warehouse 
would be constructed.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. 
At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: 
Air quality, water quality and water rights, traffic and usage of 
secondary roads, on-site and compensatory mitigation, and wildlife 
concerns. The BLM will use NEPA public participation requirements to 
assist the agency in satisfying the public involvement requirements 
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 
U.S.C. 470f) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about 
historic and cultural resources within the area potentially affected by 
the proposed Sevier Playa Project will assist the BLM in identifying 
and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of both NEPA 
and Section 106 of the NHPA. The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on 
a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian 
trust assets 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 Sevier Playa Project that the BLM is evaluating, are 
invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may 
request or be requested by the BLM to participate in the development of 
the environmental analysis as a cooperating agency.
    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 1501.7.

Jenna Whitlock,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-05359 Filed 3-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P