[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 55 (Friday, March 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15773-15774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06112]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVE03000 L5110000.GN0000LVEMF1201550 241A; NVN-091032; 14-08807; 
MO 4500058790]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Long Canyon Mine Project, Elko County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Long Canyon 
Mine 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 Long Canyon Mine 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 public meetings or other public involvement activities 
at least 15 days in advance

[[Page 15774]]

through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Long Canyon Mine 
Project by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 775-861-6601
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Long Canyon Mine Project, 
Attention: Whitney Wirthlin, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502
    Copies of the Long Canyon Mine Project Draft EIS are available in 
the Elko District Office at the above address and on online at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/elko_field_office/blm_information/nepa/long_canyon_eis__7.html

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Whitney Wirthlin, Project Manager; 
telephone: 775-861-6400; address: 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 
89502; 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, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Newmont Mining Corporation (Newmont) 
proposes to construct and operate an open-pit gold mining operation, 
which would include one open pit, a heap leach pad, one waste rock 
dump, a tailings storage facility, a natural gas pipeline from the 
existing Ruby Pipeline, an onsite power generation plant, and other 
ancillary facilities. The mine would be located on the eastern side of 
the Pequop Mountain Range, about 30 miles east of Wells, Nevada, and 32 
miles west of West Wendover, Nevada, and 5 miles south of Interstate 
80. Currently, Fronteer Development (USA) Inc. (Fronteer), a subsidiary 
of Newmont, is authorized to disturb up to 115 acres for exploration 
purposes. The associated disturbance for the proposed operations would 
increase to 1,631 acres of public land, including 480 acres of split 
estate lands of Federal surface and private subsurface. The projected 
life of the mine is 8 to 14 years, including construction, operations, 
closure, and post-closure monitoring. An estimated annual workforce for 
operations would be approximately 300 to 500 people during the life of 
the mine.
    Fronteer is currently conducting exploration activities in this 
area which were analyzed in two environmental assessments (EA), the 
NewWest Gold USA Inc. Long Canyon Exploration Project (July 2008, EA 
No. BLM/EK/PL-2008/011) and Fronteer Development (USA) Inc. Expanded 
Long Canyon Exploration Project (June 2011, DOI-BLM-NV-N030-2011-00001-
EA). The proposed Long Canyon Mine is in conformance with the Wells 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) and the proposal is in conformance with 
the approved decisions of the RMP.
    The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project site-
specific impacts (including cumulative) on all affected resources. Two 
alternatives are analyzed: The North Facilities Alternative and the No 
Action Alternative. The North Facilities Alternative was designed in 
response to several environmental issues raised by scoping comments. 
Under the North Facilities Alternative, most of the mine facilities 
would be moved to the northern portion of the project area. This 
alternative addresses impacts to several wildlife species, cultural 
resources, and responds to requests from the cities of West Wendover, 
Nevada, and Wendover, Utah, related to potential impacts to their water 
supply.
    Six other alternatives were considered but eliminated from further 
analysis. Mitigation measures are considered to minimize environmental 
impacts and to assure the proposed action does not result in 
unnecessary or undue degradation of public lands.
    The BLM received a total of 31 written comment submissions 
containing 80 items during the public scoping period. The comments the 
BLM received were submitted by Federal and State agencies as well as 
members of the general public.
    Concerns raised during scoping include: Potential impacts to 
cultural resources, including impacts to the Hastings Cutoff of the 
California National Historic Trail; impacts to the habitat of Greater 
Sage-Grouse; impacts to mule deer winter range and migration patterns; 
impacts to air quality through point (equipment) and non-point (waste 
rock disposal areas) pollution sources; changes to the quantity and 
quality of surface water and groundwater, especially the Big Spring and 
Johnson Spring complex which is the water resource for West Wendover 
and Wendover; potential noise impacts to wildlife in the area; impacts 
to general health of the rangeland resources; potential release of 
pollutants and hazardous materials to the environment during operations 
and following closure; increase in light pollution in the area and 
direct visual impacts from mine facilities; positive and negative 
socioeconomic impacts to the communities of Wells, Wendover, West 
Wendover, the Wells Colony and Elko County; and cumulative impacts to 
wildlife, cultural, air, water, lands and realty, socioeconomics, and 
vegetation resources.
    The BLM has prepared the Draft EIS in conjunction with its eight 
Cooperating Agencies: Nevada Department of Wildlife; Elko County; City 
of Elko; City of West Wendover; City of Wendover, Utah; the 
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indian Reservation; the Nevada 
Division of Environmental Protection; and the Environmental Protection 
Agency.
    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 (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 
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.

Bryan K. Fuell,
Field Manager, Wells Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-06112 Filed 3-20-14; 8:45 am]
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