[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 157 (Friday, August 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48913-48914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19924]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVL01000. L51100000.GN0000. LVEMF1501180 241A; MO# 4500069201]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Bald Mountain Mine North and South 
Operations Area Projects, White Pine County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Egan Field Office, Ely, Nevada has prepared a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Bald Mountain Mine North and 
South Operations Area Projects (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 Bald Mountain Mine North and South Operations 
Area Projects Draft EIS within 45 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes their Notice of Availability 
in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce any public meetings or 
other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through 
public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Bald Mountain Mine 
North and South Operations Area Projects Draft EIS by any of the 
following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 775-289-1910.
     Mail: BLM Ely District, Egan Field Office, HC 33 Box 
33500, Ely, NV 89301.
    Copies of the Bald Mountain Mine North and South Operations Area 
Projects Draft EIS are available in the Ely District Office at the 
above address and on the Ely District's Web page at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ely_field_office/blm_programs/minerals/mining_projects/bald_mountain_mine0.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Miles 
Kreidler, Project Lead, telephone: 509-536-1222; address: 702 North 
Industrial Way, Ely, NV 89301; 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: Barrick Gold U.S. Inc. (Barrick) proposes to 
expand, construct, and operate an open-pit gold mining operation 
located in the Bald Mountain Mining District in White Pine County, 
Nevada, approximately 65 miles northwest of the Town of Ely. The 
proposed development and expansion would create an additional 6,891 
acres of disturbance, which would be located primarily on public land 
managed by the BLM. The projected mining period is 21 years, but the 
life of the mine would extend for 80 years, including construction, 
operation, reclamation, closure, reclamation monitoring, and post-
closure monitoring.
    The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project site-
specific impacts (including cumulative) on all affected resources. The 
DEIS describes four alternatives: approval of the project as proposed 
by Barrick (the Proposed Action), the North and South Operations Area 
Facilities Reconfiguration Alternative, the Western Redbird 
Modification Alternative, and the No Action Alternative. The North and 
South Operations Area Facilities Reconfiguration Alternative was 
developed to address potential impacts to mule deer migration; greater 
sage-grouse leks and associated Preliminary Priority Habitat (PPH) and 
Preliminary General Habitat (PGH); visual impacts affecting the 
cultural setting of the Pony Express National Historic Trail, Ruby 
Valley Pony Express Station, and Fort Ruby National Historic Landmark; 
and visual impacts affecting visitor aesthetics at the Ruby Lake 
National Wildlife Refuge. The North and South Operations Area 
Facilities Reconfiguration Alternative would result in a decrease of 
3703 acres (-54 percent) of disturbance compared to the Proposed 
Action. The Western Redbird Modification Alternative was developed to 
further address potential impacts to mule deer migration and would 
result in a decrease of 4,339 acres (-63 percent) of disturbance 
compared to the Proposed Action. Several other alternatives were 
considered but eliminated from further analysis. These alternatives 
eliminated from further consideration are discussed in Chapter 2 of the 
Draft EIS. 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.
    On April 16, 2012, a Notice of Intent was published in the Federal 
Register inviting scoping comments on the Proposed Action. A legal 
notice was prepared by the BLM and published in the Elko Daily Free 
Press, Ely Times, Eureka Sentinel, and Reno Gazette-Journal informing 
the public of the BLM's intention to prepare the Bald Mountain Mine 
North and South Operations Area Projects EIS. Public scoping meetings 
were held May 7-10 in Ely, Eureka, Elko, and Reno, Nevada. A total of 
25 comment submittals containing 180 individual comments were received. 
The comments are

[[Page 48914]]

incorporated in a Scoping Report and were considered in the preparation 
of this Draft EIS.
    Concerns raised during scoping include: potential degradation of 
surface water or groundwater quality and potential depletion to 
groundwater from pit lakes and/or water withdrawals for mine 
operations; potential impacts to mule deer habitat and migration 
corridors; potential impacts to greater sage-grouse habitat and 
strutting grounds; potential impacts to Wild Horse Herd Management 
Areas (HMAs), including herd access to surface water sources; potential 
air quality impacts from fugitive dust containing mercury, arsenic, or 
other contaminants; and potential impacts to visual resources including 
the visual setting of the Pony Express Trail and the Ruby Lake National 
Wildlife Refuge. The North and South Operations Area Facilities 
Reconfiguration Alternative was developed to help reduce impacts to 
mule deer, greater sage-grouse, and visual resources. The Western 
Redbird Modification Alternative was developed to help further reduce 
impacts to mule deer. Mitigation measures have also been included to 
show how impacts on resources could be minimized.
    The BLM has prepared the Draft EIS in conjunction with its five 
Cooperating Agencies: Nevada Department of Wildlife, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, State of Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem Program, Eureka 
County, and White Pine County.
    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 (7:30 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 1501 and 43 CFR 3809.

Jill A. Moore,
Field Manager, Egan Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-19924 Filed 8-13-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P