[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 162 (Friday, August 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50864-50866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20582]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVW0000.L5110000.GN0000.LVEMF1402860.14X; MO #4500078994]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations 
Amendment 10 and Closure Plan, Pershing County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Coeur Rochester Mine 
Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan 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 Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations 
Amendment 10 and Closure Plan Draft EIS within 45 days following the 
date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of 
Availability in

[[Page 50865]]

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: You may submit comments related to the Coeur Rochester Mine 
Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and Closure Plan Draft EIS by any of 
the following methods:
     Web site: http://on.doi.gov/1d5pIxR.
     Email: [email protected]. Include Coeur Rochester Mine POA10 
DEIS Comments in the subject line.
     Fax: 775-623-1503.
     Mail: BLM Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field 
Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445.

Copies of the Coeur Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 and 
Closure Plan Draft EIS are available in the Winnemucca District Office 
at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Rehberg, Project Lead, 
telephone 775-623-1500; address BLM Winnemucca District, Humboldt River 
Field Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445; 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: The applicant, Coeur Rochester, Inc. (CRI), 
has requested an expansion of their operations at the existing Coeur 
Rochester Mine, which is located approximately 18 miles northeast of 
Lovelock, Nevada, in the Humboldt Range, Pershing County. The mine is 
currently authorized up to a disturbance of 1,939 acres (approximately 
187 acres of private land and 1,752 acres of public land), which was 
permitted under a series of Environmental Assessments (EA N26-86-002P, 
February 1986; EA NV-020-99-12, February 1999; EA NV-020-01-06, 
December 2000; EA NV-020-01-06, February 2002; EA NV-020-03-13, August 
2003; DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2010-0010-EA, October 2010).
    The Draft EIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed changes to CRI's current operations 
presented under this Plan of Operations (Plan) modification, which 
includes disturbance to 2,170.1 acres, of which 1,939 acres are already 
approved for disturbance. A total of 254.5 acres of the new disturbance 
is proposed on public land, however, there will be a reduction of 
approved disturbance acres of 23.3 acres on private land.
    The Draft EIS analyzes three alternatives: (1) The Proposed Action, 
(2) Permanent Management of Potentially Acid Generating (PAG) Material 
Outside of the Rochester Pit Alternative, and (3) the No Action 
Alternative. If selected by the BLM, the Proposed Action would include 
a change to the Plan boundary designed to include existing claims and 
newly acquired private lands within the boundary. However, all of the 
proposed disturbance to public land would be within the existing 
approved Plan boundary. The proposal includes the following:

     An approximately 67-acre expansion to the existing 
Stage IV Heap Leach Pad (HLP);
     An increase of the allowable maximum Stage IV HLP 
stacking height from 330 feet to 400 feet;
     Construction of a 124-acre Stage V HLP with associated 
ponds and tank;
     Relocation of a portion of the American Canyon public 
access road and establishment of an associated right-of-way (ROW);
     Relocation of a portion of the paved Rochester main 
access road ROW;
     Realignment of the Stage IV haul road and construction 
of secondary access roads;
     Relocation of existing power lines consistent with the 
proposed ROW realignments and HLP construction;
     Relocation of the electrical building, core shed, and 
production well PW-2a;
     Excavation of new borrow areas and construction of one 
new growth medium stockpile;
     Installation of the Stage IV HLP conveyor system, 
associated load out points, ore stockpiles, maintenance road, and 
utility corridor, including process solutions and fresh water supply 
pipelines; and
     Changes to closure activities for existing facilities 
including: altering the open pit safety berm sizes; HLP interim 
fluid management plans; HLP cover designs; the installation of 
evaporation cells; and long-term draindown management.

    Under the the Permanent Management of PAG Material Outside of the 
Rochester Pit Alternative, the proposed activities listed in the 
Proposed Action would be the same, with the exception of the permanent 
location of the PAG material. In this alternative the material would be 
permanently relocated outside of the existing pit.
    Under the No-Action Alternative, the BLM would not approve the 
proposed Plan modification and there would be no expansion. CRI would 
continue mining activities under their previously approved plan of 
operation.
    Three other alternatives were considered, then eliminated: (1) Pit 
Backfill Elevation Alternative, (2) Alternate Location for Stage V HLP 
Alternative, and (3) Close a Portion of American Canyon Road to Public 
Access Alternative.
    A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Proposed Coeur 
Rochester Mine Expansion was published in the Federal Register on June 
27, 2014 (79 FR 36554). Eleven comments were received during a 30-day 
scoping period. Information accepted during project scoping was 
compiled to develop issue statements, which are listed in the Draft 
EIS. The following issues of environmental, social, and economic 
concern were identified: Air quality from mine emissions (including 
mercury and greenhouse gases), climate change, geochemical mining 
impacts, baseline data, alternatives development, monitoring, 
cumulative impacts assessment, and potential impacts on vegetation, 
riparian resources, dispersed recreation, visual resources, water 
quality and quantity, wild horses and burros, and wildlife and special 
status species.
    The BLM analyzed a combination of proposed environmental measures 
and possible mitigation to eliminate or minimize any impacts associated 
with the proposed action. These included the potential for identifying 
opportunities to apply mitigation hierarchy strategies for on-site, 
regional, and compensatory mitigation appropriate to the size of the 
proposal, and management actions to achieve resource objectives. The 
BLM will use NEPA public participation requirements to assist the 
agency in satisfying the public involvement requirements under the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) pursuant 
to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural 
resources within the area potentially affected by the proposed Coeur 
Rochester Mine Plan of Operations Amendment 10 will assist the BLM in 
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of 
both NEPA and the NHPA.
    The BLM continues to consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other 
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to 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 or affected are invited 
to comment on the proposal that the BLM is evaluating.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted 
including names, street addresses, and email addresses of

[[Page 50866]]

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 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

James W. Schroeder,
Field Manager, Humboldt River Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-20582 Filed 8-20-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P