[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54800-54801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22907]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVB01000. L51100000.GN0000. LVEMF 1503550.15X MO# 4500077415]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Gold Bar Mine Project, Eureka County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mount Lewis 
Field Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada, intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 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 until October 13, 2015. 
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: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/national_environmental.html. 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. We will provide additional opportunities for public 
participation upon publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Gold Bar Mine Project 
by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/
battle_mountain_field/blm_

[[Page 54801]]

information/national_environmental.html.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 775-635-4034.
     Mail: 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Mount 
Lewis Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Moskiewicz--Project Manager, 
telephone 775-635-4000; address 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 
Nevada 89820; email [email protected]. 
Contact Mr. Joseph Moskiewicz 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 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: McEwen Mining Inc. (McEwen) proposes to 
develop a gold mine in the southwest portion of the Roberts Mountains, 
approximately 30 miles northwest of Eureka, Nevada. The proposed McEwen 
Gold Bar Mine Project (Project) consists of a mining Plan of Operations 
and four ROW grant authorizations to be analyzed in a single NEPA 
analysis document. Mining would occur from the existing Gold Pick and 
Gold Ridge pits and the proposed Cabin Creek North and South pits. 
Additional disturbance would be result from activities associated with 
gold mining operations, including waste rock disposal areas, crusher 
and ore stockpile pad, growth media stockpiles, process ponds, haul 
roads, access roads and power lines, heap leach facility, ancillary 
facilities, and diversion channels and sediment basins. Total proposed 
Project disturbance would be approximately 1,300 acres, including 
disturbance associated with the ROWs (consisting of approximately 1,137 
acres of surface disturbance on public land and 163 acres of surface 
disturbance on private land controlled by McEwen, as well as other 
private land owners); 366 acres of the total disturbance would occur on 
areas disturbed by previous mining operations. The proposed Project 
would take up to 17 years to complete, including: A year of pre-
stripping and construction, 8 years of mining, 4 years of reclamation 
following mine closure, and 4 years of post-reclamation monitoring. The 
proposed pit depths would not intercept groundwater. No pit dewatering 
would be necessary and no pit lakes are expected to form after mining 
operations end. The Project is expected to employ 151 individuals 
comprised of 90 contractors and 61 staff.
    Mt. Wheeler Power requested a ROW grant authorization to supply 
needed power to the Project. McEwen has requested three ROW grant 
authorizations for the following: 1) Primary access along the Atlas 
Haul Road; 2) Employee transport and emergency secondary access along 
North Roberts Creek Road and GB Process Road; and 3) A water supply 
pipeline.
    The Gold Bar Project boundary contains 916.5 acres of Greater Sage-
Grouse Preliminary Priority Habitat (PPH) on BLM-managed public lands. 
The total mine disturbance, including the right-of-way (ROW), affecting 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat on public land is 294 acres of PPH and 36 
acres of Preliminary General Habitat (PGH). Since 2013, BLM biologists 
at the Mount Lewis Field Office have coordinated with the Nevada 
Department of Wildlife and the BLM State Office regarding Gold Bar's 
ROW and disturbance to Greater Sage-Grouse habitat. Collectively, the 
organizations formulated best management practices for Greater Sage-
Grouse and other wildlife species and developed measures to offset the 
potential disturbance associated with the project to benefit Greater 
Sage-Grouse habitat. For example, as a result of this collaboration, 
the proposed project's power line was re-routed to use pre-existing 
routes in order to minimize effects to Greater Sage-Grouse habitat. 
These and other measures, including compliance with the Nevada and 
Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Land Use Plan Amendment, if 
finalized, will be among the issues analyzed in the EIS.
    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: 
Water resources; air quality; vegetation resources (including noxious 
weeds); wildlife (including migratory birds and Greater Sage-Grouse); 
special status species; grazing management; land use and access; 
aesthetics (noise and visual); cultural resources; geological 
resources; minerals; soils; recreation; social and economic values; 
hazardous materials; Native American cultural concerns; and wild 
horses.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to 
help fulfill the public involvement requirements under the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 
CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural resources 
within the area potentially affected by the proposed Project will 
assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources 
in the context of both NEPA and 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 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

Joseph S. Moskiewicz, Jr.,
Acting Field Manager, Mount Lewis Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-22907 Filed 9-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P