[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 41 (Friday, March 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12462-12463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03966]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVB00000.L51100000.LVEMF1503550.241A.15X MO 4500102605]


Notice of Availability of the Draft 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, has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Gold Bar Mine Project and 
by this notice is announcing the beginning of the public comment period 
to solicit public comments on the Draft EIS.

DATES: This notice initiates the public comment period for the Gold Bar 
Mine Project Draft EIS. Comments may be submitted in writing until 
April 17, 2017. The date(s) and location(s) of any comment meetings 
will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local media, 
newspapers and the BLM Web site at: http://bit.ly/2gyfZms. To ensure 
comments will be considered, all comments must be received prior to the 
close of the 45-day public comment period. We will provide additional 
opportunities for public participation upon publication of the Final 
EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Gold Bar Mine Project 
by any of the following methods:

 Web site: http://bit.ly/2gyfZms
 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: Christine Gabriel--Project Manager, 
telephone 775-635-4000; address 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 
Nevada 89820; email [email protected]. 
Contact Christine Gabriel to have your name added to our mailing list. 
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call 
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FRS 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 Plan boundary 
encompasses 5,362 acres of public land and 199 acres of private land 
located in Eureka County, Nevada. The proposed Project consists of a 
mining Plan of Operations (Plan) (NVN-091037) and involves the 
following activities: Four open pits; waste rock dump areas; crushing, 
screening, and agglomeration

[[Page 12463]]

facilities; heap leach pads, associated process solution pond, and an 
event pond; an adsorption, desorption, and recovery plant, including 
barren and pregnant solution tanks; ancillary and other facilities, 
including explosive storage area, ammonium nitrate prill silos, liquid 
natural gas cryostorage, or compressed natural gas generators and 
switch station, truck shop and wash bay, ready line, landfill, laydown 
areas, water and power infrastructure, buildings, yards, parking, 
storage, growth media stockpiles, production water wells (GBPW-210 and 
GBPW-211) and associated water supply pipeline, groundwater monitoring 
wells (GBMW-01, GBMW-03, and GBMW-04), communication facilities, 
potable water and fire water facilities, septic systems, and fencing; 
and mine access roads (Three Bars Road, Atlas Haul Road, North Roberts 
Creek Road, Bypass Road [NVN-91566], and Roberts Creek Road). Total 
proposed Project disturbance would be approximately 1,127 acres of 
surface disturbance, which includes both proposed new disturbance and 
existing disturbance that would be incorporated into the Project, with 
approximately 944 acres on public land administered by the BLM Mount 
Lewis Field Office and 183 acres on private land. The actions involved 
in the decision to be made by the U.S. Department of the Interior's BLM 
include authorization of the Gold Bar Plan of Operations. The Gold Bar 
Mine Project is in conformance with the 1986 Shoshone-Eureka Resource 
Area Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision.
    The proposed pit depths would not intercept groundwater. No pit 
dewatering would be necessary and no pit lakes are anticipated to form 
after mining operations end.
    The purpose of this comment period is for the public to comment on 
the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS, through scoping, has identified and 
analyzed impacts to the following resources areas: Water resources; air 
quality; vegetation resources (including noxious weed and special 
status species); wildlife (including migratory birds and special status 
species); grazing management; land use and access; aesthetics (noise 
and visual); cultural resources; paleontological resources; geological 
resources (including minerals and soils); recreation; social and 
economic values; hazardous materials; Native American cultural 
concerns; and wild horses. The project area does not have any lands 
with wilderness characteristics. The Pony Express National Historic 
Trail (NHT) crosses existing Three Bars and North Roberts Creek Roads; 
however, public and recreational access to the NHT would not be 
affected by mining activities.
    The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed Project's direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. In addition 
to the proposed Project, four alternatives were analyzed including the 
25kV Overhead Distribution Line Alternative, the Three Bars Road/Atlas 
Haul Road as Only Access Alternative, the Mount Hope and North Roberts 
Creek Road for Light Vehicle Traffic Alternative, and the No Action 
Alternative. Development of alternatives focused on reducing impacts to 
Greater Sage-Grouse habitat.
    On September 11, 2015, a Notice of Intent was published in the 
Federal Register inviting scoping comments on the Proposed Action (80 
FR 54800). A public scoping meeting was held in Eureka on October 6, 
2015. A total of 12 scoping comment letters were received during the 
scoping period. Concerns raised included impacts to water resources, 
air quality, wild horses, wildlife, and recreation.
    The BLM has utilized and coordinated the NEPA scoping and comment 
process to help fulfill the public involvement process under the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) as 
provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3)--and the BLM continues to do so. The 
information about historic and cultural resources within the area 
potentially affected by the proposed Project has assisted the BLM in 
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of 
both NEPA and Title 54 of the NHPA.
    The BLM has consulted and continues to consult with Indian tribes 
on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including potential impacts 
to areas of critical cultural and spiritual significance and potential 
impacts to cultural resources, have been analyzed in the Draft EIS. 
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 
comment process.
    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 1503.1 and 1506.6.

Jon D. Sherve,
Field Manager, Mount Lewis Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-03966 Filed 3-2-17; 8:45 am]
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