[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59411-59412]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25509]



[[Page 59411]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[17XL LLIDI00000.L71220000.EO0000.LVTFDX508300 241A 4500117783]


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Proposed Dairy Syncline Mine and Reclamation Plan, Caribou 
County, Idaho

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. United States Forest 
Service, Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest 
Service (USFS) Caribou-Targhee National Forest, have prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Dairy Syncline 
Phosphate Mine Project (Project), and by this Notice announce the 
opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure consideration, the Agencies must receive written 
comments on the Dairy Syncline Mine Project Draft EIS by February 21, 
2019. The BLM will announce any future public meetings and any other 
public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance on our 
ePlanning website, https://go.usa.gov/xUjcA. We may also use other 
means such as public notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: The public may submit comments related to the Dairy Syncline 
Mine Project Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
     website: https://go.usa.gov/xUjcA.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Dairy Syncline Mine Draft EIS, c/o Stantec 
Consulting Services Inc., 3995 South 700 East, Suite 300, Salt Lake 
City, Utah 84107.

Please reference ``Dairy Syncline Mine Draft EIS'' on all 
correspondence. CD-ROM and print copies of the Dairy Syncline Mine 
Draft EIS are available in the BLM Pocatello Field Office at the 
following address: 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204. In addition, 
an electronic copy of the Draft EIS is available online at:
     BLM Land Use Planning and NEPA Register: https://go.usa.gov/xUjcA.
     Caribou-Targhee National Forest Current and Recent 
Projects http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/landmanagement/projects.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Stout, BLM Pocatello Field 
Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204; phone 208-236-6367; 
email: [email protected]; fax 208-478-6376. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 800-877-8339 to contact Mr. Stout. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
for Mr. Stout. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM, as the Federal mineral lease 
administrator, is the lead agency, and the USFS is the co-lead agency 
for preparation of the Draft EIS, which includes several alternatives. 
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Idaho Department of 
Lands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Idaho Governor's 
Office of Energy and Mineral Resources are cooperating agencies. J.R. 
Simplot Company (Simplot) submitted a proposed Mine and Reclamation 
Plan application for agency consideration to extract phosphate rock 
from the Dairy Syncline leases (IDI-28115 and IDI-0258) located 
approximately 14 miles east of Soda Springs, in southeastern Caribou 
County, Idaho. Simplot submitted its original Dairy Syncline Mine and 
Reclamation Plan (M&RP) in 2008 and a revised M&RP was submitted in 
2013.
    The proposal would disturb a total of 2,830 acres as described in 
the Draft EIS. In one of the alternatives and in order to accommodate 
the proposed tailings pond, the BLM is considering acceptance of a land 
donation and offering a land sale, and the USFS is considering a land 
exchange and acceptance of a land donation. The BLM further describes 
these two land tenure adjustments in the Draft EIS. The BLM land tenure 
adjustment would require an amendment to the current Pocatello Resource 
Management Plan and the land exchange would require a Forest Plan 
Amendment.
    In addition, the BLM and USFS propose seven enlargements (lease 
modifications) to the existing leases in order to maximize recovery of 
the leased phosphate resource. Further, eight USFS Special Use 
Authorizations would be necessary.
    The Draft EIS analyzes numerous action alternatives, including an 
alternate access route, reduced BLM and USFS land tenure adjustments, 
and an alternative to reduce impacts to water resources. The agency 
Preferred Alternative is a modified form of the Proposed Action, which 
includes reducing the size of land tenure adjustments and adopting 
elements of the selective waste rock handling alternative. The 
modifications made to the Proposed Action (resulting in the Preferred 
Alternative) would result in a net gain of Federal land acreage and the 
fewest impacts to surface and groundwater of all the action 
alternatives.
    A Notice of Intent to prepare this EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on April 13, 2010 (75 FR 18875), initiating a 30-day public 
scoping period during which the BLM accepted written public comments on 
the Proposed Action. The scoping process identified concerns involving 
impacts to water resources and watersheds from potentially elevated 
levels of selenium and other contaminants in mine waste rock. Other 
potential effects and/or cumulative effects identified and addressed in 
the Draft EIS include potential impacts to minerals, paleontology, air 
quality, climate, soils, vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, grazing, 
recreation, roadless areas, visual resources, transportation, 
socioeconomics, tribal treaty rights, and wetlands .
    To facilitate an understanding of the project and commenting on the 
Draft EIS, the lead agencies plan to hold public meetings in Soda 
Springs, Georgetown, and Pocatello, Idaho. Meetings will be announced 
as previously described and will be in the open-house format, with 
displays explaining the Project and a forum for commenting on the 
Project. Written and electronic comments regarding the Draft EIS should 
be submitted by February 21, 2019.
    The portions of the Project related to USFS decisions are subject 
to the USFS objection process. Due to the need for a Revised Forest 
Plan amendment, this proposed Project is subject to the predecisional 
administrative review process described in 36 CFR 218 subparts A and B 
and 36 CFR 219 subpart B. Only those who provide comments during this 
comment period or who have previously submitted specific written 
comments on the Proposed Action, either during scoping or other 
designated opportunities for public comment, will be eligible as 
objectors (see 36 CFR 218.5 (a) and 219.53 (a)).
    Before including your 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.

[[Page 59412]]

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.
    Authorities: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR 1500 through 1508; 43 
CFR 46; 43 U.S.C. 1701; 43 CFR 3590.

Peter J. Ditton,
State Director, Idaho Bureau of Land Management (Acting).
Mel Bolling,
Forest Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2018-25509 Filed 11-21-18; 8:45 am]
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