[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 97 (Monday, May 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22894-22896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10475]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVW00000.L5110000. GN0000.LVEMF1504350. 15X MO# 4500132874]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Marigold Mining Company--Marigold Mine--
Mackay Optimization Project Humboldt County, Nevada

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 (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Humboldt River 
Field Office, Winnemucca,

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Nevada has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
the Proposed Marigold Mine--Mackay Optimization Project (Project) and 
by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: This notice initiates the public comment period for the Draft 
EIS. Comments may be submitted in writing until July 5, 2019. 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 
website at: http://1.usa.gov/1PKqIbI. In order to be included in the 
Draft EIS, 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 Marigold Mine--Mackay 
Optimization Project by any of the following methods:
     Website: http://1.usa.gov/1PKqIbI.
     Email: [email protected]. Include Marigold Mine Mackay DEIS 
Comments in the subject line.
     Fax: (775) 623-1740.
     Mail: BLM Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field 
Office, 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Jeanette Black, 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 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: The applicant, Marigold Mining Company 
(MMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SSR Mining Inc., has requested to 
optimize and modify its approved Plan of Operations by expanding its 
gold mining operations at the existing Marigold Mine, which is located 
in the southeastern portion of Humboldt County, Nevada approximately 35 
miles southeast of Winnemucca. The mine is currently authorized to 
disturb up to 5,682.6 acres (3,211.4 acres of private land and 2,471.2 
acres of public land), and was permitted under a series of 
Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments from July 
1988 through October 2013.
    All proposed disturbance would occur within the existing approved 
Plan boundary and includes combining multiple existing pits into three 
large pits. Waste rock storage areas, heap leach pads, and other 
supporting facilities would be expanded to support the pit expansion. 
The pits are proposed to extend below the historic water table 
necessitating dewatering of the groundwater and rapid infiltration 
basins (RIBs) for recharging the excess water downgradient of the pits. 
If approved, the proposed modification would extend the mine life by up 
to 10 years.
    Amendments to two associated rights-of-ways (ROWs) needed to 
accommodate the proposed mine changes are evaluated in the Draft EIS. 
These ROWs include relocation of a portion of the county road called 
Buffalo Valley Road and of a portion of the existing 120-kV power line 
(ROW held by NV Energy).
    The Draft EIS analyzes three alternatives; the Proposed Action, 
Alternative I--Partial Discharge to Cottonwood Creek and Pipeline to 
RIBs Alternative, and the No Action Alternative.
    The Proposed Action, if selected by the BLM, would include 2,055.9 
acres of new disturbance (800.9 acres of public land and 1,255 acres of 
private land), increasing the surface disturbance by a total of 7,738.5 
acres (3,271.7 acres of public land and 4,466.4 acres on private land).
    Under Alternative I, all components of the Proposed Action would be 
the same except for the proposed dewatering operation that would 
increase the total disturbance by approximately 4 acres. A portion of 
the dewatered groundwater (approximately 191 gpm) would be treated at a 
water treatment plant, transported via an above ground pipeline system 
and discharged to Cottonwood Creek drainage, creating a water source 
for livestock and wildlife while recharging the aquifer. The remaining 
portion of dewatering water would be piped to the RIBs.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the plan modification would not be 
authorized and the activities described under the Proposed Action would 
not occur. MMC would continue mining activities as authorized in their 
current Plan, dated November 6, 2013, with closure in 2027, followed by 
approximately three years of reclamation.
    A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the proposed Mackay 
Project was published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2016 (FR Doc 
No: 2016-04806). The BLM received 22 public scoping comment during the 
31-day scoping period. From the 22 comments, 70 issue statements were 
identified and evaluated in the Draft EIS (Table 1.4-1). The following 
issues of environmental, social, and economic concern were identified: 
Air quality from mining emissions; fugitive dust; hazardous air 
pollutants; greenhouse gases; geochemical concerns from mining 
activities; effects on cultural sites; impacts to California Trails; 
environmental justice; Native American Religious Concerns; noise 
effects on Greater Sage Grouse and humans; rangeland management; 
impacts from the relocation of county road and NV Energy powerline; 
public access for dispersed recreation; economic benefits; visual 
resources; surface and groundwater quality and quantity impacts due to 
dewatering of the aquifer; water rights; formation of a pit lake with 
evaporative water losses; wetland and riparian zones; wildlife impacts 
due to mining activities (vegetation loss, weed management, surface 
water sources, migration routes, lighting); environmental protection 
measures; mitigation; monitoring; reclamation; closure; and 
alternatives.
    The BLM analyzed a combination of proposed environmental measures 
and possible mitigation to eliminate or minimize impacts associated 
with the proposed action. These included the potential for identifying 
opportunities to apply mitigation hierarchy strategies for on-site and 
regional 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 
amendment 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.

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    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.

David Kampwerth,
Field Manager, Humboldt River Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2019-10475 Filed 5-17-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P