[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 29234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13259]



[[Page 29234]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVB0l000. L51100000.GN0000. LVEMF1402780 14X MO: 4500134784]


Notice of Availably of the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Proposed Gemfield Mine Project, Esmeralda County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 
Tonopah Field Office, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Gemfield Mine Project and by this notice is 
announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS for the Gemfield Mine Project and 
other documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Mount 
Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820 or 
at the Tonopah Field Office, 1553 South Main Street, Tonopah, Nevada 
89049. The document is also available for download at https://go.usa.gov/xE8q6.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Hurrell, Project Manager; 
telephone: 775-635-4000; address: 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 
Nevada 89820; or email: [email protected]. Contact 
Mr. Hurrell to have your name added to BLM's 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 Mr. Hurrell during 
normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week, to leave a message or question. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Gemfield Resources, Ltd. (GRL) proposes to 
construct and operate a conventional open-pit mining operation in the 
Goldfield Mining District of Esmeralda County, Nevada, as described in 
the Plan of Operations (Plan) submitted by GRL for the Gemfield Mine 
Project (Project). The proposed Project is located approximately 30 
miles south of Tonopah, Nevada, and approximately 0.5 miles north of 
the town of Goldfield, Nevada. Goldfield is located approximately 30 
miles south of Tonopah and 174 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.
    Approximately 1,935.9 acres of land lies within the Plan boundary, 
including approximately 1,214.2 acres of BLM-administered land that is 
managed by the Tonopah Field Office of the Battle Mountain District and 
721.7 acres of private land. The proposed Project would result in 
approximately 1,337.3 acres of surface disturbance, of which 969.4 
acres would occur on BLM-administered land and 367.9 acres would occur 
on private land. If the Project is approved, GRL estimates the mine 
life would be approximately 12 years.
    The Proposed Project includes the construction and operation of a 
conventional open-pit mining operation to extract and recover gold. The 
Proposed Project would include the following new components: Open pit; 
crushing facilities, conveyors, and associated stockpiles; waste rock 
disposal areas; overburden stockpile; stormwater diversions channels, 
sediment basins, and berms; heap leach pad, processing facilities, and 
ponds; water supply and dewatering wells and delivery/storage system; 
haul and secondary roads; exploration activities; and ancillary 
facilities including: Power supply; reagent, fuel, and explosives 
storage; buildings including administration, change house, laboratory, 
security, warehouse, and parking; water supply and septic systems; 
maintenance shop; ready line; vehicle wash; communications facilities; 
plant growth media stockpiles; area for temporary storage of petroleum-
contaminated soils; groundwater monitoring wells; water-supply 
pipelines and facilities, borrow areas; fencing; yards; and stormwater 
controls and diversion structures.
    Proposed right-of-way (ROW) amendments to existing BLM 
authorizations (relinquishments and amendments to existing 
authorizations) include the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT); 
AT&T Esmeralda County; Sierra Pacific Power Company (SPPCo) doing 
business as NV Energy; and Nevada Hospital Association/SWITCH. Several 
ROW actions would require amendments to existing FLPMA grants, in 
accordance with 43 CFR 2800. New ROW actions include issuance of a 
grant to NDOT; authorizations of an east access road to Esmeralda 
County, and short-term construction ROWs for SPPCo DBA NV Energy in 
accordance with 43 CFR 2800 and Title V FLPMA. A Plan of Development 
that describes these amendments was submitted to the BLM in July 2013 
(amended May 2017). These amendments would be necessary to accommodate 
the development and operation of the proposed Gemfield Mine.
    Primary concerns identified in the Final EIS include potential 
impacts to water management over the life of the project, cultural 
resources, and land use and realty. The primary issues related to water 
resources and geochemistry, cultural resources, and land use and realty 
include: (1) Reduction in groundwater quantity from pit dewatering; (2) 
Impacts related to the water quality of the post-mining pit lakes; (3) 
Impacts to cultural resource sites from mine development; and (4) 
Impacts to land use and realty with the realignments of US Highway 95, 
utilities, and county roads. In addition to the Proposed Project, three 
alternatives were analyzed: The Reduced Mine Plan Alternative, the 
Partial Backfill Alternative, and the No Action Alternative.
    The Draft EIS was made available for a 45-day public comment period 
that ended on April 22, 2019. A public meeting was held on March 28, 
2019, in Goldfield, Nevada. A total of 15 comments were received during 
the public comment period. Responses to comments are included in the 
Final EIS.
    The BLM has utilized and coordinated the NEPA scoping and comment 
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), and the agency continues to do so. The 
information about historical 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 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 impacts to Indian 
trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have been 
analyzed in the Final EIS.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Doug Furtado,
Battle Mountain District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2019-13259 Filed 6-20-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P