[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36122-36123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15828]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVB0l000.L51100000. GN0000.LVEMF1604910 MO# 4500135252]
Notice of Availability for the Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Deep South Expansion Project, Lander and Eureka Counties,
Nevada
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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mount
Lewis Field Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada, has prepared a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing
its availability. Barrick Cortez, Inc. (BCI) is proposing to expand its
existing Cortez Hills Project mining operations, which are located
southeast of Battle Mountain in Eureka and Lander Counties, Nevada.
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 Deep South Expansion Project
and other documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the
Mount Lewis Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada
89820. The document is also available for download at https://go.usa.gov/xmQR9.
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 Kevin
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 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: There are 54,825 acres of public lands
within the Plan of Operations boundary that are administered by the BLM
Mount Lewis Field Office, and 3,268 acres of private lands controlled
by BCI. BCI was
[[Page 36123]]
previously authorized to disturb 16,700 acres within their Plan of
Operations boundary.
The proposed mine expansion, named the Deep South Expansion Project
(Proposed Project) would require a modification to the Plan of
Operations to increase the plan boundary by 4,279 acres: from 58,093
acres to 62,372 acres. The proposed modification would result in
approximately 3,846 acres of new disturbance inside the new proposed
plan boundary, of which 2,779 acres are public lands.
BCI currently employs about 1,250 people from the northern Nevada
towns of Elko, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Eureka, Carlin, and
surrounding areas. If the Deep South Expansion Project is approved, the
company expects to extend the mine life and employment opportunities
for its workforce by another 12 years.
BCI's purpose for the Deep South Expansion Project is to continue
to profitably recover gold and silver from reserves and resources on
federal mining claims in the Project Area utilizing, to the extent
practical, existing facilities at BCI's currently permitted operations
within the Project Area.
The Final EIS describes and analyzes the Proposed Project's direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. In addition
to the Proposed Project, the Final EIS analyzes one additional action
alternative (the Gold Acres Pit Partial Backfill alternative) and the
No Action Alternative.
Under the Gold Acres Pit Partial Backfill Alternative, the proposed
expansion of the existing Gold Acres Pit would be completed prior to
development of the proposed satellite pits (Alta, Bellwether, and
Pasture), with the waste rock from the satellite pits (30 million tons)
placed as backfill in the Gold Acres Pit to an approximate elevation of
5,440 feet above mean sea level (amsl) (Figures 2-18 and 2-19). This
would result in a 72-acre reduction in the proposed new disturbance for
the Gold Acres North Waste Rock Facility. The pit bottom elevations for
the expanded Gold Acres Pit and proposed satellite pits would be the
same as described for the Proposed Action. No dewatering would be
required for the proposed expansion of open pit operations at the Gold
Acres Complex as the proposed pit bottom elevations would be above the
groundwater table. Therefore, proposed dewatering and water management
operations would be the same as under the Proposed Action.
Under the No Action Alternative, the proposed facilities and
facility modifications as well as the proposed operations modifications
that comprise the Deep South Expansion Project would not be developed
or implemented. Under this alternative, the existing mining and
processing operations in the Project Area and the current off site
transport of refractory ore to the Goldstrike Mill for processing and
backhaul of Arturo Mine oxide ore to the Pipeline Complex for
processing would continue under the terms of current permits and
approvals as authorized by the BLM and State of Nevada.
On March 29, 2017, a Notice of Intent was published in the Federal
Register (80 FR 58501) inviting scoping comments on the Proposed
Action. The BLM held three public scoping meetings on April 18, 19, and
20, 2017, in Battle Mountain, Crescent Valley, and Elko, Nevada
respectively. The BLM received six scoping comment submittals during
the scoping period. Concerns raised included impacts to water
resources, air quality, wildlife, and recreation.
The Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Draft EIS was published in
the Federal Register on October 22, 2018 (83 FR 53292), commencing a
45-day comment period that ended on December 5, 2018. The BLM held
three public comment meetings on November 6, 7, and 8, 2018 in Battle
Mountain, Crescent Valley, and Elko, Nevada respectively. A total of 29
comment letters were received on the Draft EIS via mail and email. All
agency and public comments on the Draft EIS were given careful
consideration in preparation of the Final EIS. Each comment, as well as
a corresponding response, is provided in Appendix F of 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 potential impacts
to cultural resources, have been analyzed in the Final EIS.
Bradlee Matthews,
Acting Field Manager, Mount Lewis Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2019-15828 Filed 7-25-19; 8:45 am]
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