[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 103 (Thursday, May 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32046-32047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11374]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVL0000-L51100000-GN0000-LVEMF1905850 19X MO #4500144424]


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Robinson Mine Plan of Operations Amendment and Proposed Resource 
Management Plan Amendment, White Pine County, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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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) Ely 
District (EYDO), Nevada, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Robinson Mine Plan of Operations Amendment and 
proposed Amendment of the BLM Ely District Resource Management Plan 
(RMP). By this Notice, BLM is announcing the beginning of the scoping 
process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS. 
Comments on issues may be submitted in writing until June 29, 2020. To 
maximize the opportunity for public input on this project while 
prioritizing the health and safety of BLM employees and the interested 
public, BLM will host online virtual public scoping meetings to provide 
information and gather input on the project. The date(s) and 
information on how to login and participate in these virtual scoping 
meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
media and on the BLM website at https://go.usa.gov/xvYad. In order to 
be considered in the scope of analysis for the Draft EIS, all comments 
must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 
days after the last public scoping meeting, whichever is later. We will 
provide additional opportunities for public participation upon 
publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Robinson Mine Plan of 
Operations Amendment and Proposed Ely District RMP Amendment by any of 
the following methods:
     Website: https://go.usa.gov/xvYad.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: BLM Bristlecone Field Office, ATTN: Robinson EIS 
Project, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada 89301.

[[Page 32047]]

    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the BFO.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tiera Arbogast, telephone 775-289-
1872, or email [email protected]. Contact Ms. Arbogast to have your 
name added to the 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 Ms. Arbogast 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. Normal business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
EYDO, Ely, NV, intends to prepare an EIS for the Robinson Mine Plan of 
Operations Amendment, as well as a Proposed Ely District RMP Amendment. 
It also initiates the public scoping process, and seeks public input on 
preliminary issues regarding the proposed project and RMP amendment. 
The Robinson Mine is an 8,887.6-acre copper mining operation adjacent 
to Ruth, Nevada and seven miles west of Ely, Nevada via U.S. Route 50. 
Project area boundaries are within Township 16 North (T16N), Range 61 
East (R61E), Sections 1, 2, 11 through 14, 23-26, 35, and 36; T16N, 
R62E, Sections 2 through 24, and 28 through 31; T16N, R63E, Sections 7, 
8, and 17 through 20; and Township 17 North, Range 62 East, Sections 
20, 21, 28, 29, and 32 through 35, Mount Diablo Baseline and Meridian. 
The BLM has received a proposal from KGHM--Robinson Nevada Mining 
Company to amend the Robinson Project Plan of Operations to extend the 
mine life to 2028 through authorization of the following actions: 
resume mining in the Liberty Pit, construct the new King Waste Rock 
Dump south of the Liberty and Ruth Pits, and expand storage capacity at 
the Giroux Wash Tailings Storage Facility. The EIS will analyze an 
alternative to resume waste rock placement on the North Tripp Waste 
Rock Dump, requiring North Tripp Waste Rock Dump expansion. The 
proposed activities would result in a total increase of approximately 
1,227 acres of surface disturbance within the Project Area Boundary for 
a new end of mine life total surface disturbance of 10,115 acres. The 
proposed increase would comprise 246 acres of new disturbance on 
private land controlled by KGHM Robinson and 981 acres of new 
disturbance located on public lands administered by the BLM.
    This EIS will also analyze a proposed amendment to the Ely District 
RMP for approximately 10,865 acres of BLM lands within the Plan of 
Operations boundary to be managed as Visual Resource Management (VRM) 
Class IV instead of the current VRM Class II and VRM Class III. This 
would provide for visual resource management that is consistent with 
current and future proposed mining operations.
    The Robinson Mine currently operates four open pits including the 
Aultman Pit, Liberty Pit, Tripp/Veteran Pit and Ruth West and Ruth East 
Pits. The approximate total surface disturbance of the open pits is 
2,061 acres. Ruth Pit is the only authorized pit that occurs on BLM-
administered lands, with a total authorized surface disturbance of 36.6 
acres on public land. Twelve Waste Rock Dumps and two ore stockpiles 
are authorized at Robinson Mine, with a total combined surface 
disturbance of approximately 3,055 acres, 721 acres on public lands. 
Tailings produced during milling operations are placed in the 
authorized Giroux Wash Tailings Storage Facility, approximately 1973 
acres, 70.5 acres of which occur on public lands. Other facilities that 
support Robinson Mine operations include mill and flotation circuits, 
gold heap leach and process facilities, evaporations cells and ponds, 
pumps and pipelines, power substations and distribution lines, a 
landfill, and a number of other buildings and facilities, yards, and 
equipment. Robinson Mine has an ongoing exploration drilling program to 
provide information for the geologic model, better define the ore body, 
and provide metallurgical samples.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will guide the planning process, including the range of 
alternatives and analysis included in the EIS.
    You may submit comments in writing to the BLM as shown in the 
ADDRESSES section above. To be most helpful, your comments should be 
submitted by the close of the 30-day scoping period.
    The BLM will use its fulfillment of the NEPA public participation 
requirements to assist the agency in satisfying the public involvement 
requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information 
about historic and cultural resources within the area potentially 
affected by the proposed action will assist the BLM in identifying and 
evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of both NEPA and 
Section 106 of the NHPA.
    The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other 
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on 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 in or affected by the 
proposed action that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate 
in the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by 
the BLM to participate in the development of the environmental analysis 
as a cooperating agency.
    The public is encouraged to help identify any issues, including 
impact concerns or the range of alternatives that should be analyzed, 
so that they that may be addressed in the EIS. The BLM will work 
collaboratively with all interested parties to identify the issues.
    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 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2)

Jared Bybee,
Associate District Manager, Ely District Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-11374 Filed 5-27-20; 8:45 am]
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