[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 114 (Friday, June 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35949-35950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12608]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOF02000 L51100000.GL0000 LVEMC2000600 20X]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Competitive Mineral Materials Sale (COC-
078119) at Parkdale, Fremont County, CO

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, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Royal 
Gorge Field Office, Canon City, Colorado, has prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed competitive mineral 
materials sale at Parkdale, Freemont County, Colorado, and by this 
notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision until July 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS for the Proposed Competitive Mineral 
Materials Sale (COC-078119) at Parkdale, Fremont County, Colorado are 
available for review by appointment at the BLM Royal Gorge Field 
Office, 3028 East Main Street, Canon City, CO 81212. Please call (719) 
269-8500 to request an appointment. The Final EIS is also available 
online at https://go.usa.gov/xy6tn. Click the ``Documents'' link on the 
left side of the screen to find the electronic version of the document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Carter, Geologist; 
telephone: (719) 269-8551; address: 3028 East Main Street, Canon City, 
CO 81212; 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 Ms. Carter 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: The BLM has prepared a Final EIS to evaluate 
an application from Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. for a contract to 
mine 400-million net tons of aggregate reserves located on BLM managed 
lands, adjacent to their existing hard rock quarry northwest of Canon 
City, Colorado. The aggregate reserves consist of a granodiorite 
bedrock that will be mined utilizing blasting, crushing, and screening 
methods. The mining activity would be conducted on up to approximately 
700 acres of BLM lands for up to 100 years, at a production of 4-
million tons annually. The aggregate would be used in the production of 
asphalt and concrete, as well as a source of railroad ballast.
    On July 31, 2019, the BLM published a Notice of Intent to prepare 
an EIS, initiating public scoping to identify issues through public 
participation and collaboration with partners (84 FR 37334). Initial 
scoping with internal staff, cooperating agencies and the public 
identified concerns related to air quality, inventoried lands with 
wilderness characteristics, wildlife and plant habitat, visual 
resources, as well as local and regional economies.
    The purpose of this action is to respond to the applicant's request 
to obtain a renewable competitive contract to sell mineral materials 
located immediately adjacent to the existing Parkdale Quarry in Fremont 
County, Colorado. The need for the action is based on the BLM's 
multiple-use mission as set forth in FLPMA, which mandates that the 
public land resources be managed for a variety of uses, including 
mining. Pursuant to 30 U.S.C. 1602, the project would assist in the 
pursuit of measures that would assure the availability of materials 
critical to commerce, the economy and national security, and facilitate 
development of domestic resources to meet critical materials needs.
    The BLM published a Notice of Availability on February 7, 2020, 
announcing the public comment period for the Draft EIS (85 FR 7329). 
The Draft EIS included alternatives that responded to the purpose and 
need, quantified the impacts to visual resources and air quality, and 
addressed strategies to minimize impacts to bighorn sheep populations. 
The Draft EIS was available for a 45-day public comment period. The BLM 
hosted a public meeting on February 26, in Canon City, Colorado, and 
received 145 comment submissions.
    The Draft EIS evaluated in detail the Proposed Action (Alternative 
A), the No Action Alternative (Alternative B) and one action 
alternative (Alternative C). After the public comment period closed, 
the BLM prepared a Final EIS, which reflects changes and adjustments 
based on information received during both internal and public comment 
on the Draft EIS. These changes specifically target surface and 
groundwater monitoring, design features, the mitigation framework, a 
more detailed performance-based reclamation protocol and revocation of 
two federal water reserve withdrawals.
    In all alternatives, reclamation would be ongoing, following mining 
activity in an area, as soon as conditions would be feasible. Details 
of Alternative A include: Mined material would be used for concrete, 
asphalt, and railroad ballast products and would take place on 
approximately 700 acres of BLM-administered public lands for up to 100 
years; the southwestern boundary of the proposed mining area would 
border the Arkansas River Canyonlands Area of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACEC); surface mining would progress in five phases; mining 
direction for each phase would be from northwest to southeast, creating 
a ``mine from behind'' visual scenario from the Highway 50 corridor. 
Alternative B (no action) does not include any Federal interests and 
involves the continuation of surface mining on the existing private 
aggregate reserves, anticipated to last 15-30 years, with aggregate 
produced only for concrete and asphalt products. Alternative B consists 
of three phases, with the mining direction for phases 1 and 2 being 
west to east and phase 3 being north to south. Details on Alternative C 
include: Mined material would be used for concrete, asphalt, and 
railroad ballast products and would take place on approximately 633 
acres of BLM-administered public lands for up to 100 years; the 
boundary of this footprint would not border the Arkansas River 
Canyonlands ACEC; surface mining would progress in six phases; mining 
direction for each phase would vary, so a ``mine from behind'' visual 
scenario from the Highway 50 corridor may not always be achieved.
    The BLM did not identify a preferred alternative in the Draft EIS, 
but has identified a preferred alternative (Alternative A) in the Final 
EIS, as required by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations. 
Alternative A includes the footprint that appears to minimize the 
effects to visual resources from key observation points, and 
groundwater in areas to the south, as it relates to the proposed 
mining.The BLM considered comments on the Draft EIS received from the 
public, cooperating agencies and internal BLM review, and made changes 
in the Final EIS as appropriate. Public comments resulted in adding 
clarifying text and

[[Page 35950]]

correcting data discrepancies in the EIS but did not significantly 
change the alternatives.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Jamie E. Connell,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-12608 Filed 6-11-20; 8:45 am]
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