[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 5246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00962]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVW01000.L51100000.GN0000. LVEMF1907180.19XMO#4500150554]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Gold Acquisition Corporation Relief Canyon 
Gold Mine Phase II Mine Expansion Amendment, Pershing 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, Nevada has prepared a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential impacts of approving 
the proposed expansion to the Relief Canyon gold mining operation in 
Pershing County, Nevada. This notice announces the beginning of the 
public comment period to solicit public comments on the Draft EIS.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, BLM must receive written 
comments on the Draft EIS no later than 45 days after the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability of the Relief 
Canyon Mine Expansion Project Draft EIS DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2020-0030-EIS 
in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce the dates and locations 
of any future meetings or hearings and any other public involvement 
activities at least 15 days in advance through local media, newspapers 
and the BLM website at: https://www.blm.gov/office/winnemucca-district-office.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Project by any of the 
following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2000567/510.
     Email: [email protected], include ``Relief Canyon Mine 
Expansion'' in the subject line.
     Fax: (775) 623-1740, please mark ``Attn: Relief Canyon 
Mine Expansion''.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Relief Canyon Mine 
Expansion, 5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard, Winnemucca, NV 89445.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the proposed 
Project contact Ms. Jeanette ``Jean'' Black, telephone: (775) 623-1500, 
address: 5100 EastWinnemuccaBoulevard, Winnemucca, NV 89445. Contact 
Ms. Black to have your name added to our 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: Gold Acquisition Corporation (GAC), a 
wholly-owned subsidiary of Pershing Gold Corporation, itself a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Americas Gold and Silver Corporation, proposes an 
expansion to the existing Relief Canyon Gold Mine. The mine is located 
in Pershing County, Nevada, approximately 16 miles east-northeast of 
Lovelock, Nevada. The proposed expansion is located within GAC's 
authorized Plan of Operations boundary and proposes to modify the 
existing Plan of Operations as follows:
     Create roughly 576 acres of new surface disturbance on 
public and private land including re-disturbance of about 137 acres of 
previously disturbed vegetation communities.
     Expand the footprint of the existing approved pit area by 
approximately 84 acres (68 acres of public land and 16 acres of private 
land) with resultant elimination of a portion of existing Waste Rock 
Storage Facility (WRSF) 4.
     Mine to final pit bottom elevation of 4,420 feet above 
mean sea level (ft amsl), which will involve continued mining below the 
water table, and result in a post-mining pit lake that is predicted to 
reach an equilibrium elevation of 4,887 ft amsl roughly 50 years after 
completion of mining.
     Construct a dewatering conveyance pipeline and Rapid 
Infiltration to re-infiltrate up to 900 gallons per minute of mine 
dewatering water during the last three months of proposed Phase II 
mining.
     Install up to 50 vertical and horizontal drains in the pit 
wall to ensure pit slope stability and supplement pit dewatering 
operations.
     Convert up to 50 exploration drill holes located in and 
adjacent to the pit as vertical or near vertical drains and/or 
piezometer to monitor water levels to ensure pit slope stability and 
supplement pit dewatering operations.
     Expand WRSFs, heap leach pads, and construct process 
ponds, new growth media stockpiles, diversion ditches for stormwater 
control, and ancillary facilities.
     Expand yard and crusher-conveyor areas, roads, and fences.
     Close and reclaim all project facilities at the completion 
of Phase II.

Draft EIS Analysis Process

    The purpose of the comment period is for the public to comment on 
the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS, through scoping, has identified and 
analyzed impacts to the following resources: Air and atmospheric 
resources, migratory birds and special status species, golden eagles, 
water quality (creation of a pit lake), and groundwater quantity. The 
Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed Project's direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources.
    The BLM has consulted and continues to consult with Native American 
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 
project that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the 
comment process.
    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 may 
request in your comment that your personal identifying information be 
withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able 
to do so.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7.

Ester M. McCullough,
District Manager, Winnemucca District Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-00962 Filed 1-15-21; 8:45 am]
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