[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39115-39116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14027]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management, Interior

[LLNVB01000.L13400000.DN0000.223. LXSIGEOT0000.MO: 4500161169]


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for Nevada Gold Mines LLC Goldrush Mine Project, Lander and Eureka 
Counties, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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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) 
announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Nevada Gold Mines LLC Goldrush Mine Project and requests 
the public review and provide comments on the Draft EIS.

DATES: All comments must be received by August 15, 2022. The BLM will 
announce the date of a public meeting on the Draft EIS at least 15 days 
in advance of the meeting on the BLM National ePlanning website https://go.usa.gov/xsVs8. The public meeting will be held online.

[[Page 39116]]


ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS is available for review on the BLM ePlanning 
project website at https://go.usa.gov/xsVs8.
    Written comments related to the Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) LLC 
Goldrush Mine Project may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     ePlanning website: https://go.usa.gov/xsVs8.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Goldrush Mine EIS c/o BLM Mount Lewis Field Office, 
50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Distel, Project Manager, 
telephone: (775) 635-4093; address: 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 
Nevada, 89820; email: [email protected]. Individuals in the United States 
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability 
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications 
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the 
relay services offered within their country to make international calls 
to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

    The BLM's purpose for the action is to respond to NGM's proposal as 
described in the proposed Plan of Operations and to analyze the 
environmental effects associated with the proponent's Proposed Action 
and alternatives to the Proposed Action. The BLM's need for the action 
is established by the BLM's responsibilities under FLPMA and the BLM 
Surface Management Regulations at 43 CFR part 3809 to respond to a 
proposed Plan of Operations.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The Proposed Action would include construction, operation, 
reclamation, and closure of a new underground mining project in the 
Cortez Mining District of Lander and Eureka Counties, Nevada. The 
proposed mine plan boundary encompasses a total of 19,853 acres, of 
which 772 acres would be on private land controlled by NGM and 19,081 
acres would be on public lands administered by the BLM Battle Mountain 
District, Mount Lewis Field Office and BLM Elko District, Tuscarora 
Field Office. Most of this area is within existing exploration and mine 
plans approved by the BLM and includes facilities and surface 
disturbance associated with these authorized plans. To create the new 
Goldrush mine plan boundary, NGM proposes boundary modifications and/or 
reclassification of acres within the existing NGM-controlled 
exploration and mine plan boundaries.
    The Proposed Action would create an additional 1,658 acres of 
surface disturbance on public land administered by the BLM, including 
approximately 210 acres of exploration disturbance that could occur 
anywhere within the proposed Goldrush Mine Plan boundary. In addition, 
approximately 1,024 acres of existing authorized disturbance would be 
within the Proposed Action footprint, and approximately 12 acres of 
existing authorized disturbance would be reclassified as part of the 
Proposed Action.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the development of the Goldrush 
Mine would not be authorized and NGM would not construct, operate, or 
close a new underground mine (i.e., the Goldrush Mine). Modifications 
or reclassification of acres as proposed under the Proposed Action, and 
the dual use of facilities between the Cortez Mine and Goldrush Mine 
operations, would not occur. NGM would continue current authorized 
mining and exploration activities under the four separate previously 
approved Plans.
    All authorized activities would be expected to continue under the 
No Action Alternative. Total authorized disturbance under the No Action 
Alternative is 22,433 acres and the additional disturbance from the 
Proposed Action would not occur. Descriptions of the anticipated 
impacts under the No Action Alternative are included per previously 
authorized NEPA analyses.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    The final EIS is tentatively scheduled for Fall of 2022 with a 
Record of Decision in early 2023.

Draft EIS Review Process

    On August 10, 2021, a notice of intent to prepare an EIS was 
published in the Federal Register, announcing the beginning of the 
public scoping process. The BLM held virtual public scoping meetings 
for the Project on August 25 and 26, 2021. During the scoping period, 
16 comment documents were received containing a total of 327 individual 
comments.
    This notice of availability initiates the draft EIS review process. 
A public meeting to discuss the draft EIS will be held via virtual 
platform. An announcement regarding when and how to access the virtual 
meeting online will be posted on the BLM's project website. The purpose 
of public review of the draft EIS is to provide an opportunity for 
meaningful collaborative public engagement and for the public to 
provide substantive comments, such as identification of factual errors, 
data gaps, relevant methods, or scientific studies. The BLM will 
respond to substantive comments by making appropriate revisions to the 
EIS or explaining why a comment did not warrant a change.
    The BLM has and will continue to use and coordinate the draft EIS 
review process to help fulfill the public involvement requirements 
under the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108) as 
provided in 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. The BLM has and will continue to conduct government-to-
government consultation with Indian Tribes in accordance with Executive 
Order 13175 and other policies. Agencies will give due consideration to 
Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and treaty 
rights and potential impacts to cultural resources.
    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 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Jon D. Sherve,
Field Manager, Mount Lewis Field Office, Battle Mountain District.
[FR Doc. 2022-14027 Filed 6-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P