[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77879-77880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27411]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVB02000.L19900000.EX0000.23X; MO: 4500167767]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC's Proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine 
Project, Esmeralda County, NV

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 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Tonopah Field Office, Tonopah, Nevada, intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential 
environmental impacts of authorizing the proposed Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge 
LLC (Ioneer) Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project (Project) in 
Esmeralda County, Nevada. This notice announces the beginning of the 
scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues and 
alternatives; it also serves to initiate public consultation, as 
required, under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS, 
which will run through January 19, 2023. Scoping comments may be 
submitted in writing until January 19, 2023. The date(s) and 
location(s) of the scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days 
in advance through local media and newspapers and on the BLM website 
at: https://www.blm.gov/office/tonopah-field-office and the Project's 
ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510. In order to be considered during the preparation of the 
Draft EIS, all scoping comments must be received prior to the close of 
the 30-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting, 
whichever is later. The BLM will provide additional opportunities for 
public participation upon publication of the Draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping comments related to the proposed 
Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project by any of the following 
methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (775) 635-4034.
     Mail: BLM Battle Mountain District Office, Attn: Rhyolite 
Ridge Project, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Battle 
Mountain District Office and the Tonopah Field Office during regular 
business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Distel, Project Manager, 
telephone: (775) 635-4093; address: 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, 
Nevada, 89820; email: [email protected]. Contact Mr. Distel if you wish 
to add your name to our mailing list.
    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: The BLM's purpose for the action is to 
consider Ioneer's proposed Plan of Operations and to analyze the 
potential environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action as 
described in the Plan of Operations, as well as feasible alternatives 
to the Proposed Action. The BLM's need to consider the action is 
established by the BLM's responsibilities under section 302 of the 
FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1732, and the BLM Surface Management Regulations at 43 
CFR part 3809. The BLM needs to make sure that the operations under the 
General Mining Law of 1872 will not cause unnecessary or undue 
degradation of the public lands. 43 U.S.C. 1732(b).
    Based on the Proposed Action, Ioneer is proposing to construct, 
operate, close, and reclaim a new lithium-boron mine in the Silver Peak 
Range in Esmeralda

[[Page 77880]]

County, Nevada, approximately 40 air miles southwest of Tonopah, 
Nevada, and 13 air miles northeast of Dyer, Nevada. The Project Area 
encompasses approximately 7,166 acres. The proposed Project facilities 
associated with the Proposed Action are expected to disturb 
approximately 2,296 acres within the 7,166 Project Area, of which 2,272 
acres are on public lands managed by the Tonopah Field Office and 24 
acres are on private land. The Project Area includes an Operational 
Area and an Access Road and Infrastructure Corridor. If authorized, the 
mine would operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year for 
approximately 17 years. The work force would be approximately 500 
persons for construction and 350 persons for operation. The Proposed 
Action anticipates that reclamation activities at the end of mining 
will take approximately six years, with monitoring continuing beyond 
the 6 years as needed.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to identify relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the process for developing the EIS. 
During the public scoping period, the public is requested to identify 
any potential alternatives to the Proposed Action and provide any 
information or recommended analyses relevant to the Proposed Action and 
potential Project alternatives.
    The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA scoping process to help 
fulfill the public involvement process under the NHPA (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 Project will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating 
impacts to such resources in the context of both the NEPA and the NHPA.
    The BLM has and will continue 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 
stakeholders who may be interested in or affected by the proposed 
Project that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the 
scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be asked by the BLM to 
participate in the development of the EIS as a cooperating agency.
    Following the completion of the public scoping process and 
subsequent analyses, the BLM will produce a Draft EIS. The Draft EIS 
will be made available for a 45-day public review and comment period 
and is anticipated to be completed by June of 2023 and will include 
public meetings to discuss the Draft EIS.
    Following public input on the Draft EIS, the information received 
will be incorporated into a Final EIS, which is anticipated to be 
released for a 30-day public review period in December 2023. The BLM 
anticipates issuing a decision on this Project in January of 2024.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.)

Perry B. Wickham,
Field Manager, Tonopah Field Office, Battle Mountain District.
[FR Doc. 2022-27411 Filed 12-19-22; 8:45 am]
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