[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 52 (Friday, March 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18968-18969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05331]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_MO4500177742]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Nevada Gold Mines LLC's Robertson Mine Project, Lander 
County, NV

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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for Nevada Gold Mines LLC (NGM) Robertson Mine Project in Lander 
County, Nevada.

DATES: To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the 
Final EIS, please ensure that the BLM receives your comments within 45 
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS in the 
Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
    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 NEPA 
Register website https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510. One public meeting will be held in-person in Crescent 
Valley, Nevada and a second will be held virtually online.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are 
available for review on the BLM National NEPA Register website at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510.
    Written comments related to the Robertson Mine Project may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Robertson Mine EIS c/o BLM Mount Lewis Field Office, 
50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820.
     By fax at: (775) 635-4034.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Gilseth, Project Manager, 
telephone: (775) 635-4020; 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 telecommunication 
relay services for contacting Mr. Gilseth. 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 is to respond to NGM's proposal, as described in 
its proposed Plan of Operations, and to analyze the potential 
environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action, which is the 
operator's proposed Plan of Operations, and alternatives to the 
Proposed Action. NEPA mandates that the BLM evaluate the potential 
effects of the Proposed Action and alternatives. The BLM's need for the 
action is established by the BLM's responsibilities under Section 302 
of FLPMA and the BLM Surface Management Regulations at 43 CFR subpart 
3809 to respond to a proposed Plan of Operations and ensure that 
operations prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of the public 
lands.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    NGM is proposing to construct, operate, close, and reclaim a new 
surface mine within the Shoshone Range approximately 58 miles southeast 
of Battle Mountain, Nevada, and 70 miles southwest of Elko, Nevada. The 
Proposed Action would result in changes to the authorized Robertson 
Exploration Plan boundary (NVN-067688), the Cortez Mine Plan boundary 
(NVN-67575), and the Pipeline-South Pipeline-Gold Acres Exploration 
Plan boundary (NVN-067261). If the Robertson Mine Project Plan is 
approved, these authorized plans would be modified subsequent to that 
approval.
    The Robertson Mine Project would employ a contractor workforce of 
approximately 150 employees during the initial two-year construction 
period and approximately 415 full-time employees, comprised of 
approximately 370 existing Cortez Mine employees and 45 new hires, for 
the operations period.
    The Robertson Mine Project would operate 24 hours per day, 365 days 
per year. The total life of the Robertson Mine Project would be 15 
years, including 9 years of mining, 3 additional years of ore 
processing, and 3 additional years of reclamation. Reclamation of 
disturbed areas resulting

[[Page 18969]]

from mining operations would be completed in accordance with BLM and 
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection regulations. Concurrent 
reclamation would take place where practicable and safe.
    The proposed Plan of Operations would result in approximately 4,234 
acres of new surface disturbance, of which 179 acres would be on 
private land and 4,055 acres would be on public land administered by 
the BLM.
    The proposed Plan of Operations boundary would encompass 5,990 
acres. The total disturbance associated with the Proposed Action, 
including existing, reclassified, and exploration, would be 4,306 
acres, with 4,127 acres on land administered by the BLM and 179 acres 
on private land. The proposed surface mining activities for the 
Robertson Mine would include:
     Three open pits (Gold Pan, Porphyry, and Altenburg Hill) 
and associated haul roads;
     A Waste Rock Facility;
     A Heap Leach Facility including a lined pad, process 
solution ponds and vaults, and carbon-in-column plant;
     Ancillary facilities including a three-stage crushing 
system with associated conveyors; ore stockpiles; growth media 
stockpiles; a gravel borrow source; secondary roads; stormwater 
controls and diversions; truck scale; power lines and electrical 
substations; water production, dewatering, and monitoring wells; water 
pipelines and loadouts; ready lines; fuel and reagent storage; fueling 
facilities; laydown yards; wildlife and range fencing; assay 
laboratory; trailers; buildings; and communications sites;
     Shared facilities with the Pipeline Complex at the Cortez 
Mine, including but not limited to haul roads, potable water well, 
water pipelines, warehousing and maintenance shops, hazardous waste 
storage, petroleum-contaminated soils facility, ore stockpiles, the 
Pipeline Mill, carbon handling, refinery, laboratory, and Pipeline Area 
28 tailings storage facility; and
     Modifying the authorized Robertson Exploration Plan (NVN-
067688) (Exploration Plan) boundary.
    The Partial Backfill Alternative and No Action Alternative are 
described in the Draft EIS. Under the Partial Backfill Alternative, the 
Gold Pan Pit would be backfilled to prevent the establishment of a 
post-mining pit lake. All other aspects of the Partial Backfill 
Alternative are the same as those described for the Proposed Action. 
Under the No Action Alternative, the development of the Robertson Mine 
Project would not be authorized and NGM would not construct, operate, 
and close a new surface mine. Modifications to the Exploration Plan 
boundary, the Cortez Mine Plan boundary, and the Pipeline-South 
Pipeline-Gold Acres Exploration Plan boundary would not occur.

Draft EIS Review Process

    On August 18, 2023, 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 Robertson Mine Project on August 31 and September 1, 2023. 
During the scoping period, 30 comment documents were received 
containing a total of 141 individual comments.
    This Notice of Availability initiates the draft EIS review process. 
There will be a 45-day public comment period. Public meetings to 
discuss the draft EIS will be announced. The date and times of the 
meetings will be posted on the BLM's Robertson Mine 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). 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 will continue to consult with Indian Tribal Nations 
on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 
13175, BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental 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)

Douglas W. Furtado,
District Manager, Battle Mountain District.
[FR Doc. 2024-05331 Filed 3-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P