[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 77 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28803-28804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08233]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_NV_FRN_4500178518]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project, Esmeralda 
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 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project proposed by 
Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC (Ioneer) in Esmeralda 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 or 15 days after the last public meeting, whichever is 
later. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are 
available for review on the BLM's National NEPA Register (ePlanning) at 
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510.
    Written comments related to the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine 
Project may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     BLM's National NEPA Register (ePlanning) at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510.
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine EIS c/o BLM Battle 
Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
     By fax at: (775) 635-4034.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to have 
your name added to the mailing list, please send requests to: Scott 
Distel, Supervisory Project Manager, at telephone (775) 635-4093; 
address 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820; or 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

    The BLM's purpose for the action is to respond to Ioneer's 
proposal, as described in its proposed plan of operations, and to 
analyze the potential environmental effects associated with the 
proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action as required by 
NEPA. 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.

Alternatives A, B, and C

    Under Alternative A, the proposed action, Ioneer is proposing to 
construct, operate, close, and reclaim a new lithium-boron mine project 
in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron 
Mine Project plan of operations boundary would encompass 7,166 acres, 
which consists of a 6,369-acre operational project area and a 797-acre 
access road and infrastructure corridor. The total surface disturbance 
associated with Alternative A, including existing and reclassified 
disturbance and exploration, would be 2,306 acres of BLM-administered 
public lands and private land.
    The Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project would employ a 
workforce of approximately 400 to 500 employees during initial 
construction, including both Ioneer staff and contracted personnel, and 
approximately 350 employees during operations. The Rhyolite Ridge 
Lithium-Boron Mine Project would operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per 
year. The total life of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project 
would be 23 years, including four years of construction (years 1 
through 4), 17 years of quarrying (years 1 through 17), 13 years of ore 
processing (years 4 through 17), and six additional years of 
reclamation (years 18 through 23). Reclamation of disturbed areas 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 facilities and activities associated with the Rhyolite 
Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project would include:
     A quarry, including a quarry berm and water storage tanks;
     A processing facility, including a contact water pond and 
diversion channels;
     Three overburden storage facilities (OSF) (North, West, 
and Quarry Infill), including contact water ponds and diversion 
channels;
     One spent ore storage facility, including an underdrain 
pond and diversion channels;
     Project Area exploration, including access routes and 
drill sites with sumps;
     Haul roads, service roads, and public road realignment;
     Buckwheat exclusion area and critical habitat fencing; and
     Ancillary facilities including an explosives storage area, 
communication towers including all-terrain vehicle trails, batch plant, 
proposed water supply testing and facilities including pipelines, 
sewage system including septic leach fields, dewatering pipeline, 
growth media stockpiles, stormwater controls and diversions, monitoring 
wells, laydown yards, and fencing.
    Under Alternative B, the North and South OSF Alternative, all mine 
components and operations would be the same as Alternative A, but the 
facility layout would be modified to reduce surface disturbance within 
Tiehm's buckwheat (Eriogonum tiemii) designated critical habitat. 
Surface disturbance under Alternative B would be less than Alternative 
A and total approximately 2,271 acres.
    Under Alternative C, the No Action Alternative, the development of 
the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project would not be authorized 
and Ioneer would not construct, operate, and close a new lithium-boron 
mine project.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The BLM Battle Mountain District Office is the lead agency for the 
Draft

[[Page 28804]]

EIS. The Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Nevada Division of 
Forestry, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service--Ecological Services, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--
Migratory Birds Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and 
the Esmeralda County Board of County Commissioners participated in this 
environmental analysis as cooperating agencies. Several Native American 
Tribes have also requested to participate in the environmental 
analysis.

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

    Consistent with NEPA and the BLM's land use planning regulations, 
the BLM will announce a 30-day public availability period when the 
Final EIS and NOA for the Final EIS is published by the BLM. The Final 
EIS is anticipated to be available in September of 2024.

Public Involvement Process

    The BLM will announce the dates and times of the public meetings 
for the Draft EIS at least 15 days in advance of the meetings on the 
BLM's National NEPA Register (ePlanning) website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012309/510. The BLM will hold 
one in-person public meeting and one virtual public meeting. 
Information on how to register for the virtual meeting will be posted 
on the above website.
    The purpose of public review of the Draft EIS is to provide an 
opportunity for meaningful 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 conduct government-to-government 
consultation with Tribes per 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)

Douglas W. Furtado,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2024-08233 Filed 4-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P