Notice2023-17779
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Robertson Mine Project, Lander County, Nevada
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Published
August 18, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
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) Mount Lewis Field Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects of Nevada Gold Mines LLC's (NGM's) Robertson Mine Project (Project) in Lander 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).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 159 (Friday, August 18, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 159 (Friday, August 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56649-56652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17779]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NV_FRN_MO4500169100]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Robertson Mine Project, Lander County, Nevada
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, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mount
Lewis Field Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects of Nevada
Gold Mines LLC's (NGM's) Robertson Mine Project (Project) in Lander
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 September 18, 2023. Scoping comments may be
submitted in writing until September 18, 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 the project's website
at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510</a>. In order
to be considered during the preparation of the Draft EIS, all scoping
[[Page 56650]]
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 comments related to the Robertson Mine
Project by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#214446484d5244554961434d4c0f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="80e5e7e9ecf3e5f4e8c0e2ecedaee7eff6">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Fax: (775) 635-4034.
<bullet> Mail: BLM Battle Mountain District Office, Attn: Robertson
Mine Project, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510</a> and at the
Mount Lewis Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Gilseth, Project Manager,
telephone (775) 635-4020; address BLM Battle Mountain District Office,
Attn: Robertson Mine Project, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV
89820; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4c1c3cdc8d7c1d0cce4c6c8c98ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7b1e1c1217081e0f133b191716551c140d">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Mr. Gilseth to have your name
added 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 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: Based on the submitted proposed Plan of
Operations, 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 Robertson Mine 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:
<bullet> Three open pits (Gold Pan, Porphyry, and Altenburg Hill)
and associated haul roads;
<bullet> A waste rock facility;
<bullet> A heap leach facility including a lined pad, process
solution ponds and vaults, and a carbon-in-column plant;
<bullet> 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; an assay
laboratory; trailers; buildings; and communications sites;
<bullet> Shared facilities with the Pipeline Complex at the Cortez
Mine, including but not limited to haul roads; a potable water well;
water pipelines; warehousing and maintenance shops; hazardous waste
storage; a petroleum-contaminated soils facility; ore stockpiles; the
Pipeline Mill; carbon handling; refinery; laboratory; and Pipeline Area
28 tailings storage facility; and
<bullet> Modifying the authorized Robertson Exploration Plan (NVN-
067688) (Exploration Plan) boundary.
Additionally, the proposed action would result in changes to the
boundaries of the authorized Exploration Plan boundary, the Cortez Mine
Plan boundary, and the Pipeline-South Pipeline-Gold Acres Exploration
Plan boundary. These authorized plans would be modified subsequent to
the approval of the Project Plan.
The 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 proposed project would operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per
year. The total life of the project would be 15 years, including nine
years of mining, three additional years of ore processing, and three
additional years of reclamation. Reclamation of disturbed areas
resulting 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.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The BLM's purpose is to respond to NGM's proposal as described in
the Plan of Operations and to analyze the environmental effects
associated with the proponent's proposed action and alternatives to the
proposed action, consider reasonable alternatives, and develop and
consider mitigation when necessary to mitigate environmental impacts.
The NEPA mandates that the BLM evaluate the effects of the proposed
action and develop alternatives and mitigation, when necessary, to
lessen any effects to environmental resources.
The need for the action is established by the BLM's
responsibilities under the Mining Law of 1872, Section 302 of FLPMA,
and the BLM Surface Management Regulations at 43 CFR 3809. Under these
statutes and regulations, BLM is required to review the Project and
ensure that the NGM activities include appropriate reclamation and do
not cause unnecessary or undue degradation of the public lands.
Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives
The proposed action consists of the Plan of Operations as submitted
by NGM. Additional alternatives to be considered include the No Action
Alternative and a Partial Pit Backfill Alternative.
The Partial Pit Backfill Alternative would include a partial
backfill of the Gold Pan pit to prevent a pit lake from forming while
maintaining a terminal pit lake system through capillary evaporation
from the backfill surface. Approximately 16 million tons of additional
waste rock would be moved from the waste rock facility back into the
Gold Pan pit. No additional disturbance is anticipated to be required
for this alternative, and backfilling would occur during final
reclamation but is not anticipated to increase the reclamation
schedule.
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.
The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary alternatives as well
as suggestions for additional alternatives.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Primary impacts from the Robertson Mine Project that will be
analyzed in the EIS include potential impacts to surface and
groundwater resources (water quality and quantity), aesthetics (visual
and noise), air quality including greenhouse gases and climate change,
cultural resources and historic properties, wildlife resources
including special status species, vegetation and soil resources,
livestock grazing, and
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traffic generation. A summary of potential impacts include:
<bullet> Cultural Resources Native American Concerns: Up to 17
National Register of Historic Places-eligible or unevaluated cultural
properties would be physically altered, resulting in an adverse effect
to these cultural sites. Vegetation communities important to Native
American traditional values may be impacted by the proposed action.
<bullet> Wildlife Resources: Potential impacts include habitat
change, habitat loss, alterations to water sources, fatalities as a
result of collisions with vehicles, displacement due to human activity
and disturbance, and impediments to movement through corridors.
<bullet> BLM Sensitive Species: For greater sage-grouse, the
proposed action would remove a total of 2,514 acres of the mapped
habitat, including 486 acres of General Habitat Management Areas, 1,983
acres of Other Habitat Management Areas, and 3,521 acres of Non-
habitat. For golden eagles, the proposed action would result in the
removal of approximately 3,998 acres of foraging habitat. Additionally,
one golden eagle territory occurs within one mile of the proposed
project disturbance and blasting area.
<bullet> Aesthetics (visual and noise): Potential impacts to visual
resources include the addition of form, line, texture, and color to the
existing landscape. Potential impacts include an increase in noise
generation.
<bullet> Air Quality: Air quality modeling has determined that
impacts from the proposed action would not exceed National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for PM<INF>10</INF>, PM<INF>2.5</INF>, CO,
NO<INF>X</INF>, and SO<INF>2</INF>. Total facility-wide Hazardous Air
Pollutants (HAP) are estimated to be 10.32 tons per year (tpy), with
3.24 tpy of the highest single HAP, hydrogen cyanide. The facility-wide
HAP emissions are within U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
thresholds. Greenhouse gas emissions from operations, including off-
site ore transport, are estimated to be 148,542 tpy CO<INF>2</INF>e.
Mercury emissions are estimated to be 2.87 pounds per year.
<bullet> Water Resources (Surface and Groundwater): Potential
impacts to seep, spring, and stream flow may occur from proposed
dewatering operations if the source of the water is connected to the
regional aquifer. Dewatering operations would also result in a lowering
of the local groundwater table, and a pit lake would form post mining
in the Gold Pan pit. Sedimentation and erosion may also occur due to
project-related disturbance.
<bullet> Traffic: Traffic on transportation routes within the area
of analysis would potentially increase by up to 300 Annual Average
Daily Traffic (AADT) during construction, 190 AADT during operations,
and 20 AADT during closure. The addition of project traffic is not
anticipated to lower the level of service of the roadways and
intersections.
<bullet> Livestock Grazing: The proposed action would result in new
surface disturbance of 4,606 acres, which would impact forage utilized
by livestock. Approximately 219 Animal Unit Months would be impacted in
the Carico Lake Allotment.
<bullet> Vegetation and Soils: The proposed action would result in
disturbance to soil and removal of vegetation on 3,998 acres.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public
participation consistent with the NEPA process, including a 45-day
comment period on the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS is anticipated to be
available for public review Fall 2023 and the Final EIS is anticipated
to be released in Spring 2024 with a Record of Decision in Spring 2024.
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period. The BLM will be
holding two virtual public scoping meetings. The specific dates and
times of these scoping meetings will be announced in advance through
local newspaper publications and the BLM National NEPA Register project
page at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2023088/510</a>.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The BLM Mount Lewis Field Office is serving as the lead federal
agency for preparing the EIS. Cooperating agencies for this analysis
include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Eureka County, and
Lander County.
Responsible Official
Douglas W. Furtado, District Manager, Battle Mountain District
Office
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The BLM's decision relative to the EIS that will be prepared for
the Robertson Mine Project will consider the following: (1) approval of
the proposed Project Plan to authorize the proposed activities without
modifications or additional mitigation measures; (2) approval of the
proposed Project Plan with additional mitigation measures that the BLM
deems necessary to prevent unnecessary or undue degradation of public
lands; (3) approval of the Robertson Mine Project Plan of Operations
with one of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS; or (4) denial of the
proposed Project Plan and associated activities.
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed
action and all analyzed reasonable alternatives and, in accordance with
40 CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate mitigation measures not already
included in the proposed action or alternatives. Mitigation may include
avoidance, minimization, rectification, reduction or elimination over
time, and compensation, and may be considered at multiple scales,
including the landscape scale.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA process to help
support compliance with applicable procedural requirements under the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1536) and Section 106 of the NHPA (54
U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of Section 106. Information about historic and
cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed plan will assist the BLM in
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780,
and other Departmental 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 Indian Tribal Nations and other stakeholders that may be
interested in or affected by the proposed Robertson Mine Project that
the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in the scoping
process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to
participate in the development of the environmental analysis as a
cooperating agency.
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
[[Page 56652]]
to withhold your personal identifying information from public review,
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9)
Douglas W. Furtado,
District Manager, Battle Mountain District.
[FR Doc. 2023-17779 Filed 8-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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