Notice2024-11501
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment, Juniper Project, White Pine County, Nevada
Primary source
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Published
May 24, 2024
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) Ely District, Bristlecone Field Office (BFO), Nevada announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment (Juniper Project) in White Pine County, Nevada.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 102 (Friday, May 24, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 102 (Friday, May 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45915-45917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11501]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_NV_FRN_MO 4500178788]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment,
Juniper Project, White Pine County, 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) Ely
District, Bristlecone Field Office (BFO), Nevada announces the
availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Bald Mountain Mine Plan of Operations Amendment (Juniper Project) in
White Pine County, Nevada.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is available for review on the BLM ePlanning
project website at <a href="https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g">https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g</a>.
Written comments related to the Bald Mountain Mine Juniper Project
may be submitted by any of the following methods:
<bullet> ePlanning Website: <a href="https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g">https://go.usa.gov/xAm2g</a>.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c9aba5a496a7bf96acb0ada696a3bca7a0b9acbb96aca0ba89aba5a4e7aea6bf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="02606e6f5d6c745d677b666d5d68776c6b7267705d676b7142606e6f2c656d74">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: BLM Bristlecone Field Office, ATTN: BMM EIS Project,
702 North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada 89301.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at the
ePlanning website and at the Bristlecone Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Gresh, Planning and Environmental
Specialist, telephone 775-289-1809; address 702 North Industrial Way,
Ely, Nevada 89301; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5532322730263d153739387b323a23"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2e49495c4b5d466e4c424300494158">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United
States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. Gresh. 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: KG Mining (Bald Mountain) Inc. (KG-BM) owns
and operates the Bald Mountain Mine (BMM), a large-scale, open-pit gold
mine primarily on public lands administered by the BLM Bristlecone
Field Office. The BMM is in northwestern White Pine County, Nevada,
approximately 60 miles southeast of the city of Elko, Nevada and 60
miles northwest of Ely, Nevada. The BMM operates on patented and
unpatented Federal mining claims owned, leased, or otherwise controlled
by KG-BM. The BMM has been in continuous operation for more than 40
years; therefore, mine areas and facilities are in various stages of
development, operation, and reclamation. The BMM is subdivided into two
plan of operation areas, which consist of the North Operations Area
(NOA) and South Operations Area. KG-BM is proposing to amend its plan
of operations for the NOA (NOA Plan) to enable continued mining,
processing, exploration, and reclamation of the open pit mining
operations and to reestablish underground mining.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
BLM
The BLM's purpose for this Federal action is to evaluate and
respond to KG-BM's proposed amendment to the NOA Plan in accordance
with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The need for the
action is established by the BLM's responsibility under FLPMA, the
Mining Law of 1872, the BLM's Surface Management Regulations (43 Code
of Federal Regulations [CFR] 3809), and its Use and Occupancy
Regulations (43 CFR 3715) to respond to KG-BM's
[[Page 45916]]
proposal, while preventing unnecessary or undue degradation of public
land.
USFWS
As a cooperating agency for this EIS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's
(USFWS) purpose for this Federal action is to evaluate and respond to
KG-BM's proposed nest removal and incidental take permit application in
accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The USFWS's
need for this action is established by the USFWS's responsibility under
the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act to respond to KG-BM's request
for a nest removal and incidental take permit authorization, while
maintaining stable or increasing breeding populations in all eagle
management units and the persistence of local populations throughout
their geographic range.
BLM Proposed Action and Alternatives
Proposed Action
KG-BM's proposed NOA Plan Amendment, referred to as the Juniper
Project, would develop, expand, modify, reconfigure, reclassify,
realign, or eliminate select mine components or portions thereof in the
NOA. Specifically, this action involves the expansion or modification
(i.e., pit floor elevation change, backfill) of 7 authorized open pits
(Redbird, Rat, Top, Poker Flats, Bida, Saga, and Winrock South), the
development of the Royale and South Duke Pits, the development of 3
rock disposal areas (RDAs) (Royale, South Duke RDA 2, and Bida), the
modification of 13 authorized RDAs, and the elimination of a portion of
the authorized but not yet constructed Poker Flats RDA. Modification or
development is proposed for heap leach facilities, haul roads, interpit
areas, process areas, ancillary areas, and support facilities
(infrastructure).
Other aspects of the Juniper Project include conducting planned
concurrent reclamation activities, implementing a growth media
stockpile management program, applying a road design strategy to select
haul roads, creating haul road placement zones for three haul roads,
reestablishing the Top Pit underground mine, creating a sequencing and
backfill schedule for the Poker Flats Pit, increasing the height of the
Poker Flats heap, and reusing spent heap leach ore. Proposed non-
surface disturbing activities involve administrative actions such as
renaming authorized mine components or recategorizing authorized
surface disturbance. The Juniper Project would extend the authorized
NOA Plan boundary in five areas totaling 3,425 acres. Life-of-mine
surface disturbance in the NOA would increase from 10,782 acres to
14,752 acres, resulting in a net surface disturbance increase of
approximately 3,969 acres. Mine life would extend for an additional 11
years.
Alternative A (Agency Preferred)
Alternative A, the agency preferred alternative, was developed to
address refinements to two designated mule deer migration corridors
through the western portion of the NOA. Under Alternative A, some of
the surface disturbance described in the Proposed Action would not be
developed, some of the authorized but not constructed disturbance would
be canceled, some partial pit backfilling would occur, and some of the
existing surface disturbance would undergo concurrent reclamation. The
Alternative A design modifications were developed in coordination with
the Nevada Department of Wildlife and are intended to improve mule deer
migration through the NOA and reduce energy expenditure of migrating
mule deer compared to the Proposed Action. Alternative A would remove
6.9 acres of proposed new surface disturbance and 10.5 acres of
authorized surface disturbance that would not be constructed, resulting
in a 17.4-acre reduction in comparison with the Proposed Action. The
total proposed surface disturbance under Alternative A would be about
14,735 acres. Alternative A is the same as the Proposed Action in all
other respects.
No-Action Alternative
Under the No-Action Alternative, the BLM would not authorize the
proposed NOA Plan Amendment (Juniper Project). The Juniper Project
would not be developed, and KG-BM would continue its construction,
operations, closure, reclamation, and post-mining monitoring activities
within the authorized NOA Plan boundary under the terms, permits, and
approvals as authorized by the BLM and State of Nevada. Operations in
the NOA would continue for 7 years after the disapproval of the Juniper
Project.
USFWS Proposed Action and Alternatives
The decision for the eagle take permit is independent of the BLM's
decision of whether to authorize the Juniper Project.
Proposed Action
Under the Eagle Conservation Plan Proposed Action, the USFWS would
authorize the removal of up to 5 nests and up to 15 incidents of take
resulting from disturbance to breeding territories for up to 19 years
as requested by KG-BM. Under this alternative, KG-BM would be required
to implement nest protection buffers to ensure it does not exceed its
take authorization of 15 disturbance incidents. Under the Eagle
Conservation Permit Proposed Action, KG-BM would provide the
compensatory mitigation as required by regulations to ensure that
effects of take caused by KG-BM are offset at the population level.
Additional mitigation for nest removals would also be required.
USFWS Preferred Alternative
Under the USFWS Preferred Alternative, the USFWS would issue a
permit with increased take authorizations and experimental compensatory
mitigation measures. Under this alternative, the USFWS would authorize
up to 27 incidents of eagle take from disturbance, consistent with the
USFWS risk assessment, for a period of up to 30 years to allow for take
coverage to extend into the mine closure and final reclamation phases.
As required by regulation, KG-BM would provide compensatory mitigation
for authorized take and additional mitigation for nest removals. Under
this alternative, KG-BM would have increased flexibility to implement
its mining activities without potentially needing to alter mining
operation or exploration plans.
USFWS No-Action Alternative
Under the USFWS No-Action Alternative, the USFWS would not issue an
incidental take permit for golden eagles to KG-BM. For purposes of
analyzing the USFWS No-Action Alternative, the USFWS assumes that KG-BM
would implement all measures required by other agencies and
jurisdictions to conduct the proposed Juniper Project, but the
conservation measures proposed in the eagle incidental take permit
application package would not be required. KG-BM may choose to
implement some, none, or all of those conservation measures.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The final EIS is tentatively scheduled to be published on May 24,
2024, with a Record of Decision on or after July 8, 2024.
Draft EIS Comment Response
The BLM received a total of 376 comment submittals during the
public comment period, which included 69 unique submittals, 300 copies
of one form letter in support of the Juniper Project, 6 copies of a
second form letter in support of the Juniper Project, and
[[Page 45917]]
one duplicate comment. Following statements of general support or
opposition, the greatest number of comment excerpts were associated
with special status species, especially Greater Sage-Grouse; water
quality and quantity; wildlife and fisheries resources; golden eagles;
and monitoring and mitigation. Comments on the draft EIS received from
the public, cooperating agencies, and internal BLM review were
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, into the Final EIS.
Robbie J. McAboy,
District Manager, Ely District Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-11501 Filed 5-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-21-P
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