Notice2026-18765
Mount Taylor Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands; New Mexico; Roca Honda Mine Project
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Published
September 14, 2026
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentForest Service
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service), Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands, intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess and disclose the effects of the proposed Plan of Operations (PoO), also referred to as the Mine Operations and Reclamation Plan (MORP), submitted by Roca Honda Resources, LLC (RHR), for the development and operations of the Roca Honda Mine Project. The Forest Service is the lead agency. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office are cooperating federal agencies. This notice announces the beginning of a 30-day comment period to solicit comments and identify issues. The EIS will evaluate potential impacts of the development and operations associated with the proposed underground uranium mine on National Forest System (NFS) and BLM- administered lands, as well as state and private lands. The Forest Service expects that the proposed action will require a project- specific amendment to ensure consistency with the Cibola National Forest Land Management Plan. The Enterprise Land Management System number for the project is 301824 (see link below).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58056-58059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18765]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mount Taylor Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National
Grasslands; New Mexico; Roca Honda Mine Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest
Service), Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands, intends to
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess and disclose
the effects of the proposed Plan of Operations (PoO), also referred to
as the Mine Operations and Reclamation Plan (MORP), submitted by Roca
Honda Resources, LLC (RHR), for the development and operations of the
Roca Honda Mine Project. The Forest Service is the lead agency. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 and the Bureau of Land
Management's
[[Page 58057]]
(BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office are cooperating federal agencies. This
notice announces the beginning of a 30-day comment period to solicit
comments and identify issues. The EIS will evaluate potential impacts
of the development and operations associated with the proposed
underground uranium mine on National Forest System (NFS) and BLM-
administered lands, as well as state and private lands. The Forest
Service expects that the proposed action will require a project-
specific amendment to ensure consistency with the Cibola National
Forest Land Management Plan. The Enterprise Land Management System
number for the project is 301824 (see link below).
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by October 14, 2026.
The draft environmental impact statement is expected in July 2027
and an environmental impact statement is expected in January 2028. A
schedule for the decision-making process and additional information
about the project can be found here: <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/projects/roca-honda-mine-project">https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/projects/roca-honda-mine-project</a>. This project is a Fixing
America's Surface Transportation Act Title 41 (FAST-41) transparency
project in accordance with Executive Order 14241, and it is posted on
the Permitting Dashboard. To view the project on the FAST-41
Transparency Project Dashboard, visit: <a href="https://www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-project/fast-41-transparency-projects/roca-honda-project">https://www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-project/fast-41-transparency-projects/roca-honda-project</a>.
ADDRESSES:
Written Comments
Submit written comments through the electronic form at <a href="https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=301824">https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=301824</a>. Written comments
may also be sent to Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands
Supervisor's Office, ATTN: Heidi McRoberts, 2113 Osuna Rd. NE,
Albuquerque, NM 87113.
Written public comments will be accepted by 11:59 p.m. Mountain
Time on October 14, 2026. Comments submitted after this date may not be
included in the analysis.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenna Padilla, Forest Geologist,
Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands, by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6516084b0b084b060c034b170a06040d0a0b0104080c0b004b000c1625101601044b020a13"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f1829cdf9f9cdf929897df839e9290999e9f95909c989f94df949882b184829590df969e87">[email protected]</span></a>. Please include the subject line:
Roca Honda Mine Project--Inquiry. Additional information may also be
obtained by phone at 505-346-3840.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the hearing-
impaired may call 711 to reach the Telecommunications Relay Service, 24
hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RHR submitted a PoO to the Forest Service
Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands on November 7, 2025,
proposing to develop the Roca Honda Mine Project. Development and
operations associated with the project would occur on lands
administered by the Forest Service and the BLM, as well as on state and
private lands. A draft EIS was published in 2013; however, due to the
submission of a new proposal and updates to applicable regulations, the
project is being reinitiated as a new project under the USDA NEPA
regulations at 7 CFR 1b.
Purpose and Need for Action
The Forest Service purpose for the action is to respond to RHR's
PoO for surface use of NFS lands in connection with underground uranium
mining development and operations authorized by the United States
mining laws (30 U.S.C. 21-54).
The Forest Service need for action is established by the agency's
responsibility under the Organic Administration Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C.
478, 482, and 551) and the locatable minerals regulations at 36 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) 228, Subpart A. In accordance with the 36 CFR
228.5, the Forest Service must analyze and provide timely response to
the submission of a PoO. Furthermore, the Forest Service must assess
whether the proposed operations will be conducted as, where feasible,
to minimize adverse environmental impacts on National Forest surface
resource in accordance with 36 CFR 228.8.
RHR must apply to the EPA for a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permit to discharge pollutants into waters
of the United States under section 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Therefore, EPA will be required to process the permit application
pursuant to its regulations under 40 CFR 122.21.
The BLM must decide whether to issue a right-of-way (ROW) grant to
RHR after interdisciplinary specialists analyze RHR's proposed actions
on BLM land.
Proposed Action
Project Location and Access
The Project is located approximately three miles northwest of the
community of San Mateo, NM and approximately 22 road miles northwest of
the community of Grants, NM, within McKinley County. The Project
encompasses Sections 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, and 17 in Township 13 North,
Range 8 West. Sections 9, 10, and 11 occur on NFS lands; Section 16 is
State trust land; and Sections 15 and 17 are privately owned. The
Project also includes areas in Section 6 of Township 12 North, Range 9
West, and Section 24 of Township 12 North, Range 10 West, which occur
on BLM-administered lands.
Access to the northeastern portion of the project area would occur
via an existing non-system road (a road that is not part of the
National Forest Transportation System) in Section 11. Access to the
southwestern portion would occur along an existing haul route extending
from Section 17 through Section 20 to its intersection with NM-605. A
rehabilitated existing road in Section 15 would be used as a utility
corridor for pipelines and utilities.
Proposed Activities
Under the Proposed Action, the Forest Service would approve the PoO
to mine for uranium under a combination of federal minerals, state-
trust minerals lease, and privately held minerals with terms and
conditions for the protection of surface resources and any necessary
modifications to comply with applicable laws and regulations. The PoO
describes infrastructure on NFS lands to support an underground uranium
mine on NFS, state, and private lands. The ROW application describes
the pipeline that will be constructed through public lands.
Proposed activities on NFS lands include approximately 87 acres of
disturbance for dewatering wells, vent shafts, dewatering influent
pipelines, development drilling, utility corridors, access roads, and
associated road improvements. Proposed activities on State and private
lands include a haul road, two production shafts, a water treatment
plant, ore bays, waste rock stockpiles, water retention ponds,
diversion channel, and a discharge effluent water pipeline resulting in
approximately 279 acres of additional disturbance off NFS lands. The
pipeline would be constructed within the New Mexico Highway 605 right-
of-way and treated water would be discharged into the Rio San Jose in
the Village of Milan. The project would not include leach pads, heaps,
pits, tailings disposal facilities, or mills. Ore-bearing materials
would be hauled off-site by truck to the White Mesa Mill in Blanding,
Utah for processing.
Under the Proposed Action, the EPA must consider whether to issue
an
[[Page 58058]]
NPDES discharge permit on the treated wastewater which will be
discharged into a non-perennial segment of Rio San Jose, in the town of
Milan, New Mexico. The BLM would issue a ROW to RHR to operate and to
maintain the water pipeline on public land. The ROW would include
statute-derived stipulations and conditions that RHR must adhere to
while their installations are on public land. These conditions would
include language related to the pipeline's decommission.
Plan of Operations
The PoO incorporates concurrent reclamation along with final
closure, monitoring, and mitigation activities throughout the life of
the mine. Mining would be conducted as a conventional underground
operation using either a step room-and-pillar or drift-and-fill mining
method, depending on specific ore zone characteristics. The estimated
lifespan of the Project is approximately 21 years, of which 11 years
would be mineral production and the remaining years would consist of
construction, reclamation, and closure monitoring activities.
Reclamation would begin on portions of Sections 17 and 16 after the end
of production. Some Section 17 surface facilities, particularly the
water treatment plant, would remain operational throughout the life of
the mine. Reclamation of the entire mine, including placement of
development rock remaining on the surface back underground, would be
completed approximately six years after mining has been completed.
Alternatives
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action alternative, the proposed mine activities would
not occur on NFS lands. An EPA NPDES permit would not be required. The
BLM would not approve a right-of-way grant. Other alternatives to be
considered in the EIS are expected to be variations of mine and
facility configuration based on resource issues identified through the
public comment process. The federal agencies welcome comments on
potential alternatives.
List of Substantive Issues and Expected Impacts
Substantive issues are those that meaningfully inform the
consideration of reasonably foreseeable impacts of the proposed action
or a decision on the alternative selected for implementation (7 CFR
1b.11(a)(53)). The following preliminary substantive issues are
anticipated to be evaluated, including potential effects to geology and
soils at the proposed mine site; hydrologic resources including ground
and surface water, aquifers, and springs; local air quality, in
particular, exposure of the public to radioactive radon gas vented from
mine shafts; vegetation, habitats, and wildlife; nearby land use and
recreation and scenic resources; cultural and historic resources;
Tribal and traditional communities and uses; local and state workforce
and economy; and the potential health and safety risks associated with
development to miners and the wider community.
Anticipated Permits and Other Authorizations
RHR requires Forest Service approval of the PoO. In addition, RHR
would need to obtain approvals and authorizations from other regulatory
agencies including: ROW Grant with BLM, CWA Section 404 Permit with
United States Army Corps of Engineers; CWA Section 402 NPDES Permit
with EPA; National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
Permit with EPA; New Mine Permit with New Mexico Energy, Minerals and
Natural Resources Department--Mining and Minerals Division (MMD);
Discharge Permit with New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Ground
Water Quality Bureau; CWA 401 Certifications & Antidegradation Analysis
of NPDES and Section 404 Permits with NMED Surface Water Quality
Bureau; Air Quality Permit with NMED Air Quality Bureau; Permit to
Appropriate Underground Waters with New Mexico Office of the State
Engineer; Utility Permit Application with the New Mexico Department of
Transportation; Rights-of-way Easement Application with the New Mexico
State Land Office.
Comments and the Objection Process
This notice of intent initiates the NEPA timeline, which guides the
development of the environmental impact statement. In this process the
Agency is requesting comments on potential alternatives and impacts,
and identification of any relevant information, studies or analyses of
any kind concerning impacts affecting the quality of the human
environment.
It is important that interested members of the public provide their
comments at such times and in such manner that they are useful to the
agency's preparation of the EIS. Therefore, written comments must be
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly
articulate the commenter's concerns and contentions. Commenting during
any designated opportunities to comment provided by the Responsible
Official will govern eligibility under 36 CFR 218 to object once the
EIS and draft Record of Decision have been published. Comments received
in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of
those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed
action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered;
however, they will not be used to establish eligibility for the
objection process.
Objections will be accepted only from those who have previously
submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project
during any designated opportunity for written public comment in
accordance with Sec. 218.5(a). Issues raised in objections must be
based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments
regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising
after designated opportunities for comment. This project initiated
public comment after the publication of the proposed amendment to the
regulations at 36 CFR 218 in the Federal Register on February 6, 2026
(91 FR 5387). This project and the associated ROD may be subject to the
revised administrative review process if the final 36 CFR 218 rule is
published before the project's objection period is initiated.
Otherwise, this project will follow the administrative review process
established prior to the proposed rule. This project is being
reinitiated as a new project under the revised NEPA regulations. Only
comments submitted during designated comment periods for this current
project will establish eligibility for the objection period.
Cooperating and Participating Agencies
The Forest Service is the lead federal agency for preparing the
EIS. The EPA and BLM are cooperating agencies in the preparation of the
EIS. Because of their specialized expertise and legal jurisdiction, the
New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department MMD and
the New Mexico Environment Department are also cooperating agencies.
Responsible Officials
The Responsible Official for the Forest Service is the Forest
Supervisor for the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands. The
Forest Supervisor's decision will address any necessary terms and
conditions to the PoO to ensure compliance with applicable laws and
regulations and to identify mitigation measures under Forest Service
jurisdiction.
The Responsible Official for EPA NPDES permitting in New Mexico is
the
[[Page 58059]]
Region 6 Administrator. The scope of EPA's permitting authority is for
discharges to waters of the United States.
BLM's Responsible Official is the Rio Puerco Field Office's field
manager. The manager will issue a decision record of whether or not to
issue a ROW to RHR after environmental review takes place. BLM will
also confirm that issuance of the ROW conforms with FLPMA and with
relevant land-use plans in the field office.
Substantive Provisions of Forest Service 2012 Planning Rule Directly
Related to Potential Plan Amendment
The Forest Service expects that the proposed action will require a
project-specific plan amendment to except the project from certain
desired conditions related to tribal, cultural, and water resources to
provide consistency with the Cibola National Forest Land Management
Plan. The specific plan components included in the project-specific
amendment will be determined based on the final proposal and analysis.
The 2012 Planning Rule, as amended, requires identification in the
initial notice of the amendment of the substantive provisions that are
likely to be directly related to the amendment. Based on the
anticipated Forest Plan amendment for the Roca Honda Mine Project and
requirements of the Planning Rule, the following substantive
requirements of the 36 CFR 219 planning regulations would likely be
directly related to a proposed amendment: 36 CFR 219.8(a)(1), (2), and
(3), regarding ecological sustainability; 36 CFR 219.8(b)(1), (4), and
(5), regarding social and economic sustainability; 36 CFR 219.9(a)(1),
regarding ecosystem plan components; and 36 CFR 219.10(a)(1), (7),
and(9), regarding integrated resource management for multiple use.
Lisa Northrop,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2026-18765 Filed 9-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
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