Notice of Availability for the Round Mountain Mill and Tailings Facility Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Comment Period and Public Meetings

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-060-1990-01]

Notice of Availability for the Round Mountain Mill and Tailings

Facility Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Comment

Period and Public Meetings

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability for the Round Mountain Mill and Tailings

Facility Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), for the Smoky

Valley Common Operation, Nye County, Nevada; and notice of comment

period and public meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act, 40 CFR 1500-1508, and 43 CFR 3809, notice is given that the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared, with the assistance of a

third-party consultant, a Draft EIS on the proposed Round Mountain Mill

and Tailings Facility, and has made copies available for public and

agency review.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS must be submitted or

postmarked to the BLM no later than November 22, 1995. Oral and/or

written comments may also be presented at two public meetings, to be

held:

October 17, 1995; 7 p.m.; Donald Simpson Community Center, Hadley,

Nevada

October 18, 1995; 7 p.m.; Airport Plaza Hotel, 1981 Terminal Way,

Reno, Nevada

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIS should be addressed to:

Bureau of Land Management, Battle Mountain District, Post Office Box

1420, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820, Attn.: Christopher J. Stubbs,

Round Mountain EIS Project Manager. A limited number of copies of the

Draft EIS may be obtained at the same address. In addition, the Draft

EIS and supporting documentation are available for review at the

following locations: BLM, Battle Mountain District Office, Battle

Mountain, Nevada; BLM, Nevada State Office, Reno, Nevada; and the

Getchell Library, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada.

[[Page 48519]]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher J. Stubbs, Round Mountain

EIS Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Post Office Box 1420,

Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820, (702) 635-4000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Smoky Valley Common Operation has

submitted a Plan of Operations Amendment for the construction,

operation, and reclamation of a mill and tailings facility at the Round

Mountain Mine. The mine currently consists of 4,767 acres of surface

disturbance: 3,659 acres of land administered by the BLM, 515 acres of

land administered by the Toiyabe National Forest, and 593 acres of

patented land owned by the Smoky Valley Common Operation. The proposed

facilities would comprise an expansion of the existing operation at the

Round Mountain Mine to improve the recovery of gold from ore that is

being mined from the existing open pit. Ancillary facilities would

include a new primary crusher; a power line; fresh water, reclaim

water, and tailings pipelines; and a septic system. The proposed

facilities would be located on approximately 757 acres of public land

administered by the BLM, Battle Mountain District Office, Tonopah

Resource Area. Of this acreage, approximately 250 acres occur on public

lands outside of the existing permit boundary. Construction is

scheduled to begin in early 1996; operation of the mill and tailings

facility would begin in 1997 and continue until 2008.

This Draft EIS analyzes the environmental impacts associated with

the proposed mill and tailings facility and ancillary facilities, a

range management alternative, an alternative tailings impoundment site,

and the no action alternative. In addition, the Draft EIS analyzes

potential impacts associated with pit dewatering and pit water quality,

and the leach offload piles. Issues analyzed in the Draft EIS include

geology and minerals, water resources, soils and watershed, vegetation,

wildlife and fisheries, range resources, paleontological resources,

cultural resources and Native American concerns, air quality, access

and land use, recreation and wilderness, social and economic values,

visual resources, noise, and hazardous materials.

A copy of the Draft EIS has been sent to all individuals, agencies,

and groups who have expressed interest in the project or as mandated by

regulation or policy. A limited number of copies are available upon

request from the BLM at the address listed above.

Public participation has occurred during the EIS process. A Notice

of Intent was filed in the Federal Register in August 1993, and an open

scoping period was held for 120 days. Two public scoping meetings to

solicit comments and ideas were held in November 1993, and a newsletter

was issued to keep the public informed of the progress of the EIS. All

comments presented to the BLM throughout the EIS process have been

considered.

To assist the BLM in identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action and alternatives, comments on the Draft

EIS should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments

refer to specific pages or chapters in the document. Comments may

address the adequacy of the Draft EIS and/or the merits of the

alternatives formulated and discussed in the document. Reviewers may

wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for

Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental

Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. After the

comment period ends on the Draft EIS, comments will be analyzed and

considered by the BLM in preparing the Final EIS.

Dated: September 12, 1995.

Jeffrey A. Weeks,

Acting District Manager.

[FR Doc. 95-23129 Filed 9-18-95; 8:45 am]

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