Environmental Statements; Availability, etc.: Miramar Gold Corp., Lyon County, NV

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-030-95-1990-02]

Environmental Statements; Availability, etc.: Miramar Gold Corp.,

Lyon County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District Office.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement

on a plan of operations for Miramar Gold Corporation in Lyon County,

Nevada; and notice of scoping period and public meetings.

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

Policy Act of 1969 and 43 CFR Part 3809, the Bureau of Land Management

will be directing the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement

to be produced by a third-party contractor on the impacts of a proposed

Plan of Operations for gold mining at Talapoosa by Miramar Gold

Corporation, in Lyon County, Nevada. The Bureau invites comments on the

scope of the analysis.

EFFECTIVE DATE: An open-house meeting will be held April 19, 1995 at

the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District Office, 1535 Hot

Springs Road, Carson City, NV, and again on April 20, 1995 at the

Mcatee Building, 2495 Ft. Churchill Rd., Silver Springs, NV, to allow

the public an opportunity to identify issues and concerns to be

addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement. Both meetings are

scheduled from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Representatives of Miramar Gold

Corporation will be available to answer [[Page 16157]] questions about

the Plan of Operations. Additional scoping meetings may be held as

appropriate. Written comments on the Plan of Operations and the scope

of the Environmental Impact Statement will be accepted until May 5,

1995.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be completed

by late summer 1995 and made available for public review and comment.

At that time a Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will be published in the Federal Register. The comment period

on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be 60 days from the

date the Notice of Availability is published.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scoping comments may be sent to:

District Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 1535 Hot Springs Road,

Suite 300, Carson City, NV 89706. ATTN: Talapoosa Environmental Impact

Statement Project Manager.

For additional information, write to the above address or call Ron

Moore at (702) 885-6155.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Miramar Gold Corporation of Reno, Nevada has

submitted a Plan of Operations for the Talapoosa Mine located

approximately 3 miles north of Silver Springs, Nevada. The proposed

operation will include an open-pit mine, tailing facilities, heap leach

facilities, waste rock dumps, water treatment facilities, a milling

complex as well as administrative and maintenance buildings. The

proposal is expected to disturb 570 acres of public and private land.

The issues expected to be analyzed in the Environmental Impact

Statement are: Surface and groundwater quantity and quality, mine pit

water quality, threatened and endangered species, wildlife, cultural

resources, reclamation, hazardous materials, air quality, soils and

watershed, vegetation, visual resources, recreation and wilderness,

social and economic values, geology, paleontology, grazing management,

access and land use, noise, and cumulative impacts. These topics will

be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team and will include review of

the proposed Plan of Operations as well as other pertinent

environmental documents and studies.

A range of alternatives (including but not limited to alternative

reclamation measures and the no-action alternative), as well as

mitigating measures, will be considered to evaluate and minimize

environmental impacts and to assure that the proposed action does not

result in undue or unnecessary degradation of public lands.

Federal, state and local agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in or affected by the Bureau's

decision on the Plan of Operations are invited to participate in the

scoping process with respect to this environmental analysis. These

entities and individuals are also invited to submit comments on the

Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

It is important that those interested in the Plan of Operations

participate in the scoping and commenting processes. To be most

helpful, comments should be as specific as possible.

The tentative project schedule is as follows:

Begin Public Comment Period--April 1995

Issuance of Draft Environmental Impact Statement--August 1995

File Final Environmental Impact Statement--November 1995

Record of Decision--January 1996

Begin Construction of Operation--Spring of 1996.

The Bureau of Land Management's scoping process for the

Environmental Impact Statement will include: (1) Identification of

issues to be addressed; (2) Identification of viable alternatives; (3)

Notification of interested groups, individuals and agencies so that

additional information concerning these issues, or other additional

issues, can be obtained.

Dated: March 21, 1995.

John O. Singlaub,

Carson City District Manager.

[FR Doc. 95-7644 Filed 3-28-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P