Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Midnite Uranium Mine (MUM) Reclamation

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[OR-130-1330-04; GP6-0055]

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for the Midnite Uranium Mine (MUM) Reclamation

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Spokane District.

ACTION: Notice.

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

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Spokane

District, as the lead federal agency, will be directing the preparation

of an EIS for final reclamation of the Midnite Uranium Mine located on

the Spokane Indian Reservation, in Washington State. The EIS will

evaluate the environmental impacts of alternative plans for mitigating

the affects of past mining activities. The reclamation objective is to

ensure that a physically stable condition is achieved whereat

environmental impacts are mitigated or controlled and public safety is

protected. This notice initiates the scoping process for the EIS and

also serves as an invitation for other potential cooperating parties.

Potential cooperating parties include the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the

U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

by March 29, 1996, to receive full consideration in the development of

alternatives. Three public scoping meetings will be held: February 26,

1996 at the Spokane Tribal Longhouse, Sherwood Loop Road, Wellpinit,

Washington from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00

p.m.; February 27, 1996 at the Davenport Community Memorial Hall, 511

Park Street, Davenport, Washington from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and

February 28, 1996 at the Spokane County Agricultural Center at 222 N.

Havana Spokane, Washington from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.. Additional

briefing meetings may also be held as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the District Manager, Bureau of

Land Management, Spokane District Office, 1103 N. Fancher, Spokane,

Washington, 99212-1275, ATTENTION: Midnite Uranium Mine.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Courtright, Project Manager, or

Gary Yeager, Planning & Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land

Management, Spokane District Office, 1103 N. Fancher, Spokane,

Washington, 99212-1275; or call (509) 536-1200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Midnite Uranium Mine is located on the

Spokane Indian Reservation, Stevens County, about 45 miles northwest of

Spokane, Washington, and about 3.5 miles upstream of the Spokane River

arm of Lake Roosevelt. Dawn Mining Company (DMC) leased the property

and operated the Midnite Uranium Mine from 1955 to 1964 and again from

1968 to 1981. Active mining ceased on the site in 1981 and the mine has

remained inactive since that time, except for construction and

operation of internal drainage channels, collection of seepage below

the mined area, and operation of a mine water treatment plant.

Approximately 320 acres have been directly affected by mining and

waste disposal and will require reclamation. Mine workings and waste

dumps span over 1,000 feet of topographic relief within the one mile

length of the highly disturbed area. About 33 million tons of waste

rock remain on-site. Two of the mine pits-- Pits 3 and 4--totaling

about 70 surface acres remain open. Another multiple pit area (Pit 2)

was backfilled with mine waste rock during active operations in the

1970's.

Leases for the mining activities were issued by the Bureau of

Indian Affairs. The Bureau of Land Management assumed responsibility

for regulating mining activities in 1983 as a result of Interior

Department reorganization. The Department has determined that BLM will

have primary authority for overseeing preparation of the EIS and that

the decision authority on the proposed action rests by delegation with

BLM.

DMC started treating mine water in 1992. The solid product of mine

water treatment, a semi-solid sludge or filter cake, is classified as

``source material'' and must be disposed of according to Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. This material is transported

by covered truck to DMC's mill, 25 miles to the east in Ford,

Washington, and off of tribal land, where uranium is extracted and the

by-product, known within NRC regulations as 11.e.2. material, is piped

to the nearby licensed and lined tailings pond. It is important to note

that BLM and BIA have no jurisdiction at the mill site. The Washington

Department of Health has regulatory jurisdiction at the mill site (off-

reservation on private land) and also at the water treatment plant at

the mine. That authority covers the water treatment plant's generation,

handling and disposal of the regulated source material. Environmental

data has been collected at the Midnite Mine for over ten years. A

significant amount of data has been collected, compiled and analyzed by

the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). Because that agency has been

eliminated by legislative action, the large body of data developed by

USBM has been transferred to BLM for maintenance and management. The

responsibility for site clean-up lies with DMC. Reclamation standards

and reasonable alternatives will be addressed by the NEPA process

initiated by this scoping action. DMC will be developing a reclamation

proposal that will be considered as one approach to site reclamation,

but other approaches will also be evaluated.

The Bureau of Land Management's NEPA scoping process for the EIS

will include: (1) identification of issues of concern that will need to

be addressed in the EIS process; (2) identification of ideas for

reclamation alternatives; (3) identification of additional scientific

and creditable site data that may not be reflected in the existing

database; and (4) notification of interested groups, individuals, and

agencies so that additional information concerning these issues can be

obtained.

The scoping process will consist of news releases announcing the

start of the NEPA process; and newsletters inviting the public to

participate in the scoping process. A scoping summary report will be

prepared at the close of scoping that will summarize the findings. This

report will be made available to the public through local public

libraries, and offices of the lead and cooperating agencies.

Dated January 19, 1996.

Joseph Buesing,

Spokane District Manager.

[FR Doc. 96-1164 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-33-P