Environmental Impact Statement for the Stibnite Mine Expansion Gold Mining Project on the Krassel Ranger District of the Payette National Forest, Valley County, ID

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare a revised draft

environmental impact statement (DEIS) and final environmental impact

statement (FEIS) for a modified proposal submitted by Stibnite Mine

Inc. (SMI). The proposal is to expand SMI's existing open-pit gold

mining operation located in Valley County, near Yellow Pine, Idaho. The

expansion would be located adjacent to private lands, in the Krassel

Ranger District of the Payette National Forest.

The Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS

for the proposed Stibnite Mine Expansion in the Federal Register April

21, 1992 (Vol. 57, No. 77, p. 14558-14559). That notice is hereby

revised to show the following proposal changes: (1) mine four new pits

instead of six, (2) backfill waste into pits instead of creating two

exterior waste dumps.

The EIS will focus on: (1) Construction of four new mine pits in

the Midnight Creek drainage, (2) partial backfilling each pit with

waste rock, and (3) construction of haul road to connect the new pits

with existing haul road in the West End area. The modified proposal

will be called the Stibnite Mine Expansion Project.

The agency will accept written comments and suggestions on the

scope of the analysis. Comments already submitted to the Payette

National Forest on the 1994 DEIS or related scoping will be considered

in the 1996 analysis.

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

by July 1, 1996, to ensure timely consideration.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions related to the scope

of the analysis to: Stibnite Expansion EIS, Payette National Forest,

P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho, 83638.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions about the proposed action and DEIS to Fred Dauber,

Krassel District Ranger, Krassel District Office, P.O. Box 1026,

McCall, Idaho, telephone (208) 634-0600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SMI currently operates a gold mine in the

project area. In May of 1981, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

was prepared which analyzed the existing mining operations. In 1992 SMI

proposed an expansion of five new pits. A DEIS was prepared since the

proposed project exceeded the scope of the 1981 EIS. The Forest Service

released the DEIS in November 1994 for public review. Because of

concerns raised by the public and federal agencies, the Forest Service

withdrew the DEIS in February, 1995. Early this year SMI modified their

expansion proposal, and the Forest Service began work to revise the

1994 DEIS.

The new proposal would involve construction of four new mine pits

and associated haul road located adjacent to the now-active West End

mine area. Stibnite Mine Inc. would continue to use their existing heap

leach facility and other ancillary facilities which were previously

approved. SMI has recently upgraded their processing facility to comply

with the State of Idaho, Rules Governing Ore Processing by Cyanidation.

The DEIS will consider a range of alternatives, including the no-

action alternative. Other alternatives will be developed or modified to

address issues and to mitigate impacts. Agencies and the public have

expressed preliminary concerns regarding effects on: surface and ground

water, fisheries and wildlife, biodiversity, vegetation, soils,

wetlands, public safety and transportation, air quality, recreation and

visual resources, socioeconomic and social impacts, and cultural

resources.

The Forest Service will further expand and/or clarify issues based

upon public input provided during this, and the previous, scoping

processes. All interested and affected members of the public may

participate in the scoping process. This process will include:

1. Identification or modification of new or additional issues.

2. Identification of issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Exploring additional alternatives.

4. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed

action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects

and connected actions).

If requested, the Forest Service may make a copy of all comments

provided in response to this Notice available to the public. This will

include names, addresses, and any other personal information provided

with the comments.

David Alexander, Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest,

McCall, Idaho, is the responsible official for this action. The DEIS is

expected to be available for public review in December of 1996.

The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will

be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes

the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important

to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of

draft environmental impact statements must structure their

participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the

draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may

be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d

1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986), and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,

490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court

rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed

action participate by the close of the comment period so that

substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest

Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to

them in the final environmental impact statement.

[[Page 27865]]

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft

environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives

formulated and discussed in the statement. 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.

The FEIS is scheduled to be completed and available to the public

by early 1997. The responsible official will document the decision and

the reasons supporting it in a Record of Decision. That decision will

be subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.

Dated: May 16, 1996.

David F. Alexander,

Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest.

[FR Doc. 96-13760 Filed 5-31-96; 8:45 am]

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