Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-020-4191-03]

Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for a mining Plan of Operations (POO) for the Trenton Canyon Mine

project, Humboldt and Lander Counties, Nevada; and notice of scoping

period and public meeting.

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

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

(BLM) will be directing the preparation of an EIS for the proposed gold

mine expansion in Humboldt County and Lander County, Nevada. This EIS

will be prepared by contract and funded by the proponent, Santa Fe

Pacific Gold Corporation. A public meeting will be held to identify

issues to be addressed in the EIS, and to encourage public

participation in the review process. Representatives of the BLM and

Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation will be summarizing the POO and

accepting comments from the audience. The BLM invites comments and

suggestions on the scope of the analysis.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held September 24, 1996 at the Office

of the Bureau of Land Management, 5100 E. Winnemucca Boulevard,

Winnemucca, Nevada from 7-9 p.m. Written comments on the Plan of

Operations and the scope of the EIS will be accepted until October 15,

1996. The Draft EIS is expected to be completed by the end of May,

1997, at which time the document will be made available for public

review and comment.

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments may be sent to: District Manager, 5100 E.

Winnemucca Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445; ATTN. Rod Herrick,

Project Manager.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rod Herrick, 5100 E. Winnemucca

Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445 (702) 623-1500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation of

Albuquerque, New Mexico has submitted to the Winnemucca District Office

of the BLM, a POO for expansion of the Trenton Canyon Mine. The POO

describes proposed expansion of Trenton Canyon Project mining

operations onto public land in Humboldt and Lander Counties, Nevada.

The mining operation was previously permitted on fee land by permit

from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Department of

Conservation and Natural Resources. About 122 million tons of oxide

overburden and interburden will be removed to mine about 30 million

tons of oxide ore. The proposed expansion would result in additional

disturbance to public and private lands of approximately 1,872 acres.

Future key production facilities would include mine pits, waste rock

disposal piles, heap leach pads, solution/overflow ponds, access and

haul roads, and a carbon-column circuit. Loaded carbon will be

transported to the nearby Lone Tree Mine for gold stripping.

Nonprocessing ancillary facilities to support the mine would include an

office, shop, warehouse, water supply system, sewage system, electrical

distribution system, propane system, bioremediation cells, barrel

handling facilities, and explosives magazine, and various materials

storage areas.

The EIS will address the issues of geology, minerals, soils, water

resources, vegetation, wildlife, grazing management, air quality,

aesthetics, cultural resources, paleontological resources, land use,

access, recreation, social and economic values related to the mine

expansion.

Federal, state, and local agencies and other individuals or

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

decision on the POO are invited to participate in the scoping process.

The Authorized Officer will respond to public input and comment as part

of the final EIS. The decision regarding the proposal will be recorded

as a Record of Decision, which is subject to appeal under 43 CFR part

4.

Dated: September 5, 1996.

Ronald B. Wenker,

District Manager, Winnemucca, Nevada.

[FR Doc. 96-23369 Filed 9-11-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P