Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on an Amended Plan of Operations for Kennecott Rawhide Mining Company in Mineral County, Nevada; and Notice of Scoping Period and Public Meeting

[[Page 1943]]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[NV-030-96-1990-02, N36-86-003P]

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on

an Amended Plan of Operations for Kennecott Rawhide Mining Company in

Mineral County, Nevada; and Notice of Scoping Period and Public Meeting

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

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

amended Plan of Operations for expansion of the existing Denton-Rawhide

Mine, an open-pit heap leach gold/silver mine operated by Kennecott

Rawhide Mining Company, in Mineral County, Nevada. The Bureau invites

comments on the scope of the analysis.

EFFECTIVE DATES: An open-house meeting will be held February 15, 1996,

from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City

District Office, 1535 Hot Springs Road, Carson City, NV to allow the

public an opportunity to identify issues and concerns to be addressed

in the Environmental Impact Statement. Representatives of Kennecott

Rawhide Mining Company will be available to answer questions about the

amended 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 March 1,

1996.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be completed

by late spring 1996 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,

Carson City, NV 89706. ATTN: Rawhide Environmental Impact Statement

Project Manager.

For additional information, write to the above address or call

Terri Knutson at (702) 885-6156.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Kennecott Rawhide Mining Company of Fallon,

Nevada has submitted an amended Plan of Operations for expansion of the

existing Denton-Rawhide Mine located approximately 55 miles southeast

of Fallon, Nevada. The proposed operation would include: Development

and condemnation drilling necessary for development of future

operations; expansion of the open-pit and waste rock disposal area;

construction of an additional leach pad and solution ponds to

accommodate processing of Run-of-Mine ore; and the relocation of the

stormwater diversion channel beyond the limits of the active mine

workings. Existing permitted surface disturbance within the project

area is 1,086 acres. The proposal would disturb an additional 426 acres

for a total of 1,512 acres disturbance of public and private land

within the project area.

The Environmental Impact Statement will address: surface and

groundwater quantity and quality; geology and minerals; air quality;

vegetation resources; soils; wildlife; threatened, endangered, or

candidate animal and plant species; range resources; land uses and

access; recreation; social and economic values; cultural resources;

reclamation; hazardous materials; and cumulative impacts. These topics

will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team and will include review

of the proposed amended 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 amended 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 proposal participate

in the scoping and commenting processes. Comments should be as specific

as possible.

The tentative project schedule is as follows:

Begin Public Comment Period--January 1996

Issuance of Draft Environmental Impact Statement--May 1996

File Final Environmental Impact Statement--August 1996

Record of Decision--October 1996

Begin Expansion of Operation--Spring of 1997

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: January 11, 1996.

John O. Singlaub,

Carson City District Manager.

[FR Doc. 96-915 Filed 1-23-96; 8:45 am]

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