Environmental Statements; Availability, Etc.; Imperial Project Proposed Gold Mining/Processing Operation; Imperial County

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[(CA-067-7122-6606); CACA-35511]

Environmental Statements; Availability, Etc.; Imperial Project

Proposed Gold Mining/Processing Operation; Imperial County

agency: Bureau of Land Management.

Action: Notice of availability of the Imperial Project Draft

Environmental Impact Statement on the Imperial Project Proposed Gold

Mining/Processing Operation, Imperial County.

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summary: Notice is hereby given of the availability of the joint Draft

Environmental Impact Statement/Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) prepared by the

Bureau of Land Management and the County of Imperial for a 60-day

public review.

dates: Written comments must be received no later than January 27,

1998.

addresses: Written comments should be addressed to the Area Manager,

Attn: Imperial Project, El Centro Resource Area, 1661 South Fourth St.,

El Centro, California 92243.

for further information contact: Douglas Romoli (909) 697-5237.

supplementary information: The Imperial Project is a proposal by Glamis

Imperial Corporation (a sister corporation of the former project

applicant Chemgold Inc.) to develop an open-pit, gold mining operation

utilizing a heap leach process. Located in eastern Imperial County,

California, approximately 45 miles northeast of El Centro, California

and 20 miles northwest of Yuma, Arizona, the proposed project area

comprises approximately 1,625 acres. Up to 150 million tons of ore

would be leached, and 300 million tons of waste rock would be deposited

at the proposed waste rock stockpiles or the mined-out portions of the

three planned open pits. The maximum average mining rate would be

130,000 tons per day. Five alternatives besides the proposed action

were analyzed in the DEIS/EIR. Impacts on air quality, noise,

groundwater, vegetation, desert tortoise among other resources were

analyzed. Impacts on cultural resources and Native America values were

identified. Two public hearings have been scheduled:

December 10, 1997 at 7:00 p.m., Comfort Inn, 8000 Parkway Drive, La

Mesa, CA

December 11, 1998 at 7:00 p.m., Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050

Country Club Dr., Holtville, CA

Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will

be available for public review. Individual respondents may request

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address

from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information

Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written

comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.

All submissions from organizations or business, and from individuals

identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organization

or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their

entirety.

Dated: November 24, 1997.

Alan Stein,

Acting District Manager.

[FR Doc. 97-31478 Filed 12-1-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-40-M