Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed 30-year Expansion and Waste Management Plan for the Molycorp Mountain Pass Mine, Mountain Pass, California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Report/

Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed 30-year Expansion and

Waste Management Plan for the Molycorp Mountain Pass Mine, Mountain

Pass, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Report

(EIR)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposed 30-year

expansion and waste management plan for the Molycorp Mountain Pass

Mine, Mountain Pass, California and notice of scoping meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Policy Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Needles Field

Office, and the County of San Bernardino, in accordance with the

California Environmental Quality Act, will be directing the preparation

of a joint EIR/EIS to be prepared by a third-party contractor on the

impacts of a proposed 30-year mine expansion and waste management plan

for the Molycorp Mountain Pass Mine, located in Mountain Pass, San

Bernardino County, California.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until February 28, 1998. A

public scoping meeting will be held beginning at 7 p.m. on February 3,

1998, at the Baker Community Center, 73730 Baker Boulevard, Unit C,

Baker, California.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Needles Field Office, Bureau

of Land Management, 101 West Spike's Road, Needles, California 92363,

ATTN: Molycorp Mountain Pass Mine Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: George R. Meckfessel, Planning and

Environmental Coordinator, at (760) 326-7000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the early 1990s, Molycorp Inc. (Molycorp)

developed a plan to expand its mining operations for an additional 30

years. Because the expansion area would exceed 25 percent of the vested

area, Molycorp was required to obtain a Mining Conditional Use Permit

from the County of San Bernardino. At the time that Molycorp proposed

to expand its mining operations, portions of the main mine site were

located on public land managed by BLM. Therefore, the original

environmental review for the project was planned to be an EIR/EIS.

[[Page 4469]]

However, in 1992, Molycorp and BLM entered into a land transfer, which

exchanged 879 acres of public land for 1,920 acres of private land. Due

to the land transfer the environmental review was conducted as an EIR,

with the County as the Lead Agency.

A Draft EIR was circulated for public review in December 1996. The

comment period closed on February 12, 1997. Numerous comments were

received from public agencies and private individuals, including the

following:

BLM

U.S. Geological Survey

National Park Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

California Regional Water Quality Control Board

California Department of Transportation

Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District

County of San Bernardino Fire Department Hazardous

Materials Division

San Bernardino County Museum

County of San Bernardino Division of Environmental Health

Services

The Desert Tortoise Council

The Wilderness Society

The Sierra Club, San Gorgonio Chapter

Desert Survivors

National Outdoor Coalition

People Against Radioactive Dumps

Best, Best & Krieger representing Primadonna Corporation

Marjorie Mikels

Dr. Howard Wilshire

The predominant issues identified by commentors involved waste

discharges, off-site groundwater contamination, potential air

contamination, and full disclosure of mine components and processes.

Upon review of the numerous comments received, the County determined

that additional technical analysis would be required to adequately

address the issues raised by those commenting on the Draft EIR. The

County concluded that the Draft EIR would need to be recirculated to

provide for proper public review of the additional analysis.

During the summers of 1995 and 1996, releases were experienced in

the 13-mile-long pipeline that carries waste discharges from the main

mine processing area to the existing New Ivanpah Evaporation Pond. The

New Ivanpah Evaporation Pond is located approximately 9 miles to the

northeast of the main mine processing area. This pipeline crosses lands

managed by the BLM and the NPS. The releases and subsequent issues

related to integrity of the Ivanpah evaporation ponds heightened

concerns about waste management and disposal. Molycorp indicated a

desire to replace the discharge pipeline. The BLM felt that the

environmental review process for considering a replacement pipeline

would best be accomplished in concert with the County's consideration

of the proposed expansion. Discussions with the County subsequently led

to the decision to conduct a joint environmental review and to

recirculate the 1996 Draft EIR as a Draft EIR/EIS that would add to the

existing project the analysis of potential environmental impacts

associated with replacing the waste discharge pipeline, and would also

address issues of impacts to public lands from existing and potential

contaminant migration from the main mine site and the existing New

Ivanpah Evaporation Pond.

Comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS will be addressed in the

Final EIR/EIS. Commentors on the December 1996 Draft EIR will be

included in the distribution of the Draft EIR/EIS and are invited to

provide comments on the Draft EIR/EIS.

Molycorp is proposing to continue its current lanthanide (rare-

earth elements) mining operation at its Mountain Pass Mine facility for

the next 30 years. This continued effort would result in an expansion

of the open pit, overburden storage areas, and mill tailings storage

areas. Plant production rates would not increase as a result of the

project. Expansion of the mine would consist of enlarging the surface

area and depth of the open pit, expanding existing overburden

stockpiles, expanding the existing North Tailings Pond or constructing

a new tailings pond, and replacing the existing waste discharge

pipeline to the existing New Ivanpah Evaporation Pond, either through

pipeline replacement, or the construction of an on-site effluent

treatment facility, or a combination of both.

As described in the December 1996 Draft EIR, the mine expansion

would occur over 30 years in three phases of 10 years each, with a

final monitoring phase of 5 years. Phase I would include the following

activities:

Revisions to the existing means of waste disposal to the

existing New Ivanpah Evaporation Pond, either through replacement of

the existing pipeline, on-site effluent treatment, or a combination of

both and potential modifications to or closure of the evaporation pond

Continued mining and expansion of the pit westward by

approximately 10 acres

Realignment of power distribution lines

Expansion of the west Overburden Stockpile by

approximately 80 acres and realignment of the AT&T access road

Expansion of the North Tailings Pond after retrofitting

with a liner or design and construction of a new tailings pond and

closure of the North Tailings Pond

Relocation and expansion of the mine equipment yard

Stockpiling of surface material from pit and overburden

expansion for future reclamation of the tailings pond and overburden

stockpiles.

Phase 2 would include the following:

Expansion of the open pit by 35 acres

Expansion of Overburden Stockpile by 125 acres

Increase tailings pond by 60 acres

Relocation of Shadow Valley water supply line and

explosives magazine

Initiation of reclamation and revegetation of tailings

pond and Overburden Stockpile

Phase 3 would include the following:

Expansion of the open pit by 35 acres

Expansion of the Overburden Stockpile by 125 acres

Increase tailings pond by 50 acres

Continued reclamation and revegetation of tailings pond

and Overburden Stockpile

Phase 4 would include the following:

Termination of mining and contouring of pit slopes

Closure of tailings pond

Closure of hazardous waste holding area

Final reclamation and revegetation of Overburden Stockpile

and previously vegetated disturbed surfaces.

The Draft EIR/EIS will present final proposed acreages of mine

facilities subject to final mine design.

The components of the project remain the same as those described in

the December 1996 Draft EIR, with the exception of Molycorp facilities

occurring on federally administered lands. Such facilities include the

replacement of the waste discharge pipeline to the existing New Ivanpah

Evaporation Pond and the replacement of the existing fresh water

pipeline. Alternatives to the expansion project, as identified in the

December 1996 EIR, include a No Project Alternative, a Reduced Project

Alternative, and an Underground Mining Alternative. Other alternatives

addressing the waste management plans will be included. These

alternatives will include three waste discharge pipeline alternative

alignments, two on-site treatment alternatives, including (1) full

treatment at the main mine site with no discharge to the existing New

Ivanpah

[[Page 4470]]

Evaporation Pond and closure of the evaporation pond and (2) partial

treatment at the main mine site with continued discharge to the

existing New Ivanpah Evaporation Pond, and a No Project alternative,

whereby no action would be taken to replace the pipeline or provide on-

site treatment.

During preparation of the December 1996 Draft EIR, significant

impacts to the environment from the project and the project

alternatives were identified in the following issue areas: Geologic

Hazards, Flood Hazards, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Air

Quality, Scenic Resources, Soil Resources, and Hazardous/Radioactive

Materials. Cumulative impacts were also identified in these issue

areas. The Draft EIR/EIS will review the impact assessment provided in

the December 1996 Draft EIR in light of comments received from agencies

and the public during the December 1996 Draft EIR circulation period

and will revise the impact assessment in accordance with the components

and activities of the redesigned project.

The Draft EIR/EIS will also evaluate potential impacts of the

pipeline replacement project and alternatives as well as the potential

impacts from continuing contaminant migration from the main mine site

from continuing operations. Technical studies are planned or underway

in the following areas:

Survey of the existing waste discharge pipeline for

contamination from potential past releases

Evaluation of the biological resources along the corridors

of the pipeline alternatives

Evaluation of cultural and paleontological resources in

the area of the pipeline replacement alternatives

Hydrology studies of the main mine site and nearby washes

Hydrology studies of the existing New Ivanpah Evaporation

Pond

Waste discharge treatment alternatives

Pipeline alignment alternatives

Human health and ecological risk assessments

Pit lake water quality modeling

The Draft EIR/EIS will use the data provided in the technical

reports to analyze the potential impacts to the environment from the

proposed project and alternatives.

A public scoping meeting will be held at the Baker Community

Center, 73730 Baker Boulevard, Unit C, Baker, California, on February

3, 1998 at 7 p.m. Upon close of the comment period for the joint Notice

of Preparation (NOP)/Notice of Intent (NOI), the County and BLM will

direct the preparation of the Draft EIR/EIS. It is anticipated that the

Draft document will be available for circulation within 6 to 8 months.

The Draft EIR/EIS will be circulated for 60 days, during which time

comments will be solicited from interested parties and organizations

and a public hearing will be held. The Final EIR/EIS is expected to be

completed within 3 to 4 months following close of the comment period.

The BLM scoping process for this EIR/EIS will include the

following: (1) Identification of issues to be addressed, (2)

identification of viable alternatives, and (3) notification of interest

groups, individuals, and agencies so that additional information

concerning these issues can be obtained.

The scoping process will consist of a news release announcing the

start of the EIR/EIS process and letters of invitation to participate

in the scoping process.

Molly S. Brady,

Manager, Needles Field Office.

[FR Doc. 98-2311 Filed 1-28-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-40-P