[Federal Register: June 15, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 32679-32680] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr15jn98-66] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [CO-017-1610-00] Notice of Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado Sodium Products Development Project. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Colorado Sodium Products Development Project (Project), located in Rio Blanco County and Garfield County, Colorado. The BLM will evaluate the Commercial Mine Plan prepared for the Project. The EIS will assess the environmental consequences of Mine Plan approval and development of the Project. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the BLM will conduct public scoping meetings to solicit comments on potential environmental impacts associated with the project. These public scoping meetings will be held in two locations: 1. Bureau of Land Management, White River Resource Area Office, 73544 Highway 64, Meeker, Colorado, on June 24, 1998, at 7:00 p.m. 2. Town Hall Council Chambers, 222 Grand Valley Way, Parachute, Colorado, on June 25, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. To familiarize the public and interested organizations with the likely scope of environmental issues that will be involved, the BLM has prepared a Scoping Document for the Colorado Sodium Products Development Project. This document includes a list of the various environmental/resource issues that will be addressed in the EIS. This list has been compiled based on experience gained to date with American Soda's test-phase operation in Rio Blanco County and consideration of likely environmental impact issues that would be encountered during construction and operation of the proposed commercial scale project. Copies of the Scoping Document are available at the White River Resource Area office in Meeker, Colorado, for public review. Alternatively, a copy of the Scoping Document can be requested by mail. Copies of the Scoping Document will also be available at the public scoping meetings described above. Comments received at the scoping meetings or by mail will supplement the issues identified in the Scoping Document. DATES: Comments and recommendations on this Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS should be received on or before July 10, 1998. ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to Mr. Larry Shults, Natural Resource Specialist, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, White River Resource Area, 73544 Highway 64, Meeker, CO 81641. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Shults, (970) 878-3601. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: American Soda, L.L.P. (American Soda) intends to construct and operate a commercial nahcolite solution mining operation at a site in the northcentral portion of the Piceance Creek Basin in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. Nahcolite is naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate that is found in association with oil shale deposits. After the nahcolite is removed from the ground, it would be processed into a sodium carbonate solution and transported by a 44-mile buried pipeline south to a processing operation to be located at an existing industrial site in [[Page 32680]] the Parachute Valley in Garfield County, Colorado. There it would be further processed to commercial grade sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and other sodium products. The project would occur on BLM lands of the White River Resource Area and on private lands in Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties, Colorado. The proposed solution mine site is contained within Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, and 29 of Township 1 South, Range 97 West of the Sixth Prime Meridian (PM), Rio Blanco County, Colorado. It is approximately 63 miles north-northeast of Grand Junction, 22 miles west-southwest of Meeker, and 29 miles east-southeast of Rangely, Colorado. The proposed processing operation would be located on private property in Sections 34 and 35 of Township 6 South, Range 96 West of the Sixth PM, Garfield County, Colorado, approximately 3 miles northwest of the town of Parachute, Colorado. The solution mine site and the processing operation site would be connected by two parallel, insulated buried pipelines that would run east-southeast from the solution mine for approximately 9 miles and then generally south along an existing pipeline right-of-way for approximately 35 miles to the processing operation. Bulk sodium products would be shipped from the processing operation via a 4-mile- long dedicated rail spur to an interstate rail connection near the town of Parachute. The solution mining process would require approximately 1 cubic foot per second (cfs) of water, including solutions in the product pipeline. An existing water right would be used to allow process water to be taken from the Colorado River via an existing intake located in the river near the town of Parchute. Water would be transported from the Colorado River to the proposed solution mine site by a return water pipeline paralleling the product pipeline. The American Soda commercial mining program is anticipated to operate indefinitely. The commercial Mine Plan under development addresses the first 30 years of operation, with an initial design basis of 1.4 million tons per year (tpy) of nahcolite recovered. Dated: June 8, 1998. John J. Mehlhoff, Resource Area Manager, Meeker, CO. [FR Doc. 98-15816 Filed 6-12-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-BY-M