[Federal Register: March 16, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 50)]
[Notices]               
[Page 13031-13032]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16mr99-77]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[NV-060-1990-01; N63-99-001P]

 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement To Consider 
the Battle Mountain Gold Company Phoenix Project Plan of Operations for 
Mining in Lander County, Nevada, and Notice of Scoping Period and 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: On February 9, 1995, pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended, and to 43 CFR 
Part 3809, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Battle Mountain Field 
Office published a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) with respect to Battle Mountain Gold Company's (BMG's) 
proposed Phoenix Project Plan of Operations. At that time, the Plan of 
Operations proposed developing a new mill facility and expanding the 
existing heap leaching facilities, tailings impoundment, and ancillary 
facilities. Since the Notice of Intent was published, BMG has conducted 
additional development and exploration operations at the project 
property. Based on the information gained from these activities, BMG 
has revised the Plan of Operations for the Phoenix Project. The BLM is 
publishing this supplemental Notice of Intent to advise the public of 
the revised Plan of Operations and to seek any additional comments or 
concerns to be addressed in preparing the EIS.
    This notice re-initiates public scoping for the Phoenix Project 
EIS. An open house format scoping meeting will be held on March 24, 
1999, at the BLM, Battle Mountain Field Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle 
Mountain, Nevada from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. During this meeting, 
representatives of the BLM and BMG will summarize the Plan of 
Operations. Federal, state, and local agencies and other organizations 
or individuals who may be interested in or affected by the BLM's 
decision on this Plan of Operations are invited to participate in the 
scoping process by attending the public meeting and to provide comments 
on issues to be analyzed in the EIS.
    Comments on issues to be addressed in the EIS may be submitted at 
the scoping meeting or may be submitted in writing to the BLM until 
April 15, 1999. A draft EIS is expected to be completed by Fall 1999, 
at which time the document will be made available for public review and 
comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lynn Ricci, Phoenix Project EIS 
Project Manager (775) 635-4163, BLM, Battle Mountain Field Office, 50 
Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1994, BMG submitted a Plan of Operations 
to develop the Phoenix Project at the southern end of the Battle 
Mountain Range in Lander County, Nevada, approximately 15 miles 
southwest of Battle Mountain, Nevada. Virtually all of the existing and 
proposed facilities are located in the Buffalo Valley water basin. 
Mining has been conducted in this area since the mid-1800s; bulk-scale 
surface mining operations at the site date from the early 1960s. BMG 
has been conducting mining operations at the site since the mid-1980s.
    The Phoenix Project, as proposed in 1994, involved continuing and 
expanding BMG's development of the property. The project included open-
pit mining of gold and silver-bearing ore, construction of a new mill 
to recover the

[[Page 13032]]

gold and silver, expansion of the existing heap leach and tailings 
facilities, and continued use of existing and development of new 
ancillary mining facilities. Dewatering was proposed in order to mine 
several of the proposed open pits. The BLM conducted scoping with 
respect to BMG's proposed Plan of Operations in 1995. Based on the 
scoping comments, the BLM identified the following issues to be 
addressed in the EIS: air quality, hydrology and water quality, surface 
and ground water resources, geochemistry, reclamation, social and 
economic values, and cumulative impacts.
    Since the original Plan of Operations was submitted and scoping was 
conducted, BMG has continued to conduct development operations at the 
property. Through exploration, BMG has identified additional gold and 
silver ore beyond the extent of the mine plan on which the Plan of 
Operations was based. Exploration also has identified ore containing 
gold, silver, and copper that BMG intends to mine and mill using a 
modified milling and beneficiation process that makes more ore amenable 
to gold, silver, and copper recovery.
    Based on this additional information, BMG has revised the Plan of 
Operations to include additional disturbance on private and public land 
that might occur if the gold, silver, and copper deposits identified by 
exploration to date are fully developed. The Plan of Operations 
includes expanding the development of three existing open pits and one 
new open pit, expanding the existing heap leach and tailings 
facilities, constructing a new mill, and further developing existing 
waste rock disposal areas. Dewatering (approximately 1,000 gallons per 
minute) would be necessary to mine three of the proposed pits. BMG 
proposes to use all of the water produced by open pit dewatering in its 
mining and beneficiation operations. BMG proposes to place a 
substantial portion of the mined waste rock over existing copper leach 
and waste rock facilities. Approximately two-thirds of the disturbance 
described by the Plan of Operations would occur on private land. The 
Plan of Operations also proposes to schedule mine development so that 
waste rock mined from active open pits would be used to backfill 
previously mined open pits. Under the proposed Plan of Operations all 
open pits that would be mined below existing ground water elevations 
would be backfilled above post-mining groundwater levels, and; as a 
result, no pit lakes would form.
    Total existing disturbance at the project site is 2,704 acres, 
(2,224 acres of private land and 480 acres of public land). Under the 
Plan of Operations, an additional 4,387 acres of land (1,914 acres of 
private land and 2,473 acres of public land) would be disturbed.

    Dated: March 8, 1999.
Leonard F. Brouse,
Acting Battle Mountain Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 99-6349 Filed 3-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P