[Federal Register: February 9, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 27)]
[Notices]
[Page 6762-6763]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09fe06-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Construction and Operation of an Open Pit Taconite Mine Proposed by
Ispat Inland Mining Between Biwabik and McKinley in St. Louis County,
MN
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: Ispat Inland Mining (Ispat) has applied to the St. Paul
District, Corps of Engineers (Corps) for a permit to discharge dredged
or fill material into wetlands to facilitate the construction and
operation of a taconite mine consisting of two conventional open pits
in a deposit known as the East Reserve (formerly known as the J&L East
Reserve) between Biwabik and McKinley in St. Louis County, MN. The
combined area of the two open pits would be 364 acres. The proposed
pits contain an estimated 116,000,000 long
[[Page 6763]]
tons of ore. The ore would be hauled by truck approximately 1.9 miles
on a proposed new haul road spur and then an additional 5.5 miles on an
existing haul road to Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca
taconite processing facility north of Virginia, MN. Tailing waste would
be disposed of in Ispat's currently permitted and operating Minorca and
Upland tailings basins. The mining process would require the
construction of overburden, waste rock, and lean ore stockpiles on the
north side of the proposed pits. The total stockpile area would cover
approximately 375 acres. Project plans call for the mining of an
average of just over six million long tons of crude ore per year over
the proposed 18-year life of the mine. The project would allow mining
operations and taconite processing at the Minorca Plant to continue
until 2024.
The project would require the discharge of dredged or fill material
into approximately 75.7 acres of wetlands. While some of the wetlands
may be isolated, the majority of the wetlands are adjacent to an
unnamed tributary to the Embarrass River, which is a tributary to the
St. Louis River, which is a navigable water of the U.S., or the
wetlands are adjacent to an unnamed tributary to the Pike River, which
is a navigable water of the United States. Ispat proposes to utilize
wetland credits from the existing Ispat Inland wetland mitigation bank
in Aitkin County, MN to compensate for the lost wetland functions and
values that would be caused by the proposed project. The discharge of
dredged or fill material into waters of the United States requires a
permit issued by the Corps under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
The final environmental impact statement will be used as a basis for
the permit decision and to ensure compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
ADDRESSES: Questions concerning the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) can be addressed to Mr. Jon K. Ahlness, Regulatory
Branch by letter at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 190 Fifth Street
East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 55101-1638, by telephone or by e-mail at
jon.k.ahlness@mvp02.usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jon K. Ahlness, (651) 290-5381.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps and the State of Minnesota will
jointly prepare the DEIS. The Corps is the lead federal agency and the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR) is the lead agency.
The MnDNR has already completed its scoping process and had hired a
consultant to prepare its DEIS. The Corps is joining with the MnDNR to
prepare a joint Federal/State DEIS. The Corps, with assistance from the
MnDNR, will prepare and release to the public a Draft Scoping Decision
Document, along with the MnDNR Scoping Environmental Assessment
Worksheet (EAW). The public will have 30 days to provide comments on
those two documents. In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.5(c) and Corps
policy, the Corps will determine the suitability of the MnDNR
consultant for Federal purposes. We anticipate that the DEIS will be
available to the public in May of 2006.
The DEIS will assess impacts of the proposed action and reasonable
alternatives, identify and evaluate mitigation alternatives, and
discuss potential environmental monitoring. Significant issues and
resources to be identified in the DEIS will be determined through
coordination with responsible federal, state, and local agencies; the
general public; interested private organizations and parties; and
affected Native American Tribes. Anyone who has an interest in
participating in the development of the DEIS is invited to contact the
St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers. Major issues identified to date
for discussion in the DEIS are the impacts of the proposed project on:
1. Fish, wildlife, and ecologically sensitive resources.
2. Water resources, including: Water use and potential impacts to
the water supplies of Biwabik and McKinley; surface water hydrology;
groundwater hydrology; waters of the U.S., including wetlands; and
receiving stream geomorphology.
3. Water quality, including: Surface water runoff; storm water
management; and mercury discharges from pit dewatering.
4. Cumulative impacts, including: Wildlife habitat loss/
fragmentation and habitat corridor obstruction/landscape barriers;
wetlands; and water flow/volume and water quality in unnamed streams
and the Embarrass River.
Additional issues of interest may be identified through the public
scoping process.
Issuing a permit for the development of an open pit taconite mine
is considered to be a major Federal action that may have a significant
impact on the quality of the human environment. The project: (1) Would
have a significant adverse effect on wetlands (which are special
aquatic sites), and (2) has the potential to significantly affect water
quality, groundwater, fish, and wildlife. Our environmental review will
be conducted to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Council of
Environmental Quality Regulations, Endangered Species Act of 1973,
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and other applicable laws and
regulations.
Dated: January 29, 2006.
Michael F. Pfenning,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 06-1212 Filed 2-8-06; 8:45 am]
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