Corps ID: POA-1995-120-M20
Applicant: Donlin Gold LLC
NEPA Lead Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Corps Point of Contact: Don Kuhle
Corps email: don.p.kuhle@usace.army.mil
EIS Contractor: URS Alaska LLC
Description of Proposed Action: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Alaska District, is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address the statutory responsibilities set forth under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for the proposed Donlin Gold Project. Donlin Gold LLC proposes to develop an open pit, hardrock gold mine located 10 miles north of the village of Crooked Creek, Alaska. Major project components include excavation of an open pit that ultimately would be approximately 2.2 miles long by 1 mile wide by 1,850 feet deep; a waste treatment facility (tailings impoundment) approximately 1 mile long, and ultimately covering 2,350 acres; a waste rock facility covering approximately 2,300 acres; a mill facility processing approximately 59,000 short tons of ore per day; a natural gas-fired power plant with a total connected load of 227 MW, supplied by a 313-mile, small-diameter (14-inch), natural gas pipeline from the west side of Cook Inlet to the mine site; and transportation infrastructure including a 5,000-foot airstrip, a 30-mile-long road from the mine site to a new barge landing near Jungjuk Creek on the Kuskokwim River, and barge terminal facilities in Bethel. There is currently no road or rail access to the proposed mine site, which is isolated from existing power and other related infrastructure. The proposed mine and related facilities would have a total foot print of approximately 16,300 acres, including approximately 6,900 acres of wetlands.
Additional Information:
Donlin Gold LLC has submitted an application for a Department of the Army permit to develop the Donlin Gold Project. The Corps will be evaluating the permit application for work and/or discharges of pollutants under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. The EIS will be used as a basis for the permit decision in compliance with NEPA.
The Corps is the lead Federal agency for the EIS. Cooperating Agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the Village of Crooked Creek, the Native Village of Chuathbaluk, the Native Village of Napaimute, the Knik Tribal Council, the Village of Lower Kalskag, the Akiak Native Community, and the Aniak Traditional Council.
Additional information about the project is available at http://donlingoldeis.com
EIS Milstones Completion Date
Publish Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS December 14, 2012
Conduct Scoping March 29, 2013
Publish Notice of Availability and Issue Draft EIS
Hold DEIS Public Meetings
Publish Notice of Availability and Issue Final EIS
Complete Record of Decision
Documents:
Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-12-14/html/2012-30198.htm
Scoping Report Available at http://donlingoldeis.com/EISDocuments.aspx
Draft EIS (pending)
Public Notice for DEIS (pending)
Final EIS (pending)
Public Notice for FEIS (pending)