[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 19 (Thursday, January 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4468-4470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2311]
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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.
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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
