[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 107 (Monday, June 3, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27864-27865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13760]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 107 / Monday, June 3, 1996 /
Notices
[[Page 27864]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Environmental Impact Statement for the Stibnite Mine Expansion
Gold Mining Project on the Krassel Ranger District of the Payette
National Forest, Valley County, ID
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revisednotice of intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare a revised draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) and final environmental impact
statement (FEIS) for a modified proposal submitted by Stibnite Mine
Inc. (SMI). The proposal is to expand SMI's existing open-pit gold
mining operation located in Valley County, near Yellow Pine, Idaho. The
expansion would be located adjacent to private lands, in the Krassel
Ranger District of the Payette National Forest.
The Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS
for the proposed Stibnite Mine Expansion in the Federal Register April
21, 1992 (Vol. 57, No. 77, p. 14558-14559). That notice is hereby
revised to show the following proposal changes: (1) mine four new pits
instead of six, (2) backfill waste into pits instead of creating two
exterior waste dumps.
The EIS will focus on: (1) Construction of four new mine pits in
the Midnight Creek drainage, (2) partial backfilling each pit with
waste rock, and (3) construction of haul road to connect the new pits
with existing haul road in the West End area. The modified proposal
will be called the Stibnite Mine Expansion Project.
The agency will accept written comments and suggestions on the
scope of the analysis. Comments already submitted to the Payette
National Forest on the 1994 DEIS or related scoping will be considered
in the 1996 analysis.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by July 1, 1996, to ensure timely consideration.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions related to the scope
of the analysis to: Stibnite Expansion EIS, Payette National Forest,
P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho, 83638.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Direct questions about the proposed action and DEIS to Fred Dauber,
Krassel District Ranger, Krassel District Office, P.O. Box 1026,
McCall, Idaho, telephone (208) 634-0600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SMI currently operates a gold mine in the
project area. In May of 1981, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
was prepared which analyzed the existing mining operations. In 1992 SMI
proposed an expansion of five new pits. A DEIS was prepared since the
proposed project exceeded the scope of the 1981 EIS. The Forest Service
released the DEIS in November 1994 for public review. Because of
concerns raised by the public and federal agencies, the Forest Service
withdrew the DEIS in February, 1995. Early this year SMI modified their
expansion proposal, and the Forest Service began work to revise the
1994 DEIS.
The new proposal would involve construction of four new mine pits
and associated haul road located adjacent to the now-active West End
mine area. Stibnite Mine Inc. would continue to use their existing heap
leach facility and other ancillary facilities which were previously
approved. SMI has recently upgraded their processing facility to comply
with the State of Idaho, Rules Governing Ore Processing by Cyanidation.
The DEIS will consider a range of alternatives, including the no-
action alternative. Other alternatives will be developed or modified to
address issues and to mitigate impacts. Agencies and the public have
expressed preliminary concerns regarding effects on: surface and ground
water, fisheries and wildlife, biodiversity, vegetation, soils,
wetlands, public safety and transportation, air quality, recreation and
visual resources, socioeconomic and social impacts, and cultural
resources.
The Forest Service will further expand and/or clarify issues based
upon public input provided during this, and the previous, scoping
processes. All interested and affected members of the public may
participate in the scoping process. This process will include:
1. Identification or modification of new or additional issues.
2. Identification of issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Exploring additional alternatives.
4. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed
action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects
and connected actions).
If requested, the Forest Service may make a copy of all comments
provided in response to this Notice available to the public. This will
include names, addresses, and any other personal information provided
with the comments.
David Alexander, Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest,
McCall, Idaho, is the responsible official for this action. The DEIS is
expected to be available for public review in December of 1996.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986), and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,
490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court
rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed
action participate by the close of the comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
[[Page 27865]]
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
The FEIS is scheduled to be completed and available to the public
by early 1997. The responsible official will document the decision and
the reasons supporting it in a Record of Decision. That decision will
be subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.
Dated: May 16, 1996.
David F. Alexander,
Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest.
[FR Doc. 96-13760 Filed 5-31-96; 8:45 am]
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