[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45651-45652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16448]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2020-0012-EIS; LLNVW00000.L51100000.GN0000.
LVEMF1907180.19X .MO#4500145138]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Humboldt River
Field Office, Winnemucca, Nevada, as the lead agency, has prepared a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential
impacts of approving the Lithium Nevada Corp. (LNC), Thacker Pass
Project Proposed Plans of Operations and Reclamation Plan Permit
Applications (Project) in Humboldt County, Nevada. In accordance with
the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act), the Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) is a cooperating agency with the BLM on the
development of this Draft EIS to analyze the potential impacts of
approving LNC's request for an incidental take permit for golden
eagles. The FWS will evaluate LNC's Eagle Conservation Plan (ECP),
which describes their request for incidental take of eagles and a 5-
year incidental take permit for golden eagles under the Eagle Act. This
notice announces the beginning of the public comment period to solicit
public comments on the Draft EIS.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, BLM must receive written
comments on the Draft EIS no later than 45 days after the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability of the Thacker
Pass Lithium Mine Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement DOI-BLM-
NV-W010-2020-0012-EIS in the Federal Register, and will coordinate with
the FWS on any comments received regarding impacts to golden eagles,
and the Eagle Act permitting process. The BLM will announce the dates
and locations of any future meetings or hearings and any other public
involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through local media,
newspapers and the BLM website at: https://www.blm.gov/office/winnemucca-district-office.
[[Page 45652]]
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Project by any of the
following methods:
Website: https://bit.ly/2Npgf9l.
Email: [email protected], include ``Thacker
Pass Project EIS Comments'' in the subject line.
Fax: (775) 623-1740, please mark ``Attn: Thacker Pass
Project EIS Comments''.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Thacker Pass
Project EIS Comments, 5100 E Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the proposed
Project, contact Mr. Ken Loda, telephone: (775) 623-1500, address: 5100
E Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445. Contact Mr. Loda to have your
name added to our mailing list. For questions concerning the Eagle Act
permitting process, contact Mr. Thomas Leeman at (916) 978-6189.
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant LNC proposes to construct,
operate, reclaim, and eventually close an open pit lithium mine,
processing operation, and continued exploration activities on public
lands in northern Humboldt County, Nevada. LNC currently has two
approved Plans of Operations (PoOs), one for exploration and one for a
specialty clay mine, approved within the area proposed for the new
lithium mine. There are 75 acres of exploration disturbance approved
under LNC's existing exploration PoO, and 140 acres of existing
disturbance approved under their clay mine PoO. LNC has submitted two
new PoOs to develop the Project and to provide a description of the
proposed lithium mining, processing, and exploration operations. Each
of these PoOs include a reclamation plan for the activities identified
under the respective PoO. The operations proposed under the two new
PoOs would involve a project area of about 18,000 acres, with an
ultimate disturbance footprint of approximately 5,700 acres. The
proposed lithium mine PoO boundary overlaps the existing PoO
boundaries.
LNC proposes to develop the Project in two phases over the
estimated 41-year mine life. Pending LNC receiving the required
authorizations and permits for Phase 1 of the Project, pre-stripping
would commence in early 2021 and construction in the first quarter of
2021, with mining production and ore processing estimated to commence
in late 2022. LNC estimates that it would complete mining, processing
and concurrent reclamation activities in 2061, after which,
reclamation, site closure activities, and post-closure monitoring would
occur for a minimum of five years.
The proposed activities and facilities associated with the Project
include development of an open pit mine; construction and operation of
lithium processing and production facilities, mine facilities to
support mining operations, two waste rock storage facilities, a run-of-
mine stockpile, a clay tailings filter stack, water supply facilities,
two power transmission lines and substations, and various ancillary
facilities. Pit dewatering is not expected to be required as part of
the Project until 2055, and concurrent backfill of the open pit would
occur after sufficient volume has been excavated to initiate direct
placement of waste rock. Continued exploration would be conducted under
both PoOs. Upon further review the BLM has determined than an amendment
to the Winnemucca District Resource Management Plan is not necessary.
In addition, the Project would affect golden eagle nests and
territories by planned blasting within a two-mile radius of golden
eagle nests; therefore, LNC has requested authorization from the FWS to
disturb eagle nests and a 5-year incidental take permit for golden
eagles under the Eagle Act. LNC's Eagle Conservation Plan is the
foundation of the permit application and contains commitments to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate adverse effects on golden eagles resulting from
the implementation of the Project. Issuance of an eagle take permit
must comply with the Eagle Act and all related regulatory requirements
(50 CFR 22.26).
The purpose of this comment period is for the public to comment on
the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS, through scoping, has identified and
analyzed impacts to the following resources: Air and atmospheric
resources; cultural resources; noxious weeds, invasive species, and
nonnative species; migratory birds; golden eagles; Native American
religious concerns; wastes and materials (hazardous and solid); water
quality (surface and ground); geology, minerals and energy; lands and
realty; paleontology; rangeland management; recreation; social values
and economics; soils; special status species (plants and wildlife);
transportation and access; vegetation; visual resources; and wildlife.
The Draft EIS describes and analyzes the proposed Project's direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. In addition
to the Proposed Action, Alternative A, the following alternatives are
also analyzed in the document: Alternative B, which is a partial
backfilling of the pit that would result in a small wet area;
Alternative C which does not backfill the pit and would result in three
small, and probably seasonal, pit lakes; and the No Action Alternative.
Alternatives A, B and C request an eagle take permit for loss of
productivity of three golden eagle breeding pairs. Additionally,
Alternative C would require nest site enhancement as compensatory
mitigation under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
The BLM has consulted and continues to consult with Indian tribes
on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order
13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to Indian
trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have been
analyzed in the Draft EIS. Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with tribes and other stakeholders that may be interested in or
affected by the proposed Project that the BLM and FWS are evaluating,
are invited to participate in the comment process.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you may
request in your comment that your personal identifying information be
withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7.
Ester McCullough,
Winnemucca District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2020-16448 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
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