Environmental statements; notice of intent: Caribou County, ID; Dry Valley Mine; phosphate mine expansion,

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Federal Register: April 24, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 79)NoticesPage 20422-20423From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr24ap98-88

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Phosphate Mine Expansion Dry Valley, Caribou County, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, USDI and Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pocatello Resource Area and the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS), Caribou National Forest, will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposal to expand FMC Corporation's active Dry Valley Phosphate Mine. The Dry Valley Mine is located about 17 air miles northeast of Soda Springs, Caribou County, Idaho. The proposed mining and reclamation activities for the expansion of the Dry Valley Mine would occur on existing Federal Phosphate Leases I-014184, I-0678 and I-011866, State of Idaho Leases 3823R and 7961, and private mineral rights. Surface ownership includes BLM, FS, State of Idaho, and private lands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS.

SCOPING PROCEDURE: The scoping procedure to be used for this EIS has and will involve the following: a broad mailing asking for comments, issues and concerns to interested and potentially affected individuals, groups, Federal, State and local governments; news releases; and public scoping meetings. An initial mailing was done in February 1998, comments received by mid-March highlighted several issues associated with this proposal. Another comprehensive mailing to individuals, groups and agencies known to be interested will be conducted concurrent with publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described in this Notice should be received on or before May 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Bureau of Land Management, Pocatello Resource Area, 1111 N. 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho 83201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the proposed action and EIS should be directed to Jeff Cundick, Mining Engineer, Pocatello Resource Area, 1111 N. 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho 83201, phone: (208) 236-6860, or Jeff Jones, Geologist, Caribou National Forest, Soda Springs Ranger District, 421 W. Second South, Soda Springs, Idaho 83276, phone: (208) 547-4356.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received a proposal from FMC Corp. to expand its existing Dry Valley Phosphate Mine to the south. The 1920 Mineral Leasing Act, as amended, gives the primary responsibility for approval of mining and reclamation plans for solid leasable minerals, like phosphate, to the BLM when the proposed action is located on Federal leases, regardless of the surface owner or manager. This proposal covers a mixture of surface and mineral estate ownership, including Federal (FS and BLM), State and private.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When lands administered by the FS are involved, the FS will develop and submit recommendations to the BLM for those proposed on-lease activities, while activities off-lease will require FS Special Use Permit authorization. The BLM and FS do not have approval or recommendation authority where State surface and mineral estate or private surface and mineral estate exist, as is the case for portions of this project.

FMC Corp. has been mining at their Dry Valley Mine since 1992, and the present proposal is for the expansion of that mine on existing leases. Ancillary facilities including shop, office, railroad line with loading facility, stockpile area, etc. are currently in place and functioning for this mine. Those existing facilities would continue to be utilized for the proposed expansion. The proposed expansion consists of the mining of two pits, referred to as pits C and D. Pit A has already been mined and reclaimed; pit B has been partially mined. Reclamation and mining are concurrent in different parts of this pit development. Mining in pit B is projected to be complete by early 2000. The purpose of the mine expansion is to provide a continued supply of ore to FMC's Pocatello, Idaho processing plant. Mining in Pits A and B was approved in 1990.

FMC has completed extensive exploration drilling on pits C and D; sufficient to develop a proposed mine and reclamation plan and two alternatives. Under the proposed alternative, about 600 acres of surface disturbance would occur, just over 200 of which are Federally owned and almost entirely FS administered lands. As mining progresses, waste rock is generally placed as backfill into mined-out pits. However, external waste rock dumps will be required because the volume of waste rock swells as consolidated materials are fractured during the mining process. In the current proposal, about 166 acres are planned to be covered with waste rock dumps, about 90 acres on the National Forest and about 76 acres on FMC's private land. When mining is completed, the last portion of the mine pit is proposed to be left open. Fifty-three acres, all of which will be on NFS lands, would not be reclaimed or filled with overburden.

Preliminary and informal public scoping for the FMC Corporation's Dry Valley Mine expansion project was first conducted in 1998. During the consideration of issues to be analyzed in depth, and in the development of alternatives, the Pocatello Resource Area (BLM) and the Caribou NF preliminarily identified these issues.

1. Water quality. Potential water quality and quantity effects. Potential effects on water rights and possible mitigation measures.

2. Wetlands. Potential effects and mitigation for wetlands affected by the proposal or alternatives.

3. Range. Potential effects on developments used to manage livestock grazing currently occurring on the Federal lands involved.

4. Wildlife. Potential effects on wildlife and their habitats.

Four preliminary alternatives have been identified. Additional alternatives may be developed from the analysis and further scoping. The preliminary alternatives are:

<bullet> Alternative 1--The proposed action.

<bullet> Alternative 3--Do not mine the north portion of pit C to protect wetlands.

<bullet> Alternative 2--Reduce the size of the north end of pit C to reduce impacts to wetlands.

<bullet> Alternative 4--No Action.

[Page 20423]

Alternatives 2 and 3 address wetlands issues that occur primarily on lands in private ownership. Environmental effects to these lands will be addressed in the section 404, Clean Water Act permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and as part of the cumulative impact analysis in the EIS.

The EIS will describe the physical attributes of the area to be affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental factors that could be adversely affected.

The EIS will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, potential mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.

The BLM and FS are seeking information and written comments from Federal, State and local agencies as well as individuals and organizations who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed action. To assist the BLM and FS in identifying and considering issues and concerns related to the proposed action, comments for scoping, and later for the draft EIS, should be as specific as possible. Referring to specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement is most helpful.

The estimated date for the completion of the draft EIS is January 1999. The comment period for the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

The final EIS is expected to be released in July, 1999.

The BLM Pocatello Resource Area Manager, who is the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision regarding this proposal for Federal lands on-lease, considering: FS recommendations; scoping comments; responses; anticipated environmental consequences discussed in the final EIS; and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The Caribou National Forest Supervisor, who is the responsible official for Caribou National Forest administered lands not on-lease, will make a decision, based on the above, concerning the issuance of a FS Special Use Permit. An application for a section 404, Clean Water Act permit has been filedwith the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; a decision will be rendered by the corps to issue that permit and how to mitigate the impacts to affected wetlands.

The reasons for the decisions will be documented in a Record of Decision(s).

Dated: April 17, 1998. Terry L. Smith, Acting Area Manager, Pocatello Resource Area.

Dated: April 17, 1998. Harold W. Klein, Acting Forest Supervisor, Caribou National Forest.

FR Doc. 98-10894Filed4-23-98; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 3410-11-P

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