[Federal Register: November 1, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 211)]
[Notices]
[Page 64237-64240]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01no06-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Idaho Cobalt Project Plan of Operations, Salmon-Challis National
Forest, Lemhi County, ID
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to Prepare Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, as the lead Federal agency, previously
published in the Federal Register (66 FR 46992-46994, September 10,
2001) a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of the Idaho Cobalt
Project. The Idaho Cobalt Project is a proposed plan of operations to
develop an underground cobalt-copper-gold mine on the Salmon/Cobalt
Ranger District of the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Lemhi County,
Idaho. The Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Chapter 21.2, requires this
revised notice in the Federal Register to inform the public of a major
change to the applicant's plan and provide revised dates of when the
draft and final EIS will be completed. The major plan change is
described in the following paragraph. The revised dates of when the
draft and final EIS will be available can be found in the DATES section
of this notice.
The project proponent, Formation Capital Corporation U.S.
(Formation), submitted its proposed plan of operation (Plan) to the
Forest Service in January 2001. That Plan described the major
components of the project, including production adits and declines,
waste rock disposal areas, processing plant, process water and tailings
disposal methods, haul roads, and ancillary support facilities on
National Forest System Lands. Since 2001, Formation has provided the
Forest Service with a number of clarifications and minor revisions to
their Plan, which, for the most part, did not alter the basic project
description contained
[[Page 64238]]
in the initial Federal Register notice. However, one proposed revision
to the Plan's handling of mine and process water constituted a major
change, which necessitated publishing this revised notice. Instead of
land-applying the water as originally proposed, Formation plans to
install a water treatment system and discharge the mine/process water
into Big Deer Creek under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit. This change would reduce the surface area
affected by mining operations from 251 acres to 149 acres.
Formation submitted an NPDES permit application to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 25, 2006 to discharge
treated water into Big Deer Creek. The permit is a new source subject
to the requirements of 40 CFR Part 440. As described in 40 CFR Part
122.29 and EPA's NEPA implementing regulations in 40 CFR Part 6, a new
source is subject to compliance with NEPA prior to taking a final
action on the NPDES permit.
EPA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the
Forest Service on August 8, 2006 as a cooperating agency in the EIS
process. The MOU describes the roles, responsibilities, and NEPA
coordination amongst the two agencies.
Given the public scoping that has already been conducted for this
project, the extensive list of significant issues generated as a result
of that scoping, and the impending completion of the Draft EIS, the
Forest Service will not initiate additional public scoping for this
notice. Public comments will be accepted and considered following
publication of the Draft EIS.
DATES: The Draft EIS is expected to be available for a 45-day public
review and comment period the first quarter of 2007. EPA will inform
the public of the start of the review and comment period by publishing
a Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register.
Completion of the Final EIS is anticipated by July 31, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ray Henderson, Project Coordinator,
Salmon-Challis National Forest, 1206 S. Challis Street, Salmon, Idaho
83467, Phone (208) 756-5100. Questions on the NPDES permit should be
directed to Rob Rau, EPA Region 10, 1200 6th Ave., Seattle, Washington
98101, Phone (206) 553-6285.
If you wish to be placed on the project mailing list or receive
additional information, contact the Salmon-Challis National Forest
Project Coordinator identified above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Project Description: Formation Capital Corporation U.S. (Formation)
submitted a Plan of Operations for the proposed Idaho Cobalt Project to
the Salmon-Challis National Forest in January 2001. The Plan, which has
subsequently been modified by Formation on a number of occasions, most
recently in a June 2006 revision, is summarized as follows:
The proposed Idaho Cobalt Project would consist of developing an
800-ton per day mine and mill complex. The project would involve mining
cobalt-copper-gold reserves with an annual production rate of 280,000
tons of ore at full production. Current reserves and resources would
allow for a ten-year mine life. The ore would be mined from two
deposits, the Ram and the Sunshine and conveyed to a mill situated on
the nearby Big Flat plateau. Underground mining methods are proposed,
and a flotation mill would be used to process ore from the mine. At
full production, the mill would produce approximately 32 tons of
concentrate and 768 tons of tailings per day. The concentrate would be
shipped to an off-site hydrometallurgical facility for metal recovery.
Ram and Sunshine ore would be hauled to the mill with trucks, where
the ore would be stockpiled. The approximate haul distance to the
proposed site of the mill from the Ram portal is 2.8 miles and 1.5
miles from the Sunshine portal. In the latter years of the mine life an
overhead tram from the Ram portal may be used to transport ore to the
mill. The tram would consist of suspended car traveling on track
cables, driven by a haul cable and suspended on towers. The tramcar
would be loaded from a hopper at the Ram portal, and the car would
discharge into a hopper at the mill crusher.
The proposed tailings disposal facility and the water management
reservoir are also located on the Big Flat, east of the mill. Disposal
of tailings in this area via a dry stacking method was proposed by
Formation to take advantage of relatively flat topography, avoidance of
wetlands, suitable foundation soils, elimination of the need for a
tailings dam, and distance from active drainages and streams.
Approximately 60 percent of the tailings produced would be required
underground as backfill. The backfill tailings would be dewatered to
produce a paste and have cement added for strength. The paste would be
pumped from the mill site to the Ram in a pipeline.
Mine and mill process waters would be managed and recycled in the
process circuit using a lined water management reservoir as storage.
Excess precipitation and mine water would be treated and discharged in
accordance with an NPDES permit. Treatment would consist of pH
adjustment, precipitation and filtration for metals removal followed by
reverse osmosis membrane separation as a polishing step and to remove
nitrate, sulfate and other constituents. Treated water is projected to
meet effluent limits at the end of the discharge pipe. The project as
proposed by Formation would disturb 149 acres of National Forest Land.
Power for the project would be secured from an existing power line
delivering power to the nearby Blackbird Mine. Emergency power would be
supplied with diesel generating equipment located at the main portals
and at the mill.
It is anticipated that most of the project employees would live in
the Salmon area. Employees would be transported to the project site by
buses or vans assigned to personnel. The proposed transportation route
for the employees is via the Williams Creek Summit, along the Williams
Creek road, the Deep Creek road, the Panther Creek road and the
Blackbird Creek road. The transportation route for mine supplies and
the concentrates would also be via Williams Creek Summit. The West
Panther and South Panther Roadless Areas lie to the north, west and
east of the ICP. Proposed activities in the company and agency
alternatives would utilize upgraded existing and to a lesser degree new
roads within the designated roadless area. Up to eight acres of
disturbance within the designated roadless area would occur under the
action alternatives.
There would be three main phases in the life of the Idaho Cobalt
Project: the construction phase, the production phase, and the
reclamation phase. There would also be concurrent reclamation in the
construction and production phases as existing disturbed areas or new
disturbance is reclaimed post-use. The construction phase would include
upgrading 23.2 miles of existing roads, and construction of 2.7 miles
of new roads, construction of the portals and waste rock dumps, the
mill site, power line and substation and the tailings disposal site.
Soil stockpile areas, stormwater diversion ditches and borrow areas
would also be included in the surface disturbance.
The production phase would bring the mill on line at 400-tons per
day increasing to 800-tons per day as the underground Ram mine expands.
Each of the project components is integral to the whole operation and
therefore there would be limited opportunities for concurrent
reclamation. However, there
[[Page 64239]]
would be concurrent reclamation in some areas when active use stops.
The reclamation phase would include final shaping of waste rock dumps,
sealing mine portals, mill demolition, power line and substation
dismantling, tailings disposal area shaping and revegetation, water
management reservoir reclamation, and road reclamation.
Cobalt is a strategic and industrial metal with a diverse range of
uses. The largest single use is in alloys for air and land-based gas
turbine engines. The fastest growing usage is in the battery industry
for cell phones, pagers, portable computers and gasoline-electric
hybrid power automobiles. Cobalt is used in computer hard disk drives,
semiconductors, magnetic data storage and solar collectors. It is also
used as a component in the effort to reduce air pollution, as it is a
catalyst for removing sulfur from oil to provide for clean burning
fuels and has important medical uses as well.
Proposed Action and Regulatory Requirements: The Forest Service
decision to be made in response to Formation's Plan is described by
regulation at 36 CFR 228.5 and includes: (a) Approve the project as
proposed, (b) Notify the operator of changes or additions to the plan
of operations deemed necessary to meet the purpose of the regulations.
These regulations also direct the Forest Service to comply with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in
connection with each Plan of Operation. In this regard, the Salmon-
Challis Forest Supervisor has determined that an EIS is required to
support a decision on the Idaho Cobalt Project. The EIS will analyze
the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects of the
proposed Plan of Operation and other reasonable alternatives including
mitigation, monitoring and reclamation measures designed to minimize
adverse effects.
In order to implement the project, the proponent, Formation, must
obtain approval or conduct consultation with several other federal,
state, and local regulatory agencies. These agencies include: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Marine Fisheries Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality, Idaho Department of Water Resources,
Idaho State Historic Preservation Officer and Lemhi County, Idaho.
The Salmon Forest Plan provides guidance for management activities
within the potentially affected area through its goals, objectives,
standards and guidelines, and management area direction. The proposal
would occur within Management Area 5B. Management emphasis in this area
is on producing long-term timber outputs through a moderate level of
investment in regeneration and thinning. It recognizes the potential
for high-value locatable mineral occurrence and probable development.
The Forest Plan directs that exploration, location, leasing and
development of energy and non-energy minerals resources be coordinated
with other resources.
Under the United States Mining Laws of May 10, 1872, as amended (30
U.S.C. 22), United States citizens and corporations have the right to
search for and develop minerals upon public lands, including National
Forest Systems lands, open to mineral entry. Forest Service regulations
(36 CFR 228, Subpart A) require that the agency work with mineral
operators to minimize or eliminate adverse environmental impacts from
mineral activities on National Forest System lands.
Public Participation: The Forest Service held an initial public
meeting to provide information on the Idaho Cobalt Project on July 20,
2001, at the City Center in Salmon, Idaho. The Forest issued a Notice
of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the proposed mining project in
the Federal Register on September 10, 2001. The NOI invited comments on
FCC's proposed Plan of Operations and the Forest's environmental
analysis process for the proposed Project. The Forest held public
scoping meetings on October 10, 2001, in Challis, Idaho and October 11,
2001 in Salmon, Idaho.
The scoping process and subsequent environmental analysis, to date,
have identified the following significant issues:
1. Blackbird Mine CERCLA Remediation & Restoration--What is the
relationship between the proposed Idaho Cobalt Project and the current
program to remediate the environmental damage at the Blackbird Mine and
to re-establish an anadromous fishery in Panther Creek?
2. Surface Water Quality--What is the potential for adverse impacts
to water quality downstream of project facilities from the proposed
mining activities, including development of acid mine drainage and
mobilization of heavy metals from geologic materials exposed by the
proposed mining activities, and how would water quality be maintained
and beneficial uses protected?
3. Groundwater Quality--What is the relationship of the aquifer
systems between the proposed project and surrounding areas,
particularly the Blackbird Mine and receiving streams? What is the
existing quality of groundwater in the project area and how would the
project affect existing groundwater quality?
4. Water Use, Management, Treatment and Disposal--How would surface
water and groundwater quality monitoring be conducted to detect and
allow for the correction of any water quality problems resulting from
the proposed mining activities? What water management and treatment
systems would be in place to assure no adverse impacts to water quality
or quantity?
5. Sediment Delivery (Storm Water Management)--What are the
potential effects on water quality from accelerated erosion and
sedimentation, in consideration of surface disturbance associated with
the proposed mining operations and the existing effects of the Clear
Creek wildfire of the summer of 2000?
6. Roads and Access--Opportunities exist to improve the
transportation system on the project site and the access roads
including reclamation of existing roads not meeting Forest standards.
7. Transportation of Product, Chemicals, and Fuel--What is the
potential for adverse impacts to water quality from accidental spills
of hazardous materials along the transportation route?
8. Socio-Economics--What are the potential impacts to local
communities, tax base and infrastructure from the proposed project?
9. Vegetation/Reclamation--What effects would the Idaho Cobalt
Project have on vegetation, particularly the natural recovery of the
area following the 2000 Clear Creek fire?
10. Wetlands and Other Waters of the U.S.--What are the impacts to
wetlands from the Idaho Cobalt Project?
11. Fish Populations and Habitat of Concern--Would special status
fish species and their habitat (threatened, endangered, sensitive) or
species whose populations or habitat are present be adversely affected
by the proposed mining activities?
12. Air Quality/Visual Resource/Wilderness Resources--Would there
be impacts to air quality, visual resources or the nearby wilderness?
13. Wildlife Populations and Habitat of Concern--
14. Cultural Resources and Tribal Trust Responsibilities--Are there
cultural, historical or heritage resources in project area and would
they be affected by the proposed Plan.
15. Planning and Land Use--How would the proposed mining activities
affect other Forest activities and would any changes be required to the
Forest Plan.
