Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 63 / Friday, April 1, 2011 / Notices 18243 

LRMPs. Pursuant to 36 CFR 219.9, the 

USFS notifies the public of potential 

amendments to LRMPs. If a land use 

plan amendment is necessary, the BLM 

and USFS would integrate the land use 

planning process as described in 43 CFR 

subpart 1610 and 36 CFR 219.8, 

concurrently, into the NEPA process for 

this Project. The plan amendments 

would comply with all applicable 

Federal law, regulations, and agency 

policies. The plan amendments would 

apply only to public lands managed by 

the BLM or USFS and would recognize 

all valid existing rights. 

Native American tribes will be 

consulted to identify areas, sites, and 

objects important to their cultural and 

religious heritage. Plan amendment 

decisions would comply with the 

Endangered Species Act and follow 

interagency agreements with the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the 

Section 7 consultation process. Because 

the proposed Project may involve action 

in floodplains or wetlands, this Notice 

of Intent also serves as a notice of 

proposed floodplain or wetland action, 

in accordance with Department of 

Energy regulations for Compliance with 

Floodplain and Wetlands 

Environmental Review Requirements at 

10 CFR 1022.12(a). The EIS will include 

a floodplain/wetland assessment and, if 

required, a floodplain/wetland 

statement of findings will be issued 

with the Final EIS or ROD. 

The BLM will use and coordinate the 

NEPA commenting process to satisfy the 

public involvement process for Section 

106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f)) as 

provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3)). 

Native American tribal consultations 

will be conducted in accordance with 

policy, and tribal concerns will be given 

due consideration, including impacts on 

Indian trust assets. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or any 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. 

Donald A. Simpson, 

Wyoming State Director, Bureau of Land 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7736 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVW0300. L5110000. GN0000. 

LVEMF1000880 241A; 11–08807; 

MO#4500019124; TAS: 14X5017] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Hycroft Mine Expansion 

Project, Humboldt and Pershing 

Counties, Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance 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) Winnemucca 

District, Black Rock Field Office, 

Winnemucca, Nevada intends to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) and by this notice is 

announcing the beginning of the 

scoping process to solicit public 

comments and identify issues. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the EIS. Comments 

on issues may be submitted in writing 

until June 30, 2011. The date(s) and 

location(s) of any scoping meetings will 

be announced at least 15 days in 

advance through local media, 

newspapers and the BLM Web site at: 

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/ 

wfo.html. In order to be included in the 

Draft EIS, all comments must be 

received prior to the close of the scoping 

period or 15 days after the last public 

meeting, whichever is later. We will 

provide additional opportunities for 

public participation upon publication of 

the Draft EIS. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the Hycroft Mine Expansion 

Project by any of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/ 

en/fo/wfo.html; 

• E-mail: wfoweb@blm.gov; 

• Fax: (775) 623–1503; or 

• Mail: BLM Winnemucca District, 

Black Rock Field Office, 5100 E. 

Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, 

Nevada 89445. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Black Rock 

Field Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Kathleen Rehberg, project lead, 

telephone: (775) 623–1500; e-mail: 

Kathleen_Rehberg@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hycroft 

Resources and Development, Inc. 

(Hycroft) proposes to expand its existing 

open pit operation and associated 

disturbance of 1,371 acres by including 

an additional 2,041 acres in its 

operation. This would lead to 

operations on 3,412 acres of public land 

managed by the BLM Winnemucca 

District. The proposal would also add 

1,812 acres of new disturbance on 

private land controlled by Hycroft. The 

proposed operations would extend the 

mine life by 12 years. The BLM 

regulates this operation through 43 CFR 

part 3809. 

Current mining was analyzed in four 

previous environmental assessments: 

NV–020–4–25–EA, Lewis Mine Project, 

Decision Record (DR)/Finding of No 

Significant Impacts (FONSI) dated 4/4/ 

1984; NV–020–07–31–EA, Crofoot 

Project, DR/FONSI dated 8/3/1987; 

NV020–05–19–EA Brimstone Pit 

Expansion Project, DR/FONSI dated 

5/5/1995; NV–020–06–30–EA, Hycroft 

Crofoot/Lewis Mine, DR/FONSI dated 

10/2/1996. 

A range of alternatives will be 

developed, including the no-action 

alternative, to address the issues 

identified during scoping. Mitigation 

measures will be considered to 

minimize environmental impacts and to 

assure the proposed action does not 

result in unnecessary or undue 

degradation of public lands. 

The purpose of the public scoping 

process is to determine relevant issues 

that will influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis, including 

alternatives, and guide the process for 

developing the EIS. At present, the BLM 

has identified the following preliminary 

issues: 

(a) Waste rock dumps, heap leach 

pads, or pit walls may potentially 

produce acid rock drainage or heavy 

metals. These features need to be 

analyzed to ensure that the proposed 

action does not degrade the waters of 

the State or cause undue or unnecessary 

degradation of public lands; (b) 

Potential effects to the viewshed posed 

by the close proximity of the project to 

the Black Rock Desert-High Rock 

Canyon-Emigrant Trails National 

Conservation Area (NCA) and the Black 

Rock Desert Wilderness Area. While the 

project is outside of the NCA and the 

wilderness area, it is within the 

viewshed of both areas; (c) An updated 

inventory of lands with wilderness 

characteristics will be utilized in order 

to comply with Secretarial Order 3310 

and should lands with wilderness 

characteristics be identified they will be 

considered in the NEPA process; (d) 

Wildlife issues include potential 

impacts to sage-grouse winter habitat, 

potential bighorn sheep habitat, and 

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18244 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 63 / Friday, April 1, 2011 / Notices 

possible habitat for Townsend’s bigeared bats; and (e) A BLM sensitive 

plant species, the Crosby buckwheat, 

and a Nevada at-risk plant, the sand 

cholla, have been observed in the 

project area. 

The BLM will utilize and coordinate 

the NEPA commenting process to satisfy 

the public involvement process for 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as 

provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 

Native American tribal consultations 

will be conducted in accordance with 

policy, and tribal concerns will be given 

due consideration. Federal, State, and 

local agencies, along with other 

stakeholders that may be interested or 

affected by the BLM’s decision on this 

project are invited to participate in the 

scoping process and, if eligible, may 

request or be requested by the BLM to 

participate as a cooperating agency. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail 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 can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Gene Seidlitz, 

Manager, Winnemucca District. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501, 43 U.S.C. 1701 

et seq. and 43 CFR 3809. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7718 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLUT980300–L12100000–PH0000–24–1A] 

Notice of Utah’s Resource Advisory 

Council Meeting 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management’s (BLM) Utah 

Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will 

meet as indicated below. 

DATES: The Utah RAC will meet 

Tuesday, May 10, 2011, (8 a.m.–5 p.m.), 

in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

ADDRESSES: The Council will meet at the 

Peery Hotel (Broadway 110 meeting 

room), 110 West Broadway (300 South), 

Salt Lake City, Utah. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sherry Foot, Special Programs 

Coordinator, Utah State Office, Bureau 

of Land Management, P.O. Box 45155, 

Salt Lake City, Utah 84145–0155; phone 

(801) 539–4195. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15- 

member Council advises the Secretary 

of the Interior, through the BLM, on a 

variety of planning and management 

issues associated with public land 

management in Utah. 

Planned agenda topics include a 

welcome and introduction of new 

Council members, election of officers, 

overview and procedures of resource 

advisory councils, issues and concerns 

in BLM Utah, RAC subgroup report 

(Rich County Allotment), overview of 

the Utah Partners for Conservation and 

Development group, an overview of the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act, facts about the Wild Lands 

Initiative, and future project work for 

the RAC. A half-hour public comment 

period, where the public may address 

the Council, is scheduled to begin at 

2 p.m. Written comments may be sent 

to the BLM address listed above. All 

meetings are open to the public; 

however, transportation, lodging, and 

meals are the responsibility of the 

participating public. 

Dated: March 25, 2011. 

Jeff Rawson, 

Assoc. State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7726 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WY–923–1310–FI; WYW164400] 

Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of 

Terminated Oil and Gas Lease 

WYW164400, Wyoming 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as 

amended, the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) received a petition 

for reinstatement from Tyler Rockies 

Exploration, Ltd. for competitive oil and 

gas lease WYW164400 for land in 

Natrona County, Wyoming. The petition 

was filed on time and was accompanied 

by all the rentals due since the date the 

lease terminated under the law. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bureau of Land Management, Julie L. 

Weaver, Chief, Fluid Minerals 

Adjudication, at (307) 775–6176. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The lessee 

has agreed to the amended lease terms 

for rentals and royalties at rates of $10 

per acre or fraction thereof, per year and 

162⁄3 percent, respectively. The lessee 

has paid the required $500 

administrative fee and $163 to 

reimburse the Department for the cost of 

this Federal Register notice. The lessee 

has met all the requirements for 

reinstatement of the lease as set out in 

Sections 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral 

Lands Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 

188), and the BLM is proposing to 

reinstate lease WYW164400 effective 

October 1, 2010, under the original 

terms and conditions of the lease and 

the increased rental and royalty rates 

cited above. The BLM has not issued a 

valid lease to any other interest affecting 

the lands. 

Julie L. Weaver, 

Chief, Fluid Minerals Adjudication. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7594 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLAK963000–L14300000–ET–P: F–81469, 

F–81490] 

Public Land Order No. 7760; Extension 

of Public Land Order No. 6839; Alaska 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Public Land Order. 

SUMMARY: This order extends the 

withdrawal created by Public Land 

Order No. 6839, which modified Public 

Land Order No. 2344, as amended, for 

a 20-year period until April 1, 2031. 

This extension is necessary to allow the 

continued protection of the Barrow Base 

Line Observatory (formerly known as 

the Barrow Geophysical Monitoring for 

Climatic Change Observatory) and the 

Barrow Magnetic Observatory (formerly 

known as the Barrow Geomagnetic 

Observatory). This order also provides 

the official surveyed land description of 

the areas withdrawn by Public Land 

Order No. 6839. 

DATES: Effective Date: April 2, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert L. Lloyd, BLM Alaska State 

Office, 222 West Seventh Avenue, #13, 

Anchorage, Alaska 99513–7504. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration and the U.S. Geological 

Survey requested the extension for the 

continued protection of the facilities 

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