5246 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 19, 2021 / Notices 

Dated: January 11, 2021. 

David L. Bernhardt, 

Secretary of the Interior. 

[FR Doc. 2021–01111 Filed 1–15–21; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVW01000.L51100000.GN0000. 

LVEMF1907180.19XMO#4500150554] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Gold Acquisition 

Corporation Relief Canyon Gold Mine 

Phase II Mine Expansion Amendment, 

Pershing County, Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

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 has prepared a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to analyze the potential impacts of 

approving the proposed expansion to 

the Relief Canyon gold mining operation 

in Pershing County, Nevada. 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 Relief Canyon Mine 

Expansion Project Draft EIS DOI–BLM– 

NV–W010–2020–0030–EIS in the 

Federal Register. 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. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the Project by any of the 

following methods: 

• Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/2000567/510. 

• Email: wfoweb@blm.gov, include 

‘‘Relief Canyon Mine Expansion’’ in the 

subject line. 

• Fax: (775) 623–1740, please mark 

‘‘Attn: Relief Canyon Mine Expansion’’. 

• Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 

Attn: Relief Canyon Mine Expansion, 

5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard, 

Winnemucca, NV 89445. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions about the proposed Project 

contact Ms. Jeanette ‘‘Jean’’ Black, 

telephone: (775) 623–1500, address: 

5100 EastWinnemuccaBoulevard, 

Winnemucca, NV 89445. Contact Ms. 

Black to have your name added to our 

mailing list. 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: Gold 

Acquisition Corporation (GAC), a 

wholly-owned subsidiary of Pershing 

Gold Corporation, itself a wholly-owned 

subsidiary of Americas Gold and Silver 

Corporation, proposes an expansion to 

the existing Relief Canyon Gold Mine. 

The mine is located in Pershing County, 

Nevada, approximately 16 miles eastnortheast of Lovelock, Nevada. The 

proposed expansion is located within 

GAC’s authorized Plan of Operations 

boundary and proposes to modify the 

existing Plan of Operations as follows: 

• Create roughly 576 acres of new 

surface disturbance on public and 

private land including re-disturbance of 

about 137 acres of previously disturbed 

vegetation communities. 

• Expand the footprint of the existing 

approved pit area by approximately 84 

acres (68 acres of public land and 16 

acres of private land) with resultant 

elimination of a portion of existing 

Waste Rock Storage Facility (WRSF) 4. 

• Mine to final pit bottom elevation of 

4,420 feet above mean sea level (ft 

amsl), which will involve continued 

mining below the water table, and result 

in a post-mining pit lake that is 

predicted to reach an equilibrium 

elevation of 4,887 ft amsl roughly 50 

years after completion of mining. 

• Construct a dewatering conveyance 

pipeline and Rapid Infiltration to reinfiltrate up to 900 gallons per minute 

of mine dewatering water during the last 

three months of proposed Phase II 

mining. 

• Install up to 50 vertical and 

horizontal drains in the pit wall to 

ensure pit slope stability and 

supplement pit dewatering operations. 

• Convert up to 50 exploration drill 

holes located in and adjacent to the pit 

as vertical or near vertical drains and/ 

or piezometer to monitor water levels to 

ensure pit slope stability and 

supplement pit dewatering operations. 

• Expand WRSFs, heap leach pads, 

and construct process ponds, new 

growth media stockpiles, diversion 

ditches for stormwater control, and 

ancillary facilities. 

• Expand yard and crusher-conveyor 

areas, roads, and fences. 

• Close and reclaim all project 

facilities at the completion of Phase II. 

Draft EIS Analysis Process 

The purpose of the 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, migratory birds 

and special status species, golden 

eagles, water quality (creation of a pit 

lake), and groundwater quantity. The 

Draft EIS describes and analyzes the 

proposed Project’s direct, indirect, and 

cumulative impacts on all affected 

resources. 

The BLM has consulted and continues 

to consult with Native American tribes 

on a government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175 

and other policies. Tribal concerns, 

including impacts on Indian trust assets 

and potential impacts to cultural 

resources, will be given due 

consideration. 

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 is 

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 M. McCullough, 

District Manager, Winnemucca District Office. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00962 Filed 1–15–21; 8:45 am] 

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