41158 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 156 / Friday, August 14, 2009 / Notices 

In the Proposed Action, pit backfills 

and overburden piles are to be covered 

with at least 4 feet of chert or limestone, 

overlaid by 18 inches of topsoil. A cover 

called the Simple 1 cover, consisting of 

18 inches of topsoil overlying 1 foot of 

weathered alluvium and 2 feet of chert, 

is proposed for capping of seleniferous 

portions of the EOP. As part of the DEIS 

analysis, groundwater modeling has 

been used to estimate the potential 

effects of the proposed action on 

groundwater and surface water 

resources in the project area. Model 

results indicate that the Proposed 

Action, as designed, has the potential to 

release selenium concentrations to 

groundwater and ultimately surface 

water in excess of the applicable water 

quality standard. To address this 

potential excess, alternative capping 

designs (Alternatives 1A and 1B) were 

developed to reduce the amount of 

meteoric water that would infiltrate 

through the backfilled pits and external 

overburden piles. The reduction in 

infiltration would result in a reduction 

in the volume of water that would leach 

through mine overburden thereby 

reducing the volume of water containing 

constituents of concern that could 

potentially affect the quality of area 

groundwater and surface water. 

Alternatives 1A and 1B would be 

comprised of all components of the 

Proposed Action but would require P4 

to install a layer of impermeable 

material (a laminated Geosynthetic Clay 

Liner or GCLL) between the seleniferous 

materials and the applied growth media 

to reduce the volume of water 

infiltrating into the backfill. The GCLL 

cover system would be comprised of the 

following materials (from surface to 

base): 

• 18 inches of topsoil; 

• 1 foot of weathered alluvium cover 

material; 

• Approximately 6 inches of 

drainage/protective layer material 

(actual thickness is dependent on slope 

and aspect); 

• GCLL; 

• 6 inches of a protective sub-grade 

layer (weathered alluvium or other 

earthen material); and 

• Run of Mine (ROM) overburden. 

The GCLL itself includes a thin layer 

of powdered sodium bentonite clay 

sandwiched between two geotextile 

layers. A geotextile is a woven or 

nonwoven sheet material that is 

resistant to penetration damage. The top 

geotextile layer is laminated with a 

polyethylene geomembrane layer, 

providing an additional layer of 

protection (hence the name, 

Geosynthetic Clay Liner Laminate). 

While Alternatives 1A and 1B 

primarily address water quality issues, 

additional alternatives to address other 

issues are also considered in the DEIS. 

A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare 

this EIS was published in the Federal 

Register on February 3, 2006. 

Publication of the NOI in the Federal 

Register initiated a 56 day public 

scoping period for the Proposed Action 

that provided for acceptance of written 

comments. The scoping process 

identified concerns that included 

potential effects of the project on water 

resources; socioeconomic conditions; 

livestock grazing; reclamation and 

restoration; wildlife and vegetation; 

soils; threatened, endangered, and 

sensitive species; air quality; aesthetics; 

land use; visual resources; hazardous 

and solid wastes; tribal interests and 

cumulative effects. 

It is currently expected that P4’s 

existing South Rasmussen Mine will be 

depleted sometime in 2012. Because of 

operating requirements at the Soda 

Springs processing plant, it is necessary 

to bring Blackfoot Bridge Mine online in 

2010. In years 1 through 4, a blend of 

ores from both South Rasmussen Mine 

and Blackfoot Bridge Mine would be 

required. 

Three public meetings will be held, 

each an open house, from 7 p.m. to 9 

p.m. The open houses will include 

displays explaining the project and a 

forum for commenting on the project. 

Public meetings will be held in the Soda 

Springs City Office Building, 9 West 

2nd South, Soda Springs, Idaho; in the 

BLM Pocatello Field Office, 4350 Cliffs 

Drive, Pocatello, Idaho; and in the 

Tribal Business Center, Pima Avenue, 

Fort Hall, Idaho. Each of these meetings 

will be held within 30 days of this 

Notice. Alternatively, interested parties 

may contact the BLM Project Lead listed 

above for specific information regarding 

the public meetings. Written and 

electronic comments regarding the DEIS 

should be submitted within 45 days of 

the date of publication of the EPA’s 

Notice in the Federal Register. 

Please note that public comments and 

information submitted including names, 

street addresses and e-mail addresses of 

respondents will be available for public 

review and disclosure at the above BLM 

address during regular business hours (8 

a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. 

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. 

Karen Rice, 

Associate District Manager. 

[FR Doc. E9–19416 Filed 8–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

U.S. Forest Service 

[LLMTC0400000 L51010000.ER0000 

LVRWE0420000] 

Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Dewey Conveyor Project, Custer 

County, SD 

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior (BLM); and United States Forest 

Service, Agriculture (USFS). 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 

102 of the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, the BLM and the 

USFS have jointly prepared a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 

to analyze the Dewey Conveyor Project, 

Custer County, South Dakota, and by 

this Notice are announcing the opening 

of the comment period. 

DATES: To ensure that your written 

comments on the Dewey Conveyor 

Project DEIS will be considered, the 

BLM or USFS must receive them by 

September 14, 2009, which is 45 days 

after July 31, 2009, the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

published its Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register [74 FR 38187]. The 

BLM and the USFS will announce 

future meetings or hearings and any 

other public involvement activities at 

least 15 days in advance through public 

notices, media news releases, and/or 

mailings. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://www.blm.gov/mt/ 

st/en/fo/south_dakota_field.html. 

• E-mail: Marian_Atkins@blm.gov. 

Include Docket number SDM–96415 in 

the subject line of the message. 

• Fax: (605) 892–7015. 

• Mail or hand delivery: Marian 

Atkins, South Dakota Field Manager, 

Bureau of Land Management, 310 

Roundup Street, Belle Fourche, South 

Dakota 57717. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 156 / Friday, August 14, 2009 / Notices 41159 

Copies of the Dewey Conveyor Project 

DEIS are available at the BLM State 

Office located at 5001 Southgate Drive, 

Billings, Montana, and at the South 

Dakota Field Office located at 310 

Roundup Street, Belle Fourche, South 

Dakota. Electronic copies in pdf format 

are available on CD–ROM and may be 

obtained by contacting Marian Atkins of 

BLM in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, at 

the address above. A copy of the Draft 

EIS is also available for review via the 

Agency Web site: http://www.blm.gov/

mt/st/en/fo/south_dakota_field.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Marian Atkins, South Dakota Field 

Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 

310 Roundup Street, Belle Fourche, 

South Dakota 57717; (605) 892–7000; 

Marian_Atkins@blm.gov; or Laura 

Burns, FS Lands Program Manager, Hell 

Canyon District, Black Hills National 

Forest, 330 Mount Rushmore Road, 

Custer, South Dakota 57730; (605) 673– 

4853; lburns@fs.fed.us. 

Or visit the BLM’s Web site and 

access the Dewey Conveyor Project 

information at the following link 

http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/south

_dakota_field.html. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

GCC Dacotah, Inc., has located a 

limestone deposit several miles north of 

the town of Dewey, South Dakota, in a 

geologically favorable area where the 

limestone lies at, or close to, the surface, 

making mining economically feasible. 

The nearby town of Dewey is located 

along an existing rail transportation 

corridor. 

The surface of the land currently 

proposed for mining is mostly private 

property, largely owned by GCC 

Dacotah, Inc. Within the area proposed 

for mining, all of the mineral rights are 

controlled by GCC Dacotah, Inc., either 

by direct ownership, leasing of 

privately-owned lands, or through the 

staking of mining claims on lands 

underlain by federally-owned minerals. 

GCC Dacotah, Inc., has a license to mine 

limestone in the State of South Dakota 

issued by the South Dakota Department 

of Environment and Natural Resources. 

The Dewey Conveyor Project was 

proposed by GCC Dacotah, Inc., as a 

means to transport limestone from the 

future quarry location to a rail load-out 

facility near Dewey. GCC Dacotah, Inc., 

has submitted an Application for 

Transportation and Utility Systems and 

Facilities on Federal Lands. If the 

application is approved, a special use 

permit would be required from the 

USFS and a right-of-way (ROW) grant 

would be required from the BLM for the 

conveyor to cross Federal lands. The 

BLM and the USFS have prepared this 

DEIS to consider the effects of the 

proposed action to permit a 

transportation facility on Federal lands. 

On October 2, 2007, the BLM 

published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement in the Federal Register (72 FR 

56083). Publication of the NOI began a 

60-day public comment period on the 

scope of the EIS. The comment period 

was further extended to January 11, 

2008, to allow for additional projectrelated comments. The BLM provided a 

Web site with project information that 

also described the various methods of 

providing public comment on the scope 

of the proposed action, including an email address for comments to be sent 

electronically. 

The BLM and USFS scheduled four 

public meetings in towns near the 

project area to facilitate information 

exchange and to gather public 

comments regarding the scope of the 

proposed Dewey Conveyor Project. A 

total of 51 attendees signed in 

voluntarily at meetings held in 

Edgemont, South Dakota, on November 

5, 2007; Custer, South Dakota, on 

November 6, 2007; Newcastle, 

Wyoming, on November 7, 2007; and 

Dewey, South Dakota, on December 3, 

2007. 

The public meetings used an ‘‘open 

house’’ format. Information on the 

project was provided on poster boards 

showing the project location (including 

maps), a list of preliminary issues 

identified by the agencies, and 

photographic simulations of the 

proposed conveyor belt. The public 

scoping comments mainly addressed the 

appearance of the covered elevated 

conveyor belt and concerns about the 

increased use of the county road. 

The BLM also contracted with Mr. 

Donovin Sprague, a member of the 

federally-recognized Minnicoujou 

Lakota Tribe, to conduct interviews 

with tribal members on their interest 

and concerns in the proposed Dewey 

Conveyor Project. 

The BLM and USFS have jointly 

prepared a Draft EIS for the Dewey 

Conveyor Project. The DEIS considers 

four alternatives. Alternative A is the 

Proposed Action, which includes a 6.6 

mile long, above-ground, enclosed 

conveyor system beginning at the quarry 

and terminating at a new railroad loadout facility. The route would cross 1.5 

miles of the Black Hills National Forest 

and 1.0 mile of public land 

administered by the BLM. 

Alternative B is the No Action 

Alternative. Under the No Action 

alternative, the proposed action to grant 

a ROW or issue a special use permit 

authorizing construction of a conveyor 

system would not be approved. The 

analysis for this alternative assumes 

GCC Dacotah, Inc., would not choose to 

haul limestone in trucks over the 

existing Dewey County Road. 

Alternative C is an alternative to the 

proposed action and involves hauling 

limestone by truck from the quarry to 

the proposed load-out facility using an 

improved Dewey County road. Public 

safety concerns call for the county road 

to be widened and straightened over 

approximately 7.2 miles. Widening and 

straightening the county road where it 

crosses Federal lands would require a 

special use permit and a right-of-way 

(ROW) grant from the USFS and BLM. 

Alternative D calls for the 

construction of another road generally 

following the route of the proposed 

conveyor that would only be used for 

hauling limestone by truck and 

eliminate the potential visual impact 

from the proposed conveyor. This 

would allow for local traffic to be 

largely separated from the hauling 

traffic. Approximately 1.4 miles of the 

existing county road would need to be 

straightened and widened over the pass 

that crosses the Elk Mountains on the 

National Forest. Both a ROW grant and 

a special use permit would be required 

for new road construction across 

Federal lands. The BLM and the USFS 

will decide whether or not to approve 

the Application for Transportation and 

Utility Systems and Facilities on 

Federal Lands and grant a 100-foot-wide 

ROW for a conveyor crossing and a 

special use permit or some alternative 

thereto. 

The BLM and the USFS will also 

decide what stipulations or mitigation 

will be attached to any ROW grant or 

special use permit. Mining of the 

limestone resource to be produced and 

transported to a proposed rail load-out 

facility near Dewey, either by the 

proposed conveyor belt or one of the 

trucking action alternatives haul routes, 

is considered by the agencies in the 

DEIS. 

Based on public scoping comments 

and subsequent analysis in the DEIS, the 

BLM and the USFS have identified 

Alternative A, the Proposed Action, as 

the agencies’ preferred alternative. 

Please note that public comments and 

information submitted including names, 

street addresses, and e-mail addresses of 

respondents will be available for public 

review and disclosure at the above 

addresses during regular business hours 

(8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through 

Friday, except holidays. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

41160 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 156 / Friday, August 14, 2009 / Notices 

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. 

Marian M. Atkins, 

Field Manager, South Dakota Field Manager. 

Craig Bobzien, 

Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest. 

[FR Doc. E9–19520 Filed 8–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLAZ956000.L14200000.BJ0000.241A] 

Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey; AZ 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of filing of plats of 

survey; Arizona. 

SUMMARY: The plats of survey of the 

described lands were officially filed in 

the Arizona State Office, Bureau of Land 

Management, Phoenix, Arizona, on 

dates indicated. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Gila and Salt River Meridian, 

Arizona: 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of a portion of the east 

boundary and the Red Sky Mill Site, 

Mineral Survey No. 1532B, Township 

15 North, Range 1 East, accepted 

February 27, 2009, and officially filed 

March 4, 2009, for Group 1041, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the United States Forest Service. 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of a portion of the north 

boundary and a metes-and-bounds 

survey in section 5, Township 5 North, 

Range 2 East, accepted May 27, 2009, 

and officially filed June 3, 2009, for 

Group 1054, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Land Management. 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of a portion of the north 

boundary of the Salt River PimaMaricopa Indian Community, Township 

3 North, Range 5 East, accepted 

December 10, 2008, and officially filed 

December 17, 2008, for Group 1050, 

Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Western 

Regional Office. 

The supplemental plat of sections 35 

and 36, Township 3 North, Range 6 

East, accepted May 20, 2009, and 

officially filed May 29, 2009, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Western 

Regional Office. 

The plat (2 sheets) representing the 

dependent resurvey of a portion of the 

Fifth Standard Parallel North (north 

boundary), a portion of the 

subdivisional lines, and Amended HES 

619, Tracts A and B, and a metes-andbounds survey in section 3, Township 

20 North, Range 7 East, accepted March 

9, 2009, and officially filed March 13, 

2009, for Group 1018, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the United States Forest Service. 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of a portion of the Fifth 

Standard Parallel North (south 

boundary), a portion of the 

subdivisional lines, the subdivision of 

section 33 and the metes-and-bounds 

surveys in section 33, Township 21 

North, Range 7 East, accepted March 9, 

2009, and officially filed March 13, 

2009, for Group 1018, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the United States Forest Service. 

The supplemental plat of the SW1⁄4 of 

section 33, Township 21 North, Range 7 

East, accepted May 20, 2009, and 

officially filed May 29, 2009, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the United States Forest Service. 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of the east, west and north 

boundaries, Township 33 North, Range 

10 East, accepted July 28, 2009, and 

officially filed July 31, 2009, for Group 

1059, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat representing the dependent 

resurvey of the Eighth Standard Parallel 

North (south boundary), Township 33 

North, Range 12 East, accepted July 28, 

2009, and officially filed July 31, 2009, 

for Group 1059, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat (2 sheets) representing the 

survey of the Ninth Standard Parallel 

North (south boundary), the east, west 

and north boundaries, the subdivisional 

lines, the subdivision of certain sections 

and metes-and-bounds surveys of Tracts 

37 and 38, Township 37 North, Range 

12 East, accepted December 4, 2008, and 

officially filed December 11, 2008, for 

Group 1028, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat representing the survey of 

the Third Guide Meridian East (east 

boundary), the south, west and north 

boundaries, the subdivisional lines, and 

the subdivision of sections 13, 14 and 

15, Township 22 North, Range 121⁄2

East, and the survey of a portion of the 

Third Guide Meridian East (east 

boundary), Township 23 North, Range 

121⁄2 East, accepted November 17, 2008, 

and officially filed November 20, 2008, 

for Group 1025, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat representing the survey of a 

portion of the Third Guide Meridian 

East (west boundary), Township 36 

North, Range 13 East, the survey of the 

Third Guide Meridian East (west 

boundary), Township 37 North, Range 

13 East, the survey of the Ninth 

Standard Parallel North (south 

boundary), the north boundary, the 

subdivisional lines and the subdivision 

of certain sections, Township 37 North, 

Range 121⁄2 East, accepted January 29, 

2009, and officially filed February 6, 

2009, for Group 1033, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat (2 sheets) representing the 

survey of the south, east and north 

boundaries, the subdivisional lines, the 

subdivision of certain sections and a 

metes-and-bounds survey in section 19, 

Township 22 North, Range 13 East, 

accepted November 17, 2008, and 

officially filed November 20, 2008, for 

Group 1025, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat representing the survey of a 

portion of the Tenth Standard Parallel 

North (south boundary), Township 41 

North, Range 19 East, the Fifth Guide 

Meridian East (east boundary), the west 

boundary, the subdivisional lines, the 

subdivision of section 6 and a metesand-bounds survey of a portion of the 

Monument Valley Tribal Park (MVTP) 

boundary, Township 40 North, Range 20 

East, accepted January 29, 2009, and 

officially filed February 6, 2009, for 

Group 1043, Arizona. 

This plat was prepared at the request 

of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo 

Regional Office. 

The plat (3 sheets) representing the 

dependent resurvey of portions of the 

west boundary, the Hopi-Navajo 

Partition Line, Segment ‘‘C’’, and the 

boundary of Management District No. 6, 

Hopi Indian Reservation, and the survey 

of a portion of the Fifth Guide Meridian 

East (east boundary), the south 

boundary and a portion of the 

subdivisional lines, Township 30 North, 

Range 20 East, accepted June 24, 2009, 

and officially filed July 2, 2009, for 

Group 1044, Arizona. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES