52688 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 23, 2011 / Notices 

amendment with an associated EA. 

Comments on issues may be submitted 

in writing until September 22, 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/id/st/en/ 

info/nepa.html. In order to be included 

in the EA, all comments must be 

received prior to the close of the 30-day 

scoping period or 30 days after the last 

public meeting, whichever is later. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on issues and planning criteria related 

to Castle Rocks and Cedar Fields Land 

Use Plan Amendment by any of the 

following methods: 

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

en/info/nepa.html 

• E-mail: id_burley_fo_@blm.gov 

• Fax: 208–677–6699 

• Mail: 15 East 200 South, Burley, 

Idaho 83318 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Burley Field 

Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact Dennis Thompson, Outdoor 

Recreation Planner, for further 

information and/or to have your name 

added to the Burley BLM’s mailing list, 

at telephone 208–677–6664; address 15 

East 200 South, Burley, Idaho 83318; or 

e-mail dennis_thompson@blm.gov. 

Persons who use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) may call the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the 

above individual during normal 

business hours. The FIRS 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: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

Field Office, Burley Idaho, intends to 

prepare an RMP Amendment with an 

associated EA for the Cassia and 

Monument RMPs, announces the 

beginning of the the scoping process, 

and is seeking public input on issues 

and planning criteria. The planning area 

is located in Cassia and Power Counties, 

Idaho and encompasses approximately 

1,556 acres of public land. 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 planning 

process. The BLM has identified the 

following preliminary issues: the 

potential for damage to cultural 

resources within the American Falls 

Archeological District at Cedar Fields 

from rock climbing and other 

recreational activities; potential adverse 

affects on Historic Properties at Castle 

Rocks from rock climbing and other 

recreational activities; and the impact 

that closures to certain activities would 

have on recreational climbing in the 

area. 

At Cedar Fields, ongoing climbing 

activities have the potential to damage 

cultural resources located within an 

Archeological District. In 2010, the BLM 

prepared an EA to address similar 

concerns at Castle Rocks. The proposed 

action within the Castle Rocks EA 

would have allowed limited climbing 

and trail construction. However, due to 

potential adverse cumulative effects of 

rock climbing activities on Historic 

Properties (as defined in 36 CFR 

800.5(a)(1) and 800.16(l)(1)), a Finding 

of No Significant Impact (FONSI) could 

not be reached for the Castle Rocks EA 

(EA ID–220–2009–EA–3768). The EA 

was finalized on March 29, 2010, sent 

out to interested members of the public, 

and posted to the BLM Idaho Web site. 

Subsequently, a temporary closure 

notice was published in the Federal 

Register in November 2010, which 

closed BLM-managed lands in the Castle 

Rocks Inter-Agency Recreation Area to 

climbing, staging, camping, and 

construction of new trails. This closure 

will remain in effect until November 16, 

2012. 

The RMP Amendment and associated 

EA will consider the permanent 

designation of no climbing, no staging, 

no camping, and no construction of new 

trails on BLM-managed lands at Castle 

Rocks Inter-Agency Recreation Area and 

at Cedar Fields. If a closure is necessary 

to protect Historic Properties at Castle 

Rocks and cultural resources in the 

Archeological District at Cedar Fields, 

the BLM will make a decision about 

whether to amend the Cassia and 

Monument RMPs and will address 

allowable uses of resources, and 

intensity and limits of use. 

You may submit comments on issues 

and planning criteria for the Plan 

Amendments in writing to the BLM at 

any public scoping meeting, or you may 

submit them to the BLM using one of 

the methods listed in the ADDRESSES

section above. To be most helpful, you 

should submit comments by the close of 

the 30-day scoping period or within 30 

days after the last public meeting, 

whichever is later. 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. 

The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the plan in order 

to consider the variety of resource issues 

and concerns identified. Specialists 

with expertise in the following 

disciplines will be involved in the 

planning process: minerals and geology, 

outdoor recreation, archaeology, 

wildlife, and soils. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2 

Michael Courtney, 

Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2011–21560 Filed 8–22–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLWYR05000 L51100000.GN0000.

LVEMK11CW630] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Sheep Mountain Uranium Project, 

Fremont County, WY 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended (NEPA) and the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act, as 

amended (FLPMA), and in response to 

a proposal filed by Titan Uranium USA, 

Inc. (Titan), the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Lander Field 

Office, Wyoming, intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and by this notice is announcing the 

beginning of the scoping process to 

solicit public comments regarding 

issues and resource information for the 

proposed Sheep Mountain Uranium 

Project (the Project) in Fremont County, 

Wyoming. The Project is a conventional 

uranium exploration and development 

project employing open pit and 

underground mining methods and using 

heap leach methods for uranium 

recovery. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process. The BLM can best 

consider public input if comments and 

resource information are submitted 

within 45 days of publication of this 

notice. To provide the public with an 

opportunity to review the proposal and 

project information, the BLM will host 

public meetings in Lander, Riverton, 

and Jeffrey City, Wyoming. The BLM 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 23, 2011 / Notices 52689 

will announce the dates, times, and 

locations for these meetings at least 15 

days prior to each event. 

Announcements will be made by news 

release to the news media, individual 

letter mailings, and posting on the 

project Web site listed below. Project 

information and documents including 

the submitted Plan of Operations also 

will be available on the Project Web site. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: Sheep_Mountain_Uranium_

EIS_WY@BLM.gov 

• Mail: Lander Field Office, Attn: 

Kristin Yannone, Project Manager, 1335 

Main Street, Lander, Wyoming 82520 

• Project Web site: http://www.blm.

gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/

lfo/sheepmtn.html 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Lander Field 

Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristin Yannone, Project Manager, 

telephone 307–332–8400; address 1335 

Main Street, Lander, WY 82520; e-mail 

Kristin_Yannone@blm.gov. Persons who 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 to contact the above 

individual during normal business 

hours. The FIRS 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: The 

Project is located 8 road miles south of 

Jeffrey City, Wyoming in Fremont 

County, Sixth Principal Meridian, 

Township 28 North, Range 92 West, 

Sections 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 

32, and 33 in an area of historic 

uranium mining development, the 

earliest of which dates back to the 

1950s. This area lies 62 road miles 

southeast of Riverton, Wyoming and 105 

road miles west of Casper, Wyoming in 

the Crooks Gap Mining District. 

The project area, which is the same 

area covered by an existing State of 

Wyoming mining permit, covers 3,625 

surface acres of mixed ownership 

including 2,313 acres administered by 

the BLM, 768 acres under State 

ownership, and 544 acres of private 

lands. The project area includes 2,836 

acres of Federal mineral estate. The 

BLM Lander Field Office will serve as 

the lead office for preparing the 

environmental analysis of the potential 

impacts of authorizing the surface 

disturbance for the Project on public 

lands under the BLM’s regulations at 43 

CFR part 3809. The potential impacts of 

constructing and operating a uranium 

recovery facility within the project 

boundary will be included in the BLM’s 

analysis. This uranium recovery facility 

requires a Source Materials License 

from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) to operate in 

addition to a surface use authorization 

from the BLM. The BLM’s analysis of 

any potential impacts from granting 

surface use authorization for the 

uranium recovery facility are in 

addition to the environmental analysis 

conducted by the NRC as part of its 

permitting process. 

On June 16, 2011, Titan submitted its 

formal Plan of Operations in accordance 

with the BLM’s surface management 

regulations at 43 CFR 3809 to develop 

a conventional mining and heap leach 

recovery operation. 

The purpose of the Project is to 

identify mining reserves and extract 1.5 

million to 2 million pounds of uranium 

per year over an anticipated project life 

of 15–20 years. The Project would use 

conventional open pit and modified 

room and pillar underground mining 

methods to extract the ore. Uranium 

recovery would be performed on-site 

using heap leach methods and a 

processing facility to produce 

yellowcake (uranium oxide-U3O8). Two 

new declines would be advanced from 

the surface to access existing 

underground workings for rehabilitation 

and further mine development. A series 

of double-lined pads and ponds would 

be constructed for the heap-leach 

facility and a new large building would 

house the site’s processing plant, with a 

smaller structure for administration and 

shop facilities. 

A total of 466 acres would be 

disturbed over the life of the mine. This 

disturbance would consist of 285 acres 

of new disturbance and 181 acres of 

existing disturbance which would be redisturbed. The 466 acres includes 104 

acres for the heap leaching and plant 

operations and 362 acres for mining 

operations. No new disturbance would 

be required for access roads. 

Both the surface and underground 

mining may use diesel-powered 

equipment and blasting to extract and 

transport the ore to the heap-leach 

facility and the overburden materials to 

their temporary and final storage 

locations. All pit overburden would be 

temporarily stockpiled on the surface 

during the initial phases of mining. 

During later pit mining phases, the 

overburden and waste material would 

be stored within previously mined 

portions of the pit. 

After being received at the processing 

facility, ore would be placed on the 

double-lined leach pads using a radial 

belt conveyor. The heap-leach-recovery 

method applies a sulfuric acid solution 

(H2SO4) through low-flow emitters on 

top of the heap for extraction of the 

uranium mineral from the ore. After the 

solution containing uranium reaches the 

desired concentration, it would then be 

processed through either an ionexchange system or a solvent extraction 

system. Spent solutions and processliquid wastes would be managed in 

double-lined evaporation ponds on-site, 

no wastes would be discharged from the 

site. Individual heaps would be 

reclaimed in-place after the ore has been 

fully leached, rinsed of leachate, and 

drained. 

The Project activities would include 

the drilling of exploratory boreholes, 

construction of open mine pits, 

excavation of underground mine 

declines (low angle access tunnels) and 

underground mine workings using 

modified room and pillar methods, 

rehabilitation of existing mine shafts for 

ventilation, installation of monitoring 

wells, construction of uranium 

processing and waste-water treatment 

facilities, and development of new and 

improvement of existing access roads. 

Interim reclamation activities would be 

performed to minimize the amount of 

surface disturbance at any one time. 

Surface disturbance would be phased 

over several years, depending on the 

uranium production rate and the 

availability of mine construction 

equipment and personnel. Titan 

estimates that approximately 40 acres 

each year would be disturbed, undergo 

interim reclamation, and subsequently 

be returned to wildlife habitat to BLM 

and State of Wyoming reclamation 

standards. Final surface reclamation 

would also be required by regulatory 

agencies and assured by bonds. 

At the end of surface mining, all 

stockpiled overburden would be 

returned to the pits and the surface 

regraded with top soil and seeded for 

revegetation. All underground mining 

spoils would remain underground and 

would be reclaimed within the 

underground workings. Final 

reclamation plans include placing all pit 

mine overburden and spoils back in the 

mine pits, plugging and abandoning all 

ventilation shafts and access tunnels, 

removing all ponds and buried piping, 

and regrading and revegetating the 

disturbed surface with native plant 

species approved by the regulatory 

agencies. After vegetation has been 

reestablished, the mine surface would 

be returned to its premining use of 

livestock grazing and wildlife habitat or 

any uses consistent with the thenapplicable land use plan. 

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52690 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 23, 2011 / Notices 

Depending upon the residual 

radiological hazards present within the 

millsite restricted area, administrative 

jurisdiction of the reclaimed heaps may 

be required to be transferred to the 

Department of Energy for long-term 

custodial care until contamination is 

deemed no longer a threat to public 

health and safety. 

Titan estimates that the Project would 

employ a mix of full-time personnel and 

temporary contractors throughout the 

life of the mine. During the construction 

of each mine unit, 20 to 30 full-time 

employees plus 80 contractors would be 

employed. During mining operations, 

about 210 full-time employees plus 

another 40 contractors would be 

required. It is likely that the majority 

would live in Riverton and Lander. The 

Project is projected to provide an 

economic benefit through a variety of 

taxes paid to Federal, State, and local 

governments to include employee 

income taxes, severance taxes, property 

taxes, and sales taxes. 

The Project is in conformance with 

the Lander RMP/Final EIS and ROD, 

1987. During the preparation of the EIS, 

interim exploration and development 

will be subject to development 

guidelines and decisions made in 

applicable NEPA documents, including 

the Lander RMP and any subsequent 

revisions. The EIS will analyze the 

environmental consequences of 

implementing the Project as proposed 

and alternatives, including a No Action 

Alternative. Other alternatives that may 

be considered in detail could include, 

for example, reclamation schedule 

adjustments, or perhaps a different pace 

of development. The Project would not 

impair lands with wilderness 

characteristics. 

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: air resources, water resources, 

wildlife and special status species, 

vegetative resources, grazing, concerns 

about risks from selenium, heavy metals 

and uranium, and long-term postclosure management. 

The BLM will utilize and coordinate 

the NEPA commenting process to help 

fulfill the public involvement process 

under 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, including impacts on 

Indian trust assets. Federal, State, and 

local agencies, along with other 

stakeholders who may be interested in 

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. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7. 

Donald A. Simpson, 

State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2011–21563 Filed 8–22–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLMT922200–11–L13100000–FI0000–P; 

NDM 94247, NDM 94249, and NDM 94263] 

Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of 

Terminated Oil and Gas Leases NDM 

94247, NDM 94249, and NDM 94263 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Per 30 U.S.C. 188(d), Pride 

Energy Company timely filed a petition 

for reinstatement of competitive oil and 

gas leases NDM 94247, NDM 94249, and 

NDM 94263, Billings County, ND. The 

lessee paid the required rental accruing 

from the date of termination. 

No leases were issued that affect these 

lands. The lessee agrees to new lease 

terms for rentals and royalties, $10 per 

acre and 162⁄3 percent respectively. The 

lessee paid the $500 administration fee 

for the reinstatement of the lease and 

$163 cost for publishing this Notice. 

The lessee met the requirements for 

reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31 (d) 

and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 

1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). We are proposing 

to reinstate the lease, effective the date 

of termination subject to: 

• The original terms and conditions 

of the lease; 

• The increased rental of $10 per 

acre; and 

• The increased royalty of 162⁄3

percent. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teri 

Bakken, Chief, Fluids Adjudication 

Section, Bureau of Land Management 

Montana State Office, 5001 Southgate 

Drive, Billings, Montana 59101–4669, 

406–896–5091, Teri_Bakken@blm.gov. 

Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FIRS 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. 

Teri Bakken, 

Chief, Fluids Adjudication Section. 

[FR Doc. 2011–21568 Filed 8–22–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

on Nabesna Off-Road Vehicle 

Management Plan, Wrangell-St. Elias 

National Park and Preserve 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) the National 

Park Service (NPS) announces the 

availability of a Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (FEIS) on Off-Road 

Vehicle Management in the Nabesna 

District of Wrangell-St. Elias National 

Park and Preserve. The FEIS evaluates 

the environmental impacts of a 

preferred alternative and four action 

alternatives for management of off-road 

vehicles in the Nabesna District. The 

purpose is to consider opportunities for 

appropriate and reasonable access to 

wilderness and backcountry recreational 

activities, which also accommodates 

subsistence and access to inholdings; 

while protecting scenic quality, fish and 

wildlife habitat, and other park resource 

values. A no action alternative is also 

evaluated. This notice officially begins 

the 30-day waiting period before the 

Record of Decision can be issued. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS will be 

available for public review at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/wrst. Hard copies 

are available at park headquarters, 

located at Milepost 106.8 on the 

Richardson Highway, or may be 

requested from Bruce Rogers, Project 

Manager, Wrangell-St. Elias National 

Park and Preserve, PO Box 439, Copper 

Center, Alaska 99573. 

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