This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

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public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

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Notices Federal Register

37182 

Vol. 72, No. 130 

Monday, July 9, 2007 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; 

Mountain City Ranger District, Big 

Springs Exploration Drilling Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: Gateway Gold Corporation 

has submitted a Plan of Operations to 

explore for, locate, and delineate 

precious metals on National Forest 

System lands within the Big Springs 

Mine area. In response to that proposed 

plan of operations, the Mountain City 

Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe 

National Forest will prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Big Springs Exploration Drilling Project. 

This proposal is for the drilling on up 

to 1000 drill sites over a five year period 

on National Forest System (NFS) lands. 

The Project Area is located in Elko 

County, Nevada. Analysis for this 

project was initiated in 2005 with the 

preparation of an Environmental 

Assessment. In late October 2006, two 

lakes that had formed in existing mine 

pits (pit lakes) and the surrounding 

aquifer began draining. The pit lakes are 

now dry and the aquifer level has 

dropped about 150 feet below previous 

levels measured prior to October 2006. 

It is unknown where the aquifer is 

draining to or what the impacts, if any, 

would be to water quality and surface 

and groundwater resources. Based upon 

these changed environmental conditions 

of the hydrology at the site, the Forest 

Service has decided to document the 

analysis in an Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

DATES: To be most effective, comments 

concerning the scope of the proposed 

analysis should be received within 30 

days from the date that this Notice of 

Intent is published in the Federal 

Register. The draft EIS is expected to be 

completed in October 2007, and the 

final EIS is expected to be completed in 

March 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Send written scoping 

comments to: District Ranger, Mountain 

City Ranger District, 2035 Last Chance 

Road, Elko, NV 89801. 

Electronic scoping comments may be 

sent via e-mail to: comments-intermtnhumboldt-toiyabe-mtncity@fs.fed.us. 

Please put ‘‘Big Springs EIS’’ in the 

subject line of e-mail transmissions. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Will 

Wilson, Project Coordinator, HumboldtToiyabe National Forest, 2035 Last 

Chance Road, Elko, NV 89801, 

Telephone: 775–778–6132. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of and Need for Action 

The purpose and need for this 

proposed action is to authorize 

occupancy and use to Gateway Gold to 

explore for, locate, and delineate 

precious metals on National Forest 

System lands within the Big Springs 

Mine area. The statutory right of 

Gateway Gold to explore for and 

develop mineral resources on federally 

administered lands is recognized in the 

General Mining Law of 1872, and is 

consistent with the Humboldt National 

Forest Land and Resource Management 

Plan of 1986. 

Proposed Action 

The operator proposes construction of 

up to 1000 drill sites and associated 

temporary roads over a 5-year period. 

Approximately 200 drill sites would be 

constructed each year, with the drilling 

of up to three drill holes per drill site. 

Each drill site would occupy 

approximately 0.2 acres. Up to thirty 

miles of new exploration road (90 acres) 

would be constructed in total over five 

years. Each year, the operator would 

keep approximately 5 to 7 miles of the 

newly constructed road (15 to 21 acres) 

open to provide primary access to 

exploration targets within the area. In 

addition, the operator would annually 

construct 3 to 5 additional miles (9 to 

15 acres) of drill site access road that 

would be slated for reclamation each 

year. Overland travel would be 2 miles 

in length; at least one-mile of overland 

access would be slated for reclamation 

at the end of each drilling season. Total 

acreage disturbed over five years would 

not exceed 220 acres. Seasonal 

reclamation would be completed each 

year, along with concurrent reclamation 

to stabilize and reduce the overall 

amount of disturbance. Final 

reclamation would require that all 

disturbances by the operator be 

recontoured to natural slope, and 

seeded with native weed-free seed 

species. 

Other Possible Alternatives 

Currently, two alternatives have been 

identified to be analyzed in detail with 

further analysis potentially generating 

other alternatives: 

No Action Alternative: The plan of 

operations submitted by Gateway Gold 

would not be approved. Conditions at 

the project area would remain as they 

are now. 

Proposed Action with Additional 

Mitigation and Monitoring: This 

alternative is identical to the Proposed 

Action Alternative with the exception of 

added mitigation and monitoring 

measures for protection of wildlife and 

water quality. These additional 

measures were identified during 

scoping, issue development, and 

identification of potential impacts 

during the initial analysis. These 

measures are in addition to the 

environmental protection measures 

already included in the Proposed Action 

Alternative and include Best 

Management Practices, Forest Service 

standard operating procedures for 

mineral exploration projects, and 

mitigation measures tailored specifically 

for this Project. 

Responsible Official: The responsible 

official is: Forest Supervisor, HumboldtToiyabe National Forest, 1200 Franklin 

Way, Sparks, NV 89431. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made: Based 

on the environmental analysis presented 

in the EIS, the Forest Supervisor will 

decide (1) Whether or not to approve 

actions as proposed or modified, or as 

described in an alternative; (2) what 

mitigation measures are needed; and (3) 

what monitoring is required. 

Scoping Process 

Scoping of the Proposed Action 

commenced in 2005 and is continuing 

at this time. Initial public input was 

invited through the mailing of a scoping 

letter on January 13, 2005. Letters 

initiating consultation were also sent to 

American Indian tribes. The Forest 

Service will again mail information to 

interested and/or affected parties. The 

project has been listed in the HumboldtVerDate Aug<31>2005 16:59 Jul 06, 2007 Jkt 211001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\09JYN1.SGM 09JYN1

rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 130 / Monday, July 9, 2007 / Notices 37183 

Toiyabe National Forest Schedule of 

Proposed Actions since April of 2005. In 

2005 the Forest Service received 

scoping responses, including letters 

from the Nevada Division of 

Environmental Protection, Nevada 

Historic Preservation Office, Nevada 

Department of Wildlife and Western 

Watersheds Projects. Comments were 

also received from Elko County 

Commissioners and Elko County Roads 

Department. Relevant responses were 

used to synthesize and develop issues. 

There are currently no scoping meetings 

planned for the EIS. 

Preliminary Issues 

The following are the significant 

issues identified through the analysis 

conducted to date. We are asking you to 

help us further refine the existing 

issues, as well as identify other issues 

or concerns relevant to the Proposed 

Action. 

Water Quality—Drilling and 

associated activities could result in (1) 

Cross contamination of aquifers by 

providing conduits; (2) impacts to 

existing engineered mine features 

(embankments); (3) interactions and 

effects to water quality; and (4) 

increased sedimentation and erosion 

from ground disturbing activities. 

Water Quantity and Flows—Drilling 

through geologic structures can 

intercept aquifers and alter groundwater 

flow. 

Wildlife—Exploration activities have 

the potential to disrupt seasonal use by 

a variety of wildlife species (mule deer, 

sage grouse, various raptors and other 

species) in and around the project area, 

and to affect quality and quantity of 

habitat for these species. 

Special Status Species (Wildlife)—

Proposed surface disturbance and 

human activity associated with 

exploration activities may cause shortand long-term adverse effects to habitats 

used by Northern goshawk, sage-grouse, 

neo-tropical migratory birds, pygmy 

rabbit, and several species of bats with 

potential to occur in the Project area. 

Special Status Species (Aquatics and 

Fisheries)—Increased sediment from 

disturbance by the proposed exploration 

could adversely affect threatened 

Lahontan cutthroat trout and Columbia 

spotted frog (candidate species), which 

inhabit the North Fork Humboldt River. 

Recreation—Exploration activities 

and effects including noise, increased 

traffic on the access road, and road 

maintenance could affect recreation 

opportunities and the quality of the 

recreational experience. 

Livestock—Surface disturbance would 

alter the vegetation, which has the 

potential to change the carrying capacity 

within the pasture in both the shortterm and long-term. 

Vegetation—Surface disturbance may 

(1) Affect specific plant communities, 

such as aspen, riparian vegetation and 

sub-alpine fir; (2) promote the spread 

and establishment of noxious weeds, 

such as hoary cress and Canada thistle, 

and other non-native invasive species, 

and (3) affect sensitive plants). 

Other issues that will also be 

addressed in the analysis include the 

potential impacts this project may have 

on the McAffee Peak Inventoried 

Roadless Area which is partly within 

the project area. As proposed a small 

amount of exploration activities would 

be within this roadless area. 

Approximately 12 drill sites and less 

than 1,000 feet to the drill road are 

located slightly within or on the 

northern boundary of the McAffee Peak 

Inventoried Roadless Area. The portion 

of the roadless area impacted is a small 

‘‘finger’’ that was created through a 

mapping error in 1998/1999 when the 

latest inventory for roadless areas was 

adopted. This is the inventory that was 

made part of the 2001 Roadless Area 

Conservation Rule. This finger in 

question has reclaimed mining and 

exploration roads within its boundaries 

and lacks roadless characteristics. This 

type of activity fits within an exemption 

category for allowing road construction 

within the IRA tied to outstanding or 

existing valid rights. Because no portion 

of the project area within or adjacent to 

the McAffee IRA exhibits roadless 

characteristics, effects of the Proposed 

Action upon the McAffee IRA have not 

been identified as a significant issue. 

Comment Requested 

This NOI continues the scoping 

process which will guide the 

development of the Environmental 

Impact Statement. The public is invited 

to submit scoping comments, stating 

concerns and issues relevant to the 

proposed project. These comments will 

be used to help establish the scope of 

study and analysis for the EIS. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A draft EIS will be prepared for 

comment. The comment period on the 

draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 

that the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) publishes the notice of 

availability (NOA) in the Federal 

Register. 

The Forest Service believes that, at 

this early stage, it is important to give 

reviewers notice of several court rulings 

related to public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviewers of draft EISs must structure 

their participation in the environmental 

review of the proposal so that it is 

meaningful and alerts an agency to the 

reviewer’s position and contentions 

[Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. 

v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)]. 

Also, environmental objections that 

could have been raised at the draft EIS 

stage but that are not raised until after 

completion of the final EIS may be 

waived or dismissed by the courts [City 

of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 

1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin 

Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 

1334, 1338 (e.D. Wis. 1980)]. Because of 

these court rulings, it is very important 

that those interested in this Proposed 

Action participate by the close of the 45 

day comment period so that comments 

and objections are made available to the 

Forest Service at a time when it can 

consider them and respond to them in 

a meaningful manner within the final 

EIS. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns regarding the Proposed Action, 

comments on the draft EIS should be as 

specific as possible. It is also helpful if 

the comments refer to specific pages, 

sections, or chapters of the draft 

document. Comments may also address 

the adequacy of the draft EIS or the 

merits of the alternatives formulated 

and discussed in the document. 

Reviewers may wish to refer to the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) Regulations for implementing the 

procedural provisions of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record of this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: June 27, 2007. 

Edward C. Monnig, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 07–3307 Filed 7–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Glenn/Colusa County Resource 

Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Glenn/Colusa County 

Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) 


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