Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 148 / Friday, August 1, 1997 / Notices 41409

(62 FR 18731). A Federal Register

notice concerning proposed U.S.

negotiating positions on agenda items

and resolutions submitted by other

Parties for consideration at COP10 was

also published on April 17, 1997 (62 FR

18777). A public meeting allowing for

discussion of U.S. positions on species

amendments and resolutions submitted

by other CITES Parties, and agenda

items leading up to COP10, was held on

April 25, 1997. A Federal Register

notice concerning decisions by the

Service on negotiating positions to be

taken by the United States with regard

to proposals to amend the CITES

Appendices submitted by other Parties

for consideration at COP10 was

published on June 6, 1997 (62 FR

31054). Finally, a Federal Register

notice concerning final U.S. negotiating

positions on agenda items and

resolutions submitted by other Parties

for consideration at COP10 was

published on June 6, 1997 (62 FR

31127).

The Service participated in COP10,

and by this notice announces a public

meeting to discuss the results of that

meeting.

Author: This notice was prepared by

Mark R. Albert, Office of Management

Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

Dated: July 23, 1997.

John G. Rogers,

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

[Notice: Conference of the Parties to the

Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES); tenth regular meeting; public

meeting to discuss the results of the meeting]

[FR Doc. 97–20286 Filed 7–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–020–1220–00]

Nevada: Closing of Certain Public

Lands in the Winnemucca District for

the Management of Lands Located

Around the Burning Man Festival

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management

(Interior).

ACTION: Temporary motorized vehicle

closure of certain Public Lands in

Washoe and Pershing Counties from

August 27 to September 2, 1997

adjacent to the Burning Man Event.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Certain

lands in the Winnemucca District,

Pershing and Washoe Counties, Nevada

would be temporarily closed to

motorized vehicles from August 27 to

September 3, 1997. This closure is being

made to protect the unknown resources

on public lands that can be found to the

east and south of the proposed location

of an event known as the Burning Man

Festival. This event is expected to

attract at least 12,000 visitors this year.

While pedestrians and bicycles are

acceptable in the area, it is unknown as

to the amount of damage motorized

vehicles would create.

A second reason for the temporary

closure is for the health and protection

of visitors to the area. This region has

a number of sandy and silty areas in

which it is easy to become stuck.

Parking for the participants is being

established in safe areas on private

property.

The public lands to be closed to

motorized vehicle use are on the playa

of Hualapai Flat and the sandy dunes to

the south and east within the area

described below:

T. 34 N., R. 23 E.,

Sec. 12: S1⁄2NE1⁄4; W1⁄2SW1⁄4; SE1⁄4NW1⁄4;

SE1⁄4

Sec. 13: E1⁄2; E1⁄2W1⁄2

Sec. 24: NE1⁄4; SE1⁄4NW1⁄4; N1⁄2SE1⁄4;

SE1⁄4SE1⁄4

Sec. 25: E1⁄2E1⁄2 (area north of County Road

34)

T. 34 N., R. 24 E.,

Sec. 4: NW1⁄4 (area south of road only);

SW1⁄4; SE1⁄4 (area west of road only);

SW1⁄4NE1⁄4 (area west of road only)

Sec. 5: N1⁄2N1⁄2; S1⁄2NE1⁄4; SE1⁄4; S1⁄2SW1⁄4

Sec. 6: E1⁄2; E1⁄2NW1⁄4; NE1⁄4SW1⁄4

Sec. 7: Entire section except N1⁄2NW1⁄4

Sec. 8: All

Sec. 9: All

Sec. 10: W1⁄2 (area west of road only)

Sec. 15: NW1⁄4NE1⁄4 (area west of road

only); NW1⁄4 (area west of road

commonly known as the Soldier

Meadows Road only); W1⁄2SW1⁄4 (area

west of road commonly known as the

Soldier Meadows Road only)

Sec. 16—20: All

Sec. 21: W1⁄2; NE1⁄4; SE1⁄4 (area west of

road commonly known as the Soldier

Meadows Road only)

Sec. 22: NW1⁄4 (area west of road

commonly known as the Soldier

Meadows Road only)

Sec. 28: NE1⁄4 (area west of road commonly

known as the Soldier Meadows Road

only); W1⁄2; SE1⁄4 (area west of road

commonly known as the Soldier

Meadows Road only)

Sec. 29: N1⁄2; SW1⁄4 (area north of County

Road 34 only); SE1⁄4

Sec. 30: N1⁄2; S1⁄2 (area north of County

Road 34 only)

Sec. 32: NE1⁄4 (area north of County Road

34 and the road commonly known as the

Soldier Meadows Road only)

Sec. 33: N1⁄2N1⁄2 (area north of road

commonly known as the Soldier

Meadows Road)

The lands involved are located in the

Mount Diablo Meridian and located

northeast of Gerlach, Nevada. A map

showing the temporary closure area is

available from the following BLM office:

Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 East

Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca,

Nevada 89445, (702) 623–1500.

Any person who fails to comply with

this closure notice issued under 43 CFR

part 8364 may be subject to the

penalties provided for in 43 CFR

8360.0–7.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Bilbo, 5100 East Winnemucca

Blvd. Winnemucca, Nevada, 89445

(702) 623–1500.

Dated: July 23, 1997.

Ron Wenker,

District Manager, Winnemucca.

[FR Doc. 97–20290 Filed 7–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–067–7122–6606; CACA–35511]

Imperial Project Gold Mining

Operation, Imperial County, CA;

Environmental Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Withdrawal of the

Imperial Project Draft Environmental

Impact Statement and Notice of Intent to

Prepare Environmental Impact

Statement on the Imperial Project

Proposed Gold Mining/Processing

Operation, Imperial County.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

has withdrawn the Imperial Project,

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS), distributed for public review

November, 1996. Based on a review of

public comment received, it was

determined that it was necessary to

withdraw the DEIS and to prepare and

circulate a new DEIS. The comments

received on the DEIS will be treated as

scoping comments, however, new

comments may be submitted.

DATES: Written scoping comments must

be received no later than September 2,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Written scoping comments

should be addressed to the Area

Manager, Attn: Imperial Project, El

Centro Resource Area, 1661 South

Fourth St., El Centro, California 92243.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Douglas Romoli (909) 697–5237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

comments submitted on the withdrawn
41410 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 148 / Friday, August 1, 1997 / Notices

DEIS (circulated November, 1996) will

not receive a written response. Instead,

the written comments will be

considered in preparation of the new

DEIS. Prior commentors can submit

comments during the scoping period for

the new EIS.

Comments, including names and

street addresses of respondents, will be

available for public review at the above

address during the business hours of

7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except holidays. Individual

respondents may request

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold

your name or street address from public

review or from disclosure under the

Freedom of Information Act, you must

state this prominently at the beginning

of your written comment. Such requests

will be honored to the extent allowed by

law. All submissions from organizations

or business, and from individuals

identifying themselves as

representatives or officials of

organization or businesses, will be made

available for public inspection in their

entirety.

The Imperial Project is a proposal by

Glamis Imperial Corporation (a sister

corporation of the former project

applicant Chemgold Inc.) to develop an

open-pit, gold mining operation

utilizing a heap leach process. The

proposed site is located in eastern

Imperial County, California,

approximately 45 miles northeast of El

Centro, California and 20 miles

northwest of Yuma, Arizona. The

project area is comprised of

approximately 1,625 acres. Up to 150

million tons of ore would be leached,

and 300 million tons of waste rock

would be deposited at the proposed

waste rock stockpiles or the mined-out

portions of the three planned open pits.

Typical, average mining rate would be

130,000 tons per day. Approximately

1,409 acres of surface disturbance

would occur as a result of the Proposed

Action. Mining activity would be

performed 24 hours per day, seven days

per week, and are projected to

commence in 1998 and terminate

around the year 2017. The proposed

mine would include a lined heap leach

pad to contain the ore heap and to

collect process fluid from the heap for

gold recovery. Waste rock would be

hauled directly to a waste rock stockpile

or to one of the on-site pits to be

backfilled. A ground water production

well field, consisting of up to four

groundwater production wells, would

be completed and used to provide water

through a buried pipeline for processing

operations, dust control, and on-site

domestic uses. The proposed project

would also include a power substation

and construction of a short portion of a

transmission line and a rebuild of an

existing transmission line.

Dated: July 24, 1997.

Terry Reed,

Area Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–20194 Filed 7–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–010–1990–09]

Notice of Intent; Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

on a mining Plan of Operations for the

Newmont/Barrick HD Venture in Eureka

County, Nevada; and notice of scoping

period and public meetings.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969 and 43 CFR part 3809, the

Bureau of Land Management will be

directing the preparation of an EIS to be

prepared by a third-party contractor on

the impacts of a proposed Plan of

Operations for gold mining by the

Newmont/Barrick HD Venture, in

Eureka County, Nevada. The Bureau

invites comments on the scope of the

analysis.

EFFECTIVE DATES: This notice initiates

public scoping for the Leeville EIS. A

scoping meeting will be held August 20,

1997, at the Bureau of Land

Management, Elko Field Office, 3900 E.

Idaho, Elko NV., to identify issues and

concerns to be addressed in the EIS. The

meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30

p.m. and will continue until 9:00 p.m.,

if necessary. Representatives of

Newmont Gold Company (operating

partner) will be available to answer

questions about the Plan of Operations.

Additional scoping meetings may be

held as appropriate. Written comments

on the Plan of Operations and the scope

of the EIS will be accepted until

September 2, 1997. A draft

environmental impact statement (DEIS)

is expected to be completed by the

spring of 1998 and made available for

public review and comment. At that

time a notice of availability of the DEIS

will be published in the Federal

Register. The comment period on the

DEIS will be 60 days from the date the

notice of availability is published.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scoping comments may be sent to:

District Manager, Bureau of Land

Management, 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko,

NV 89801. ATTN: Leeville Project EIS

Coordinator. For additional information,

write to the above address or call Deb

McFarlane at (702) 753–0200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Newmont/Barrick HD Venture of Carlin,

Nevada has submitted a Plan of

Operations to open the Leeville

underground mine, located about 20

miles northwest of the town of Carlin.

The mine and associated facilities

would be located in portions of sections

2, 3, 10, and 11 of T. 35 N., R. 50 E. A

water pipeline is proposed to be located

in sections 5, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, and 22

of T. 35 N., R. 50 E.; sections 1, 2, 3, and

12, of T. 35 N., R. 49 E., and section 33

of T. 36 N., R. 49 E., MDM. The

proposed Leeville mine would consist

of an underground mine which would

develop three deposits and would

include surface support facilities, access

and haul roads, waste rock facility,

stockpiles, powerlines, dewatering

wells, pipelines, and water treatment

facilities. Proposed mining operations

and dewatering would last for

approximately 18 years, through the

year 2017. Approximately 457 acres of

public land and 39 acres of private land

would be disturbed.

The Leeville Project operations would

require dewatering at pumping rates of

up to 35,000 gallons per minute for the

life of the project. Excess water would

be discharged into the Humboldt River

via a pipeline proposed to connect with

an existing dewatering discharge

pipeline. This project lies between

Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc.’s Betze/

Post Mine and Newmont Gold

Company’s South Operations Area and

would be affected by both dewatering

cones of depression.

The issues expected to be analyzed in

the EIS include potential impacts to

ground water availability, wildlife,

cultural resources, and hazardous

materials. Cumulative impacts will also

be addressed. In addition, the following

resources will be analyzed: recreation

and wilderness, geology, paleontology,

air quality, soils, vegetation, range

management, lands and realty, visual

resources, land use planning, and social

and economic values. The analysis will

be conducted by an interdisciplinary

team.

A range of alternatives (including but

not limited to alternative reclamation

measures and the no-action alternative)

will be developed to address the issues.

Mitigating measures will be considered

to minimize environmental impacts and

to assure that the proposed action does

not result in undue or unnecessary

degradation of public lands. Federal,