16420 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 59 / Friday, March 27, 2015 / Notices 

appoint members to the Committee. 

Members appointed as special 

Government employees are required to 

file on an annual basis a confidential 

financial disclosure report. No 

individual who is currently registered as 

a Federal lobbyist is eligible to serve as 

a member of the Committee. 

Robin O’Malley, 

Designated Federal Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07082 Filed 3–26–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLORL00000.

L10200000.DF0000.LXSS020H0000.

15XL0019AF; HAG 15–0101] 

Notice of Public Meeting for the 

Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory 

Council 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act and the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972, and the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM), the Southeast 

Oregon Resource Advisory Council 

(RAC) will meet as indicated below: 

DATES: The Southeast Oregon RAC will 

hold a public meeting Monday and 

Tuesday, April 20 starting at 10 a.m. 

and ending at 4 p.m. and April 21, 2015 

starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 12 p.m. 

A public comment period will be 

available at 11 a.m. on April 21 during 

the joint meeting. Unless otherwise 

approved by the Southeast Oregon RAC 

Chair, the public comment period will 

last no longer than 30 minutes, and each 

speaker may address the Southeast 

Oregon RAC for a maximum of 5 

minutes. Meeting times and the 

duration scheduled for public comment 

periods may be extended or altered 

when the authorized representative 

considers it necessary to accommodate 

necessary business and all who seek to 

be heard regarding matters before the 

Southeast Oregon RAC. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Clarion Inn 1249 Tapadera Ave. 

Ontario, OR 97914. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Stoffel, BLM Lakeview District 

Office, 1301 S. G Street, Lakeview, 

Oregon 97630, (541) 947–2177, or email 

pstoffel@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 

Southeast Oregon RAC consists of 15 

members chartered and appointed by 

the Secretary of the Interior. Their 

diverse perspectives are represented in 

commodity, conservation, and general 

interests. They provide advice to BLM 

and Forest Service resource managers 

regarding management plans and 

proposed resource actions on public 

land in southeast Oregon. Tentative 

agenda items for the April 20 and 21, 

2015, meeting include: An update from 

line managers; special sub-group 

reports; Sage Grouse; Resource 

Management Plans; herbicide planning 

efforts; and the Tri-state Fuel project. 

Any other matters that may reasonably 

come before the Southeast Oregon RAC 

may also be addressed. This meeting is 

open to the public in its entirety. 

Information to be distributed to the 

Southeast Oregon RAC is requested 

prior to the start of each meeting. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comments, please 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. 

E. Lynn Burkett, 

Lakeview District Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07095 Filed 3–26–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–33–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[XXX LLIDI00000.L71220000.EX0000.LVTFD

0977240; IDI–33145, IDI–35728–FD, IDI– 

35728–PT 241A 4500073633] 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

Proposed Amendment to the Challis 

Resource Management Plan for the 

Thompson Creek Mine Expansion and 

Public Land Disposal, Custer and 

Bannock Counties, Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

Challis Field Office, Idaho, has prepared 

a final environmental impact statement 

(Final EIS) and proposed resource 

management plan (RMP) amendment 

for: (1) A proposed modified mining 

plan of operations (MMPO) for the 

Thompson Creek molybdenum mine, 

and (2) a land exchange proposal with 

the mine operator. By this notice, the 

BLM announces the availability of the 

Final EIS/proposed RMP amendment 

and the U.S. Forest Service draft 

decision for the proposed MMPO. 

DATES: The BLM announces the start of 

a 30-day availability period for the Final 

EIS and a 30-day protest period for the 

proposed RMP amendment. The BLM 

will not issue a decision on the 

proposed MMPO, land exchange 

proposal, or proposed RMP amendment, 

for a minimum of 30 days following the 

date the Environmental Protection 

Agency publishes a notice of availability 

in the Federal Register. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final EIS/

proposed RMP amendment have been 

made available to affected Federal, State 

and local government agencies and to 

other stakeholders as appropriate. 

Copies of the Final EIS/proposed RMP 

amendment are also available for review 

at the BLM Challis Field Office, 1151 

Blue Mountain Road, Challis, Idaho 

83226 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Mountain Time, Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. Copies 

of the Final EIS/proposed RMP 

amendment are also available online at 

http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/nepa

_register/TCM-exlx_EIS.html. All 

protests of the BLM proposed RMP 

amendment must be in writing and 

mailed to one of the following 

addresses: 

Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), 

Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. 

Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024– 

1383. 

Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), 

Attention: Protest Coordinator, 20 M 

Street SE., Room 2134LM, 

Washington, DC 20003. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken 

Gardner, project manager, at the BLM 

Challis Field Office, telephone: 208– 

879–6210; address: 1151 Blue Mountain 

Road, Challis, Idaho 83226; email: 

ksgardner@blm.gov. Persons who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

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

contact the above individual. The FIRS 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 59 / Friday, March 27, 2015 / Notices 16421 

is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 

week, to leave a message for the above 

individual. You will receive a reply 

during normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Thompson 

Creek Mining Company (TCMC) has 

submitted an MMPO for the Thompson 

Creek molybdenum mine, as well as a 

separate, but related land exchange 

proposal. These proposals would affect 

BLM-administered land, National Forest 

System land, and waters of the United 

States. Pursuant to NEPA, the Final EIS 

analyzes the potential environmental 

effects of the proposed MMPO, a 

proposed RMP amendment, and a 

proposed land exchange. In response to 

these proposals: (1) The BLM will 

decide whether to approve the portion 

of an MMPO involving BLMadministered land under BLM 

regulations at 43 CFR 3809; (2) the 

Forest Service will decide whether to 

approve the portion of an MMPO 

involving National Forest System land 

under Forest Service regulations at 36 

CFR 228, Subpart A; (3) the US Army 

Corps of Engineers (USACE) will decide 

whether to issue a permit under Section 

404 of the Clean Water Act and USACE 

regulations at 33 CFR 320; (4) the BLM 

will decide whether to amend the 

Challis Field Office 1999 resource 

management plan (RMP), pursuant to 

Section 202 of FLPMA and BLM 

regulations at 43 CFR 1610, so as to 

identify the BLM-administered land in 

the land exchange proposal as available 

for disposal; and (5) the BLM will 

decide whether to approve a land 

exchange action. The cooperating 

agencies for the Final EIS/proposed 

RMP amendment are the Forest Service, 

Salmon-Challis National Forest; USACE, 

Walla Walla District; US Environmental 

Protection Agency, Region 10; Idaho 

Department of Environmental Quality, 

Idaho Falls Regional Office; and Idaho 

Department of Lands, Eastern Idaho 

Supervisory Area Office. 

TCMC owns and operates the mine, 

which is 7 miles northwest of Clayton 

and 21 miles southwest of Challis in 

Custer County, Idaho. The mine has 

operated since 1981 and is currently 

authorized for about 3,300 acres of 

surface disturbance, of which 2,300 

acres are on private land, 750 acres are 

on BLM-administered land, and 250 

acres are on National Forest System 

land. The current surface disturbance at 

the mine is approximately 2,800 acres. 

The MMPO would allow an 

approximate 10-year extension of the 

mine life and expansion of the waste 

rock and tailings storage facilities which 

would require additional authorized 

surface disturbance on about 200 acres 

of BLM-administered land, 190 acres of 

National Forest System land, and 110 

acres of private land. 

The land exchange proposal is an 

offer to exchange 901 acres of private 

lands owned by TCMC in Custer and 

Bannock counties for 5,100 acres of 

BLM-administered land where the mine 

is located in Custer County, including 

nearly all of the BLM-administered land 

identified in the MMPO. The offered 

lands are the Broken Wing Ranch (813 

acres) in Custer County and the Garden 

Creek property (82 acres) in Bannock 

County. Broken Wing Ranch borders 

several miles of the Salmon River, and 

the Garden Creek property contains a 

portion of the headwaters of Garden 

Creek. Public ownership of these lands 

would prevent their subdivision and 

development, enhance habitat for four 

threatened and endangered fish species 

and several species of wildlife, and 

substantially increase public access to 

the Lyon Creek drainage in Custer 

County. 

Approval of the MMPO is not 

contingent on the approval of the land 

exchange. They are separate decisions, 

and the Final EIS analyzes them 

separately. The Final EIS also analyzes 

a set of MMPO alternatives and a 

completely independent set of land 

disposal alternatives. In connection 

with the land exchange proposal, the 

Final EIS also evaluates amending the 

RMP to identify the selected lands as 

suitable for disposal pursuant to Section 

202 of FLPMA. 

The BLM, Forest Service, and Idaho 

Department of Lands each administer its 

respective portions of a single plan of 

operations for the mine. If the BLM 

approves the land exchange, TCMC 

would obtain title to nearly all of the 

BLM-administered land involved with 

the mine. A small amount of BLMadministered land with a few mine 

support features (i.e., pipelines, power 

lines, access roads and a pump station) 

is not included in the proposed land 

exchange, and thus, it would continue 

to be administered by the BLM. TCMC 

could continue to use these features 

through a subsequent MMPO or by 

obtaining grants for rights-of-ways and 

special use permits under FLPMA. 

The Final EIS analyzes a set of MMPO 

alternatives and a set of independent 

land disposal alternatives. As explained 

above, MMPO alternatives do not 

depend on the outcome of the land 

disposal alternatives. TCMC would not 

operate the mine any differently if the 

BLM-administered land in the land 

exchange proposal were owned by 

TCMC or continued to be administered 

by the BLM. However, the nature of 

BLM’s involvement and its relationship 

to the MMPO would change if any of the 

land disposal alternatives were selected. 

The MMPO alternatives include: 

D Alternative M1—No Action. TCMC 

would complete mining and 

reclamation under the current mining 

plan of operations (Phase 7), with 

molybdenum mining ending in the short 

term. Approximately 2,800 acres would 

be disturbed. 

D Alternative M2—MMPO as 

submitted by TCMC. TCMC would 

complete mining and reclamation under 

the proposed MMPO (Phase 8), with 

molybdenum mining ending in 

approximately 2025. The two existing 

waste rock storage facilities would be 

enlarged. Approximately 3,300 acres 

would be disturbed by time of closure. 

D Alternative M3—No Name Waste 

Rock Facility. A variation of Alternative 

M2 in which TCMC would develop a 

new waste rock storage facility in the No 

Name drainage, with less waste rock 

placed into the two existing waste rock 

storage facilities. Approximately 3,500 

acres would be disturbed by time of 

closure. 

The land exchange alternatives 

include: 

D Alternative L1—No Action. The 

BLM would not amend the RMP and the 

land exchange would not occur. Mining 

would occur according to the selected 

MMPO alternative, as MMPO 

alternatives do not depend on the 

outcome of the land disposal 

alternatives. 

D Alternative L2—Land Exchange 

Proposal submitted by TCMC. The BLM 

would amend the RMP, TCMC would 

acquire up to approximately 5,100 acres 

of BLM-administered land, and the US 

would acquire up to approximately 900 

acres of private land that would be 

administered by the BLM. Livestock 

grazing and agricultural operations 

would continue on the Broken Wing 

Ranch. 

D Alternative L2–B—The same as 

Alternative L2 except the ranch would 

be converted to native vegetation and 

livestock grazing would not occur at the 

ranch. 

D Alternative L3—Land Sale. The 

BLM would amend the RMP allowing 

conveyance of up to about 5,100 acres 

of BLM-administered land to TCMC via 

a sale at the appraised fair market value 

pursuant to Section 203 of the FLPMA. 

D Alternative L4—Reduced Area Land 

Exchange, Fee Simple. The BLM would 

amend the RMP, TCMC would acquire 

approximately 3,600 acres of BLMadministered land, and the US would 

acquire approximately 30 percent less 

private land by fair market value 

compared to Alternative L2. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

16422 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 59 / Friday, March 27, 2015 / Notices 

D Alternative L5—Reduced Area Land 

Exchange, Easement. The BLM would 

amend the RMP and TCMC would 

acquire approximately 5,100 acres of 

BLM-administered land, with a 

conservation easement placed on 

approximately 1,500 acres. The US 

would accordingly acquire 

approximately 10 percent less private 

land by fair market value compared to 

Alternative L2. 

These alternatives are the same 

alternatives as those analyzed in the 

Draft EIS/draft RMP. BLM held public 

meetings during the public comment 

period for the Draft EIS/draft RMP 

amendment in Challis, Idaho on May 

13, 2014 and in Boise, Idaho on May 14, 

2014. A total of 684 public responses 

containing 2,693 comments were 

received during the 90-day public 

comment period. Approximately 75 

percent of the responses contained 

similar form statements. The majority of 

the comments focused on the economic 

effects of the project. In addition, there 

were approximately 500 mostly general 

comments regarding the long-term water 

quality at the mine site, methods of 

reclaiming the mine, financial 

guarantees for reclaiming the mine, 

stability of the tailings storage facility, 

range of alternatives, cumulative effects 

analysis, effects to an outfitter using the 

selected land under a BLM special 

recreation permit, and how the Broken 

Wing Ranch would be administered by 

the BLM. The comments were 

considered and addressed in Chapter 7 

(Public Involvement) of the Final EIS. 

The BLM revised its analysis in 

response to the comments to include 

additional supporting text and to make 

minor corrections. There were no 

substantive changes to the analysis in 

response to the comments. 

The BLM and Forest Service have 

selected Alternative M2 as the preferred 

MMPO alternative. The BLM’s preferred 

land disposal alternative is Alternative 

L2. Pursuant to the Notice of Intent (75 

FR 45652), the Notice of Exchange 

proposal in local newspapers, the 

Notices of Availability for the Draft EIS/ 

draft RMP amendment published in the 

Federal Register on March 21, 2014 (79 

FR 15741, 79 FR 15771, and March 28, 

2014, 79 FR 17538, and this Notice, the 

BLM is complying with the 

requirements in 43 CFR 1610.2 to notify 

the public of potential amendments to 

land use plans, based on the analysis in 

an EIS. 

The responsible officials for the 

proposed actions are the Field Manager, 

Challis Field Office, BLM (MMPO); 

District Manager, Idaho Falls District, 

BLM (land disposal); State Director, 

Idaho State Office, BLM (RMP 

amendment). 

Instructions for filing a protest with 

the Director of the BLM regarding the 

proposed RMP amendment are at 43 

CFR 1610.5–2 and also in the ‘‘Dear 

Reader’’ letter for the Final EIS/

proposed RMP amendment. All protests 

must be in writing and mailed to the 

appropriate address, as set forth in the 

‘‘ADDRESSES’’ section above. Protests 

sent by email will not be accepted as 

valid protests unless the protesting 

party also provides the original letter by 

either regular mail or overnight delivery 

postmarked by the close of the protest 

period. Under these conditions, the 

BLM will consider the email as an 

advance copy and it will receive full 

consideration. If you wish to provide 

the BLM with such advance 

notification, please direct emails to 

protest@blm.gov. 

Before including your phone number, 

email address, or other personal 

identifying information in your protest, 

you should be aware that your entire 

protest—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your protest to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR 

1506; 43 CFR 46; 43 CFR 1610.2. 

Todd Kuck, 

Challis Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07005 Filed 3–26–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[13X LLIDI02000.L71220000.EO0000.

LVTFD1300100 241A 4500074169] 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Smoky Canyon Mine, 

Panels F and G Lease and Mine Plan 

Modification Project, Caribou County, 

ID 

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior; United States Forest Service, 

Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) and the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service (USFS), Caribou-Targhee 

National Forest (CTNF), have prepared 

a Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) for the proposed Smoky Canyon 

Mine, Panels F and G Lease and Mine 

Plan Modification Project, and by this 

Notice announce the availability of the 

document. A Draft USFS Record of 

Decision (ROD) is also being made 

available along with the Final EIS. 

DATES: The BLM will issue its ROD no 

sooner than 30 days after the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes its Notice of Availability 

(NOA) of the Final EIS in the Federal 

Register. A legal notice published in the 

newspaper of record of the Final USFS 

ROD will be released no sooner than 

five business days following the end of 

the 45-day objection period after the 

Draft USFS ROD has been announced 

and made available. 

ADDRESSES: CD–ROM and print copies 

of the Smoky Canyon Mine, Panels F & 

G Lease and Mine Plan Modification 

Project Final EIS and the Draft USFS 

ROD are available in the BLM Pocatello 

Field Office at the following address: 

4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 83204. In 

addition, electronic copies of the Final 

EIS and the Draft USFS ROD are 

available at either of the Web addresses 

listed below: 

• http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/

nepa_register/smoky-canyon_panelg.html 

• http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ctnf/

landmanagement/projects 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Diane Wheeler, BLM Pocatello Field 

Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, ID 

83204, phone 208–557–5839, fax 208– 

478–6376. 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 J.R. 

Simplot Company (Simplot) submitted 

lease and mine plan modifications for 

agency review for the existing Panel F 

(lease IDI–27512) and Panel G (lease 

IDI–01441) leases at the Smoky Canyon 

Phosphate Mine within the CTNF in 

Caribou County, Idaho. The Smoky 

Canyon Mine, operated by Simplot, is 

located approximately 10 miles west of 

Afton, Wyoming, and approximately 8 

miles west of the Idaho/Wyoming 

border. The existing Smoky Canyon 

mining and milling operations were 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES