Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 43267 

if the applicants are eligible to receive 

title to the Federally owned mineral 

interests beneath their lands. 

Regulations at 43 CFR part 2720 

establish guidelines and procedures for 

the processing of these applications. 

OMB’s approval for the information 

collections approved under OMB 

control number 1004–0153 is scheduled 

to expire on August 31, 2021. In 

accordance with OMB’s regulations at 5 

CFR 1320.12, Clearance of collections of 

information in current rules, this 

request is for OMB to renew this OMB 

control number for an additional three 

years. 

Title of Collection: Conveyance of 

Federally Owned Mineral Interests (43 

CFR part 2720). 

OMB Control Number: 1004–0153. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Owners 

of surface estates (i.e., individuals, 

businesses, or state, local, or tribal 

governments) that want to obtain 

underlying Federally owned mineral 

estates. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 5. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 5. 

Estimated Completion Time per 

Response: 1 hour. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 5. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

obtain or retain a benefit. 

Frequency of Collection: On occasion. 

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour 

Burden Cost: $250. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor and, notwithstanding any other 

provision of law, a person is not 

required to respond to a collection of 

information unless it displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Darrin King, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16785 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVL0000–L51100000–GN0000– 

LVEMF2105850–21X MO #4500151979] 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Robinson Mine Plan of Operations 

Amendment, White Pine County, 

Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance 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) Ely 

District (EYDO), Nevada, has prepared a 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) for the Robinson Mine Plan of 

Operations Amendment project and by 

this notice is announcing its 

availability. 

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final 

decision on the proposal for a minimum 

of 30 days after the Environmental 

Protection Agency publishes its notice 

of availability of the Robinson Mine 

Plan of Operations Amendment Final 

EIS DOI–BLM–NV–L060–2020–0008– 

EIS in the Federal Register. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of Robinson Mine 

Plan of Operations Amendment and the 

Final EIS are available for public 

inspection on the internet at https://

go.usa.gov/xvYad. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions about the proposed project 

contact Ms. Tiera Arbogast, Planning & 

Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of 

Land Management Ely District Office, 

telephone 775–289–1872, email: 

tarbogast@blm.gov, or address: 702 

North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada 

89301. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to 

contact Ms. Arbogast during normal 

business hours. The FRS 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. Normal 

business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except for 

Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

EYDO, Ely, Nevada, has published a 

Final EIS for the Robinson Mine Plan of 

Operations Amendment project. The 

Robinson Mine is an 8,887-acre copper 

mining operation adjacent to Ruth, 

Nevada, seven miles west of Ely, 

Nevada, via U.S. Route 50. 

KGHM Robinson Nevada Mining 

Company (KGHM Robinson) is 

proposing additional development at 

the Robinson Mine to extend mine life 

approximately four additional years 

beyond its currently anticipated 

permanent closure in 2024. To 

accomplish this, the company is 

proposing renewed mining in the 

eastern portions of its privately-owned 

Liberty Pit and an authorization by the 

BLM to access and develop two specific 

areas of nearby BLM-managed public 

land on which to dispose newly 

generated waste rock. 

Under the BLM Preferred Alternative, 

KGHM Robinson would be permitted to 

develop approximately 260 acres of 

BLM-managed lands immediately south 

of the Robinson Mine to serve as the 

King Waste Rock Dump. This alternative 

would also include renewed dewatering 

and expanded mining operations in the 

eastern portions of KGHM Robinson’s 

privately owned Liberty Pit area as well 

as approval to develop approximately 

545 acres of BLM-managed land and 94 

acres of private land adjacent to the 

Giroux Wash Tailings Storage Facility 

(TSF). These areas would be used for 

obtaining borrow material for the 

previously approved increase in height 

of the TSF main impoundment and 

perimeter dams, as well as for growth 

media (i.e., topsoil) storage for final 

reclamation. Approval of this alternative 

would result in an additional 793 acres 

of new disturbance on BLM-managed 

lands as well as disturbance on 

approximately 170 acres of KGHM 

Robinson-owned private lands, for a 

total of 963 acres of new surface 

disturbance. Active life of the Robinson 

Mine would be extended to 2028. The 

resource impacts for Alternative B were 

considered the most environmentally 

preferred when compared to impacts 

associated with cultural resources, 

geochemistry and groundwater, waste 

rock dump construction, and Greater 

sage-grouse habitat under other 

alternatives. 

Under the No Action Alternative 

(Alternative A) the BLM would not 

approve the 2019 Robinson Mine Plan 

of Operations Amendment as written. 

Although KGHM Robinson could 

continue mining on its own private 

lands, no additional expansion onto 

BLM-managed public lands would be 

permitted. Without additional areas on 

which to dispose waste rock generated 

by continued mining, or the ability to 

obtain substantial additional volumes of 

soil to use in increasing the height of the 

primary impoundment and perimeter 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
43268 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Notices 

dams at the Giroux Wash Tailings 

Storage Facility (TSF), KGHM Robinson 

estimates that active operations at the 

Robinson Mine would cease in 2024. 

The Reduced King Waste Rock Dump 

(WRD) and North Tripp WRD 

(Alternative C) would keep all project 

elements described in the 2019 Plan 

Amendment, including both the North 

Tripp and King WRDs; however, the 

allowable footprint of the King WRD 

would be reduced from the 260 acres 

under the BLM Preferred Alternative to 

234 acres under this alternative. 

Specifically, Alternative C would 

eliminate all proposed King WRD 

development east of County Road 44A. 

The North Tripp WRD would be 

expanded onto approximately 102 acres 

of BLM-managed public lands and 67 

private acres. As with the BLM 

Preferred Alternative, this alternative 

would include dewatering and renewed 

mining in the eastern portions of the 

Liberty Pit and development of 

approximately 545 acres of BLMmanaged public land and 94 private 

acres adjacent to the Giroux Wash TSF. 

This alternative would result in 

approximately 869 acres of new 

disturbance on BLM-managed public 

lands and 237 acres of KGHM-owned 

private lands, for a total of 

approximately 1,106 acres of new 

surface disturbance. As with the BLM 

Preferred Alternative, mine life would 

be extended to 2028. 

The Ruth East Backfill and Reduced 

King WRD Alternative (Alternative D) is 

similar to Alternative B, the BLM 

Preferred Alternative. Alternative D 

would include renewed dewatering and 

expanded mining operations in the 

eastern portions of the Liberty Pit as 

well as approval for KGHM Robinson to 

develop a total of approximately 639 

acres of mixed public and private land 

adjacent to the Giroux Wash TSF. 

Alternative D, like Alternative C, would 

include the reduced 234-acre King 

WRD. Alternative D would not, 

however, include development of the 

North Tripp WRD. Rather, additional 

waste rock generated during continued 

mining would be disposed within 

approximately 160 acres of KGHMowned lands within the Ruth East Pit. 

Approval of Alternative D would 

therefore result in approximately 767 

acres of new surface disturbance on 

BLM-managed lands and 330 acres of 

KGHM-owned private lands, for a total 

of approximately 1,097 acres. As with 

the BLM Preferred Alternative and 

Alternative C, mine life would be 

extended to 2028. 

The Notice of Intent for this project 

also included the BLM’s proposal to 

amend the Ely District Resource 

Management Plan for Visual Resource 

Management classes. During scoping, 

however, the BLM determined that a 

Resource Management Plan amendment 

is not required, and therefore it is no 

longer being analyzed as part of this 

Final EIS. On September 14, 2020, the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

revision to the NEPA Regulations went 

into effect. The final rule does not apply 

to the NEPA analysis for the Robinson 

Mine Plan of Operations Amendment, 

as it began prior to September 14, 2020. 

A Notice of Availability of the Draft 

EIS for the proposed project was 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 4, 2020 (85 FR 78351). A 

virtual public meeting was held during 

the comment period. The BLM received 

18 public comment documents during 

the 45-day comment period. The 

documents contained 56 unique and 

substantive comments which included 

concerns on mine closure and 

reclamation planning, greater sage 

grouse protection, general wildlife 

issues, mitigation measures, and 

geochemistry issues primarily related to 

pit lakes and assumed contaminant 

seepage. Comments on the Draft EIS 

received from the public and internal 

BLM review were considered and 

incorporated, as appropriate, into the 

Final EIS. Public comments resulted in 

corrections or the addition of clarifying 

text but did not change the proposed 

action. 

The BLM has consulted with the 

Nevada State Historic Preservation 

Office (SHPO) on the Project in 

accordance with the 2014 State Protocol 

Agreement between the BLM and 

Nevada SHPO for Implementing the 

National Historic Preservation Act. The 

BLM has determined that the Project 

would cause adverse effects to eight 

historic properties and five unevaluated 

archaeological resources. The BLM and 

Nevada SHPO executed a Programmatic 

Agreement in 2016 to resolve adverse 

effects to cultural resources in the 

Robinson Nevada Mining Company 

Area of Potential Effect. The 2016 

programmatic agreement outlines the 

process by which these resources will 

be evaluated and mitigated. BLM has 

consulted with SHPO on the mitigation 

measures for these sites and concurred 

upon the treatment. The specific actions 

necessary to resolve adverse effects to 

historic properties will be carried out 

prior to Project implementation. 

The BLM has initiated ongoing 

consultation with Indian tribes on a 

government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175 

and other policies. Tribal concerns, 

including impacts on Indian trust assets 

and potential impacts to cultural 

resources, will be given due 

consideration and have been analyzed 

in the Final EIS. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1502) 

Robbie McAboy, 

District Manager, Ely District Office. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16548 Filed 8–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[212.LLIDT02000.L12200000.JX0000

.241A0.4500154358] 

Notice of Availability of the Cedar 

Fields Plan Amendment Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Monument Resource Management 

Plan, Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance 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) has 

prepared the Draft Monument Resource 

Management Plan (RMP) Amendment 

and Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for the Cedar Fields 

Project Area and by this notice is 

announcing the opening of the public 

comment period. 

DATES: To ensure that comments will be 

considered, the BLM must receive 

written comments on the Draft RMP 

Amendment/Draft EIS within 90 days 

following the date the Environmental 

Protection Agency publishes its Notice 

of Availability in the Federal Register. 

The BLM will announce future meetings 

or hearings at least 15 days in advance 

through public notices, media releases, 

and/or mailings. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the Draft RMP Amendment/ 

Draft EIS by any of the following 

methods: 

• Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/36660/510. 

• Email: blm_id_

monumentcassiarmpamend@blm.gov. 

• Fax: 208–677–6699. 

• Mail: BLM Burley Field Office, 15 

East 200 South, Burley, ID 83318. 

Copies of the Draft RMP Amendment/ 

Draft EIS are available in the Burley 

Field Office at the above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa 

Cresswell, Assistant Field Manager, 

Shoshone Field Office, telephone 208– 

732–7270; address BLM Burley Field 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES