[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 160 (Monday, August 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47145-47146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18004]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[DOI-BLM-NV-W010-2020-0030-EIS; LLNVW01000.L51100000.GN0000. 
LVEMF1907180.19XMO#4500153666]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Gold Acquisition Corporation--Relief Canyon 
Gold Mine--Mine Expansion Amendment, Pershing County, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Humboldt River 
Field Office, Winnemucca, Nevada has prepared the Relief Canyon Mine 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed expansion 
to the Relief Canyon gold mining operation in Pershing County, Nevada, 
and by this notice announces the availability of the Final EIS.

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 Gold Acquisition Corporation--Relief 
Canyon Gold Mine--Mine Expansion Amendment Final EIS DOI-BLM-NV-W010-
2020-0030-EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Relief Canyon Mine Plan Expansion and the 
Final EIS

[[Page 47146]]

are available for public inspection on the internet at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2000567/510.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jeanette ``Jean'' Black; 
telephone: (775) 623-1500; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8ce6eee0edefe7cceee0e1a2ebe3fa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6f050d030e0c042f0d030241080019">[email protected]</span></a>; address: 5100 E 
Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445. 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. Black during normal 
business hours. The FRS is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, to 
leave a message or question. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Gold Acquisition Corporation (GAC), a wholly 
owned subsidiary of Pershing Gold Corporation, itself a wholly owned 
subsidiary of Americas Gold and Silver Corporation, proposes an 
expansion to the existing Relief Canyon Gold Mine. The mine is located 
in Pershing County, Nevada, approximately 16 miles east-northeast of 
Lovelock, Nevada. The proposed expansion is located within GAC's 
authorized Plan of Operations boundary and proposes to modify the 
existing Plan of Operations as follows:
    <bullet> Create roughly 576 acres of new surface disturbance on 
public and private land including re-disturbance of about 137 acres of 
previously disturbed vegetation communities.
    <bullet> Expand the footprint of the existing approved pit area by 
approximately 84 acres (68 acres of public land and 16 acres of private 
land) with resultant elimination of a portion of existing Waste Rock 
Storage Facility (WRSF) 4.
    <bullet> Mine to final pit bottom elevation of 4,420 feet above 
mean sea level (ft amsl), which will involve continued mining below the 
water table, and result in a post-mining pit lake that is predicted to 
reach an equilibrium elevation of 4,887 ft amsl roughly 50 years after 
completion of mining.
    <bullet> Construct a dewatering conveyance pipeline and Rapid 
Infiltration to re-infiltrate up to 900 gallons per minute of mine 
dewatering water during the last 3 months of proposed mining.
    <bullet> Install up to 50 vertical and horizontal drains in the pit 
wall to ensure pit slope stability and supplement pit dewatering 
operations.
    <bullet> Convert up to 50 exploration drill holes located in and 
adjacent to the pit as vertical or near vertical drains and/or 
piezometer to monitor water levels to ensure pit slope stability and 
supplement pit dewatering operations.
    <bullet> Expand WRSFs, heap leach pads, and construct process 
ponds, new growth media stockpiles, diversion ditches for stormwater 
control, and ancillary facilities.
    <bullet> Expand yard and crusher-conveyor areas, roads, and fences.
    <bullet> Close and reclaim all project facilities at the completion 
of the Project.

Final EIS

    The Final EIS describes and analyzes the proposed project's direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. The EIS 
analyzed the Proposed Action (Alternative A) and the No Action 
Alternative (Alternative B).
    A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS for the proposed 
Project was published in the Federal Register on February 19, 2021 (86 
FR 5246). Two virtual public meetings were held during the comment 
period. The BLM received 12 public comment documents during the 45-day 
comment period. The documents contained 70 individual comments with 36 
substantive comments, which included concerns on potential impacts from 
the pit lake, groundwater quantity and quality, springs in the area 
near the mine, management of waste rock, rapid infiltration basins, and 
heap leach facilities, wildlife habitat loss, greater sage-grouse, 
golden eagles, pale kangaroo mice, and horses. These comments were 
considered and addressed in Appendix D (draft EIS Public Comments and 
Responses) of the Final EIS.
    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 significantly 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 have no adverse effects to historic properties and the Nevada 
SHPO has concurred.
    The BLM has consulted and continues to consult with Native American 
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.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7)

Ester M. McCullough,
District Manager, Winnemucca District Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-18004 Filed 8-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P


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