Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 202 / Monday, October 20, 2014 / Notices 62665 

eligibility for certain programs and 

services. CDIBs do not establish 

membership in an Indian tribe. A CDIB 

is not an enrollment document. The 

collection of this information is 

voluntary. Response is required to 

obtain or retain a benefit. 

Type of Review: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Respondents: Individuals. 

Number of Respondents: 154,980 per 

year, on average. 

Number of Responses: 154,980 per 

year, on average. 

Frequency of Response: Once. 

Estimated Time per Response: 1.5 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 

232,470 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour 

Dollar Cost: $6,199,200. 

Dated: October 10, 2014. 

Phillip L. Brinkley, 

Senior Advisor for Information Resources— 

Indian Affairs (Interim). 

[FR Doc. 2014–24825 Filed 10–17–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–4J–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNV920000 L13300000 EP0000; MO 

4500067809] 

Call for Expressions of Competitive 

Interest; Possible Sale of Federal 

Minerals, Esmeralda County, NV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) Nevada State Office 

is seeking expressions of interest for a 

possible competitive mineral materials 

sale of three stockpiles containing 

potassium and sodium salts, 

constructed by the layering of salt 

mechanically scraped from the 

evaporative ponds belonging to 

Rockwood Lithium (Rockwood), 

formerly doing business as Chemetall 

Foote Corporation/Cyprus Foote 

Mineral Company. The stockpiles are a 

byproduct of lithium carbonate 

processing of Rockwood’s lithium brine 

operations and are stockpiled on 

approximately 340 acres of private land 

owned by Rockwood Lithium in Clayton 

Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada at 

Silver Peak. 

DATES: Parties interested in participating 

in a competitive sale for the materials 

described in this notice should notify 

BLM at the address below by December 

19, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Submissions expressing 

interest in participating in a competitive 

sale for the Federal Mineral Salt 

Stockpiles should be sent to the Bureau 

of Land Management, Nevada State 

Office, Attention: Gary Johnson, Deputy 

State Director, Minerals Management, 

1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: T. 

Scott Murrellwright, by telephone at 

775–881–6581; or by email at tmurrell@

blm.gov. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–775–861–6511 

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 3 

stockpiles are located approximately 50 

miles southwest of Tonopah, Nevada. 

The nearest major roads accessing the 

Rockwood operations area are U.S. 95 S. 

and Silver Peak Road. The stockpiles are 

located on the north and south side of 

Silver Peak Road approximately 2 miles 

west of Silver Peak. The subject 

stockpiles are located on Rockwood 

private lands and a portion of BLM 

lands described approximately as: 

Mount Diablo Meridian 

45 Pond Pile Located on Rockwood Private 

Lands & BLM Land 

T. 2 S., R. 39 E., 

Sec. 13, NE1⁄4SE1⁄4, SE1⁄4SE1⁄4. 

Sec. 13, NE1⁄4SW1⁄4 (BLM land) 

10 Pond Pile Located on Rockwood Private 

Lands 

T. 2 S., R 40 E., 

Sec. 18, lots 10, 11 and 12, SE1⁄4SW1⁄4; 

Sec. 19, lots 5 and 8, NE1⁄4NW1⁄4, 

SE1⁄4NW1⁄4. 

R3 Pond Pile Located on Rockwood Private 

Lands 

T. 2 S., R. 39 E., 

Sec. 24, NE1⁄4NE1⁄4. 

T. 2 S., R. 40 E., 

Sec. 18, lot 12; 

Sec, 19, lots 5 and 6. 

The combined volume of the 3 stockpiles 

is approximately 5,500,000 metric tons. 

Map Location Link: https://

maps.google.com/maps?q=silver+

peak+nevada&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=

0x80be998255daf4bb:

0xff5564b360df52de,Silver+

Peak,+NV+89047&gl=us&ei=DOqNU6q_

HMyIogTC7YDgCA&sqi=2&ved=

0CI8BEPIBMA4. 

Map Stockpiles Link: http://

www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/minerals/

saleable_minerals.html. 

The material in these stockpiles is 

composed of semi-crystalline 

heterogeneous salt, composed of 

approximately 70 percent Sodium 

Chloride (NaCl) and 19 percent 

Potassium Chloride (KCl). The NaCl and 

KCl may be marketable, but in its 

present form, the salt(s) cannot be used. 

The salts must first be processed to a 

higher percentage of sodium and/or 

potassium in order to be marketable. 

The stockpiles also contain lithium 

(Li) at approximately 1⁄2 percent of the 

total volume. The lithium in the 

stockpiles is the property of Rockwood 

(see 1991 Settlement Agreement below). 

Rockwood or its predecessor-ininterest has been operating a lithium 

brine solution mining operation on 

lands in Clayton Valley, Esmeralda 

County, Nevada near the town of Silver 

Peak since the 1970’s, first on Federal 

public domain lands, and then on 

private lands after the Federal lands 

were patented to Rockwood’s 

predecessor, Chemetall Foote 

Corporation, subject to a reservation of 

Mineral Leasing Act minerals within the 

patented lands. The lithium solution 

mine pumps lithium-containing brine 

from ancient aquifers into large solar 

evaporative ponds for the purpose of 

precipitating and concentrating salts 

before they are processed into lithium 

carbonate for use in lithium ion 

batteries and other industrial 

applications. As part of this process, 

Rockwood has created stockpiles over 

the years when harvesting lithium that 

contain lithium, potassium and sodium 

salts. These salts are being stockpiled on 

Rockwood’s patented land within the 

operational boundary of the solution 

mine. 

A 1991 Settlement Agreement to 

resolve litigation between the United 

States and Rockwood’s predecessor 

allows for shared rights to the minerals 

in these stockpiles. The settlement 

agreement provides that Rockwood 

maintains first rights to any remaining 

lithium in the salt stockpiles. It further 

provides that the United States 

maintains the rights to the potassium 

and sodium in the stockpiles, but may 

not dispose of those minerals until the 

stockpiles no longer contain lithium in 

economic quantities. A copy of the June 

1991 Settlement Agreement between the 

Cyprus Foote Mineral Company and the 

United States of America/Department of 

Justice can be accessed at, http://

www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/minerals/

saleable_minerals.html. 

The settlement agreement provides 

that special terms would need to be 

negotiated with Rockwood before any 

third party could gain access to the 

stockpiles. Any negotiated access 

agreement would need to ensure that 

the activities of such third party would 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
62666 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 202 / Monday, October 20, 2014 / Notices 

have no adverse effect on Rockwood’s 

current or reasonably anticipated 

operations and would need to resolve 

the issue of Rockwood’s ownership of 

any economic quantities of lithium 

remaining in the stockpiles. We 

encourage potentially interested parties 

to carefully review the terms of the 

settlement agreement before initiating a 

notice of interest to the BLM. 

If the BLM determines there is 

competitive interest in the stockpiles, 

and that a competitive sale is warranted, 

Rockwood would first need to waive a 

provision in the settlement agreement 

that currently prevents BLM from 

disposing of the potassium and sodium 

salts in the stockpiles so long as the 

stockpiles contain marketable lithium. 

Subsequently, the BLM and Rockwood 

would need to agree on stipulations to 

ensure that Rockwood’s operations 

would not be adversely impacted by a 

third party sale. The BLM would 

include notice of these stipulations in 

any sale notice for these materials. In 

addition, these stipulations would be 

attached to any contract with a third 

party. 

Parties expressing interest in 

participating in a competitive sale of the 

stockpiles must be authorized to 

transact business in Nevada. Interested 

parties should submit a letter of interest 

to the addressee in the ADDRESSES

section. 

The BLM will review submissions 

from interested parties in response to 

this notice seeking expressions of 

competitive interest and determine 

whether competitive interest exists in 

the Federal Mineral Salt Stockpiles 

described above. If the BLM determines 

sufficient competitive interest exists, 

and issues related to the settlement 

agreement are resolved, the BLM may 

use a competitive-bidding process, 

consistent with the regulations, to 

conduct the competitive sale. 

This notice is a request for 

expressions of interest only. Even if 

competitive interest is expressed, it is 

possible that no competitive sale will 

take place due to the need for a waiver 

and for negotiated stipulations, 

discussed above. 

If a competitive sale takes place, it 

will be conducted in accordance with 

the Materials Act of 1947 (30 U.S.C. 601 

et seq.) and the regulations at 43 CFR 

part 3600, in accordance with the nature 

of the stockpiled materials, which were 

removed from the ground and 

stockpiled on the surface for future use. 

Authority: 43 CFR 3602.40. 

Marci L. Todd, 

Associate State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24922 Filed 10–17–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLES 930 000 L13200000.EL0000; WVES 

50556, WVES 50560] 

Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, 

WVES 50556 and WVES 50560, Wayne 

County, WV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

certain coal resources in Wayne County, 

West Virginia, known as East Lynn Lake 

(ELL) Argus (WVES 50556) and ELL 

Rockspring (WVES 50560) described 

below will be offered for competitive 

lease by sealed bid in accordance with 

the provisions of the Mineral Leasing 

Act of 1920, as amended. 

DATES: The lease sale will be held at 1 

p.m. on December 4, 2014. Sealed bids 

must be received on or before 10 a.m. 

on December 4, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held 

at the Bureau of Land Management 

office, 20 M Street SE., Washington, DC 

20003, 2nd floor Conference Room. 

Sealed bids must be mailed or delivered 

to: BLM Eastern States Office, 20 M 

Street SE., Washington, DC 20003 Attn: 

Davida Carnahan, WS 9204. Each bid 

should be clearly marked on the outside 

of the envelope that it is a sealed bid 

and clearly identify the LBA serial 

number (WVES 50560 or WVES 50556) 

for which it is intended. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael W Glasson, Solid Minerals 

Program Lead, at 202–912–7723; email 

mglasson@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 Mr. Glasson during normal 

business hours. The FIRS is available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a 

message or question for Mr. Glasson. 

You will receive a reply during normal 

business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal 

lease sale is being held in response to 

two leases by application (LBAs) 

received by the BLM Eastern States 

Office. 

The coal resources in the ELL Argus 

tract, Serial Number WVES 50556, are 

being offered in response to the LBA 

filed by Argus Energy WV, LLC, and 

consist of all reserves recoverable by 

underground room and pillar mining 

methods, with first extraction only, in 

lands located in southeastern Wayne 

County, West Virginia. These lands lie 

approximately 1 mile south of East 

Lynn, West Virginia, on United States 

Army Corp of Engineers (USACE)- 

administered surface with BLMadministered minerals. The sub-tracts 

listed below (A, B and C) are so named 

by the USACE, in dividing the lands 

following their acquisition: 

Sub-tract A: 177M–1, 177M–14, 177M– 

11, 1717M, 1813M, 2321M, 

containing 838.80 acres 

Sub-tract B: 177M–1, 745M, 746M, 808, 

840M, 843M, 846M, 1140M, 1140, 

1301, 1313M, 1330M, 1718M, 1810M, 

1811M, 1813M, 2020M, 2737, 

containing 5,372.20 acres 

Sub-tract C: 177M–12, 177M–1, 2321M, 

2430M, 2431M, containing 1,430.63 

acres 

The areas described aggregate 

7,641.63 acres. 

The land in sub-tracts A, B, and C 

constitutes less than the entire tract 

acquired by the United States (of nearly 

25,000 acres) and is described in 

accordance with 43 CFR 3471.1–1. 

Further detailed definition of the tract 

can be found at: http://www.blm.gov/es/ 

st/en/prog/east_lynn_lake_coal/

documents.html. It should be noted that 

prior to entering onto the lease tract for 

any reason, the successful bidder and/ 

or eventual lessee will be responsible 

for a survey of the boundaries of this 

tract, to be used as the final legal 

boundary certificate for this tract. The 

ELL Argus tract (WVES 50556) has one 

minable coal bed known as Coalburg/

Winifrede (C/W). The minable portions 

of the C/W coal bed in this area are from 

3.0 feet up to 8.7 feet in thickness. First 

mining only will leave coal pillars, 

structural barriers and gas well barriers 

behind. The ELL Argus tract reserve 

contains 15 million tons of recoverable 

high-volatile A and B bituminous coal. 

The estimated average coal quality range 

in the bed on an ‘‘as received basis’’ is 

as follows: 

12,500–13,200 Btu/lb. 

7.00 Percent moisture * 

4.5–8.5 Percent ash 

28.0–32.0 Percent volatile matter 

50.0–53.0 Percent fixed carbon 

0.4–0.9 Percent sulfur 

* Estimated as received moisture; also 

used for calculating as received from 

dry basis. 

The resources in the ELL Rockspring 

tract, Serial Number WVES 50560, are 

being offered in response to the LBA 

filed by Rockspring Development, Inc., 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES