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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 151 / Tuesday, August 10, 2021 / Notices
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public lands. NGMs purpose and need is to develop the mineral resource.
Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives NGM is proposing to construct, operate, close, and reclaim a new underground mining project in the Cortez Mining District. The proposed Goldrush Mine is located approximately 30 miles south of Beowawe, Nevada, in Lander and Eureka Counties, Nevada.
The proposed Goldrush Mine Plan of Operations boundary would encompass approximately 19,895 acres, of which 772 acres would be on private land controlled by NGM and 19,123 acres on public lands administered by the BLM
Battle Mountain District, Mount Lewis Field Office and BLM Elko District, Tuscarora Field Office. The proposed Goldrush Mine would include approximately 1,717 acres of new proposed disturbance and approximately 1,037 acres of existing/
authorized and reclassified disturbance, for a total disturbance of approximately 2,754 acres.
The proposed underground mining and surface support activities for the Goldrush Mine would include: 1 A
materials handling system for transporting ore and waste rock from the underground workings to the surface and transporting aggregate and supplies to the underground workings and surface backfill plant; 2 a dewatering system, including wells, pipelines and pipeline corridors, a water treatment plant WTP, rapid infiltration basins RIBs, and a multi-use shop; 3 a contact water pipeline; 4 ventilation raises; 5 a backfill aggregate paste plant and crusher; 6 a shotcrete/
cemented rock fill CRF plant; 7 two new power lines, including a 120kilovolt kV power line with two switching stations, and a 13.8-kV power line; 8 new ancillary surface facilities, including bulk material storage, access roads, power supply, stormwater controls, laydown and parking areas, lighting, growth media stockpiles, dewatering and monitoring wells, gravel pit expansion, potable water and septic systems, dry facilities change rooms, service boreholes for electrical and fuel delivery, fire suppression system, water truck refill stations, emergency helipads, fencing, and modular information technology IT and communications buildings; 9 dual use of existing facilities within the nearby Cortez Mine Plan boundary; and 10
continued surface and underground exploration activities.
A fleet of over-the-road haul truck and trailer units would be used for ore transportation to either the NGM-

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operated Goldstrike or Gold Quarry offsite processing facilities. The Proposed Action would result in changes to the Horse Canyon Mine Plan NVN
066896, Horse Canyon/Cortez Unified Exploration Project HC/CUEP Plan NVN066621, West Pine Valley Exploration Plan NVN077213, and Cortez Mine Plan NVN067575.
The Goldrush Mine would operate 24
hours per day, 365 days per year for approximately 24 years. The work force would be approximately 570 persons, which includes both NGM employees and contractors. The construction work force would be approximately 495
workers.
Reclamation of disturbed areas resulting from mining operations would be completed in accordance with BLM
and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection NDEP regulations.
Concurrent reclamation would take place where practicable and safe and when an area is no longer needed.
Reclamation activities at the end of mining are anticipated to take approximately 36 months.
In addition to the No Action and the Proposed Action, other alternatives may be identified through scoping comments or through analysis.
Summary of Expected Impacts The BLM has identified the following preliminary resource concerns associated with the Project: 1
Properties of Cultural and Religious Importance PCRI and Native American concerns. Up to 50 National Register of Historic Places-eligible or unevaluated cultural properties would be physically altered, resulting in an adverse effect to these cultural sites. Adverse impacts would occur to approximately 392 acres of the Horse Canyon PCRI. Vegetation communities important to Native American traditional values may be impacted by the Proposed Action. 2
Impacts to wildlife resources. Potential impacts include habitat change, habitat loss, alterations to water sources, fatalities as a result of collisions with vehicles, displacement due to human activity and disturbance, and impediments to movement through corridors. 3 Potential impacts to BLM
sensitive species including greater sagegrouse and golden eagles. For greater sage-grouse, the Proposed Action would disturb approximately 805 acres of Priority Habitat Management Areas, 14
acres of General Habitat Management Areas, 618 acres of Other Habitat Management Areas, and 79 acres of Non-Habitat Management Areas.
Exploration activities could result in up to 210 acres of additional disturbance to any of the greater sage-grouse habitat
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types. For golden eagles, the Proposed Action would result in the removal of 1,094 acres of foraging habitat.
Additionally, eight golden eagle territories occur within one mile of the proposed Project disturbance area. 4
Potential impacts to visual resources.
The Proposed Action would add form, line, texture, and color to the existing landscape. 5 Potential impacts to air quality. Modeling has determined that impacts from the Proposed Action would not exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10, PM2.5, CO, NOX, and SO2. Total facility-wide Hazardous Air Pollutants HAP are estimated to be 1.8 tons per year tpy, with 0.5 tpy of the highest single HAP, arsenic. The facility-wide HAP
emissions are within U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency USEPA thresholds. Greenhouse gas emissions, including off-site ore transport, are estimated to be 96,624 tpy CO2e. Mercury emissions are estimated to be 0.014 tpy. 6 Potential impacts to surface and groundwater resources.
Potential impacts to seep, spring, and stream flow may occur from proposed dewatering operations if the source of the water is connected to the regional aquifer. Dewatering operations would also result in a lowering of the local groundwater table. Sedimentation and erosion may also occur due to Projectrelated surface disturbance. 7 Potential impacts to traffic. The Proposed Action would result in two ore hauling trucks per hour on the transportation route, as well as 89 trips each shift for employees and contractors during construction and up to 71 trips during operations along the transportation route. Changes in the level of service at some locations along the transportation route may occur, but there would be no degrading of the level of service below acceptable levels. 8
Potential impacts to livestock grazing.
The Proposed Action would result in new surface disturbance of 1,717 acres, which would impact forage utilized by livestock. Approximately 119 Animal Unit Months AUMs would be impacted in the Carico Lake, Grass Valley, JD, and South Buckhorn allotments. The 210 acres of proposed exploration disturbance may result in an impact ranging from 9 to 19 AUMs, depending on the allotment in which the activities occur. 9 Potential impacts on vegetation communities and soil productivity. The Proposed Action would result in disturbance to soil and removal of vegetation on 1,717 acres.
10 Potential for subsidence. In the post-closure period, underground mine induced rock collapse may occur over open workings and result in the
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