Table of Contents 4.11 Mineral Resources
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4.11 Mineral Resources TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.11 MINERAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................ 4.11-1 4.11.1 Environmental Setting .................................................................................... 4.11-1 4.11.2 Regulatory Setting ........................................................................................ 4.11-22 4.11.3 Significance Criteria ..................................................................................... 4.11-25 4.11.4 Impact Analysis ............................................................................................ 4.11-26 4.11.5 Applicant-Proposed Measures ...................................................................... 4.11-27 4.11.6 Mid-Line Series Capacitor Site Alternatives ................................................ 4.11-27 4.11.7 References ..................................................................................................... 4.11-29 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project ..................................................................................................................... 4.11-3 LIST OF TABLES Table 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project ................................................................................................................... 4.11-13 Table 4.11-2: Mineral Resource Zone Definitions ............................................................... 4.11-22 Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project Page 4.11-i Proponent's Environmental Assessment April 2018 This page intentionally left blank. 4.11 Mineral Resources 4.11 Mineral Resources This section describes the mineral resources in the area of the Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project (Proposed Project1), as well as potential impacts and alternatives. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a mineral resource is defined as a concentration of naturally occurring solid, liquid, or gaseous materials in or on the earth’s crust in such a form and quantity, and of such a grade or quality, that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction, either currently or in the future. Mineral resources include oil, natural gas, and metallic and non-metallic deposits. Mineral resources data were obtained from the following resources: . USGS . California Department of Conservation (DOC) . California Geological Survey (CGS) . County of San Bernardino General Plan . City of Hesperia General Plan . Clark County Comprehensive Plan . City of Boulder City Master Plan Aerial photographs were also used to analyze mineral resources in the vicinity of the Proposed Project. 4.11.1 Environmental Setting The Proposed Project is located in California and Nevada, within the Mojave Basin and Range (Mojave). Federal lands constitute a majority of the land area in the Mojave, including lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and Department of Defense (DoD). The Proposed Project would modify three existing transmission lines that extend northeast from Lugo Substation (located in San Bernardino County, California) to Eldorado Substation (located in the City of Boulder City, Nevada) and Mohave Substation (located in Clark County, Nevada), and from Mohave Substation northwest to Eldorado Substation. Portions of the Proposed Project would also cross the City of Hesperia, California, the unincorporated community of Lucerne Valley in California, as well as the unincorporated communities of Searchlight and Laughlin in Nevada. Mineral Resources in the Proposed Project Area Based on a review of published sources and data from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System, there are no active mines2 and/or mineral plants within 1 mile of the Proposed Project. 1 The term “Proposed Project” is inclusive of all components of the Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project. Where the discussion in this section focuses on a particular component, that component is called out by its individual work area (e.g., “Ludlow Series Capacitor”). 2 Active mines are defined as U.S. mineral and metal operations that are monitored by the National Minerals Information Center of the USGS, surveyed by the USGS, and considered to be currently active as of 2003. Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project Page 4.11-1 Proponent's Environmental Assessment April 2018 4.11 Mineral Resources However, there are 48 sites with either producers,3 past producers, or mineral prospects located within 1 mile of the Proposed Project, as detailed in Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project4 and Table 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project. The DOC’s Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) provides oversight for local governments as they administer the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) within their respective jurisdictions. Based on a review of existing mining operations from the DOC’s OMR, no active mines were located within 1 mile of the Proposed Project. The DOC Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) oversees the drilling, operation, maintenance, and plugging and abandonment of oil, natural gas, and geothermal wells in California, and tracks all known oil and gas wells. Based on a review of data from the DOC DOGGR, there are no oil wells located within 1 mile of the Proposed Project. Mineral Resources Zones (MRZs), as classified by the California State Mining and Geology Board (SMGB), were established to designate lands that contain mineral deposits. MRZ definitions are provided in Table 4.11-2: Mineral Resource Zone Definitions. A small portion of the Eldorado-Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line and Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line are located in areas classified as MRZ-2a and MRZ-3a, as detailed in Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project. Within the MRZ areas, the Eldorado-Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line and Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line do not cross any designated sectors, which are areas formally designated by the SMGB for lands containing mineral resources of regional or Statewide economic significance that are needed to meet future demand. 3 According to the USGS, producers are mines that produce on demand or seasonally with variable lengths of activity. In addition, producers are considered to be in production at the time of data entry into the Mineral Resources Data System. Past producers are considered to be mines formerly operating that have closed, where the equipment or structures may have been removed or abandoned. Mineral prospects are considered deposits that have gone beyond the occurrence stage; the deposits may or may not have undergone feasibility studies that would lead to a decision on going into production. 4 Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project does not show Proposed Project areas where resources do not occur. Page 4.11-2 Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project April 2018 Proponent's Environmental Assessment 40 ¨¦§ Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources, Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project Map 1 of 5 Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project Proposed Fiber Optic Repeater Location Eldorado - Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line Lugo - Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line Silver Mineral Resource Reef Mine Mineral Resource Zone State Boundary Interstate State Highway/US Highway Silver Cliff Iron Mountain-Bessemer-Lava Bed Copper Strand MRZ-3a Mine Red Hills Unnamed Shaft MRZ-3a UV247 Unnamed Prospect Unnamed Prospect Note: Any area that is not shown as MRZ-1, -2, or -3 has been designated as MRZ-4 and is unmapped. MRZ-4 areas contain no known mineral occurrences where geologic information does not rule out either the presence or absence of significant mineral resources. Unnamed Prospect Nevada Barstow Repeater Arizona California Peterson Limestone Deposit Star Dust Group Star Dust Group 1:140,000 Miles K 0 2 4 Source: Insignia, 2018; SCE, 2018; USGS - Mineral Resources Data System, 2016 Z:\Projects\SCE_Lugo\MXDs\PEA\Minerals\Minerals_v2.mxd 4/13/2018 This page intentionally left blank. Figure 4.11-1: Mineral Resources, Producers, Past Producers, and Prospects Within 1 Mile of the Proposed Project Map 2 of 5 Eldorado-Lugo-Mohave Series Capacitor Project # Existing Substation $ Proposed Mid-Line Capacitor Location Telecommunication Line Eldorado - Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line Lugo - Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line Transmission Line not part of Project Mineral Resource Mineral Resource Zone State Boundary Interstate Unnamed Heather Strontium Pumice Occurrence Prospect MRZ-3a Newberry Springs Lee Yim Deposit Series Capacitor Ludlow $ Series Reinerth # Prospect Fort Cady Pisgah $ Capacitor Unnamed Lee Yim Deposit Barite Substation Deposit Argos Deposit Hansen Fort Cady Unnamed Barite Process Strontianite Deposit Unnamed Pit Plant Prospect Unnamed MRZ-2a Mt. Pisgah Unnamed Pit Volcanic Strontium Newberry Cinders Occurrence Hectorite MRZ-2a Note: Any area that is not shown as MRZ-1, -2, or -3 has been Mine designated as MRZ-4 and is unmapped. MRZ-4 areas contain no known mineral occurrences where geologic information does not La