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Sevier Playa Potash Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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Sevier Playa Potash Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Utah Sevier Playa Potash Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement November 2018 Estimated Total Lead Agency Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this Document: $2,273,000 BLM Mission It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for use and enjoyment of present and future generations Sevier Playa Potash Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2014-0001-EIS Case File: UTU-88387 U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Fillmore Field Office Cooperating Agencies U. S. Department of Defense (Utah Test and Training Range) U. S. Environmental Protection Agency U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service State of Utah Millard County Beaver County November 2018 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Sevier Playa Potash Project Type of Action: Mining Plan Approval Right-of-Way Grants Mineral Material Sales Project Location: Millard County, Utah For Further Information on this Bureau of Land Management Document, Contact: Fillmore Field Office Attn: Clara Stevens 95 East 500 North Fillmore, UT 84631 (435) 743-3100 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (435) 743-3136 Comment Period: 45 days after the publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register Abstract This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared to analyze and disclose the potential effects of approving a Mining Plan, granting rights-of-way (ROWs), and approving mineral material sales to Crystal Peak Minerals, Inc. (CPM) for the purpose of constructing, operating, maintaining, and decommissioning the Sevier Playa Potash Project (Project). Crystal Peak Minerals, Inc. holds or through agreement controls the right to develop and operate potassium mineral leases on 117,814 acres of federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and an additional 6,409 acres of potash leases on state lands on or adjacent to the Sevier Playa, for a total of 124,223 acres. The Sevier Playa is located in central Millard County in southwestern Utah. CPM proposes to exercise its lease rights by constructing and operating the Project, which would produce at its peak 372,000 tons per year of potassium sulfate, also known as sulfate of potash, and associated minerals over the 32-year lifetime of the Project from potassium salts that are present in the brines of the Sevier Playa. The proposed action for the Project is based on CPM’s Mining Plan, Plan of Development (POD), and the Gravel Pits – Mining Plan. The Mining Plan forms the basis for the mining components of CPM’s proposed action. The POD is based on the off-lease infrastructure (to be located in ROWs) required to support the mining components of CPM’s proposed action. The Gravel Pits – Mining Plan is specific to mineral material sales from three gravel pits that CPM would operate to support development of mining components and off-lease infrastructure. The DEIS analyzes the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the Project and addresses those issues identified by federal, state, or local agencies; Native American tribes; interested or affected parties; the public; the BLM Interdisciplinary Team; or where an analysis is required by law, regulation, or agency direction. The DEIS analyzes in detail the proposed action, five action alternatives, and a no- action alternative. United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT West Desert District Office 2370 South Decker Lake Blvd. West Valley City, Utah 84119 ph: (801) 977-4300; Fax: (801) 977-4397 https://www.blm.gov/office/west-desert-district-office In Reply Refer To: 3500, 2800 (UTW00000) UTU-88387, UTU-90095 Dear Reader: Enclosed for your review and comment is the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Sevier Playa Potash Project (Project). The DEIS was prepared by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fillmore Field Office in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, and the Materials Act of 1947. The DEIS was prepared in consultation with the following Cooperating Agencies: the U.S. Department of Defense (Utah Test and Training Range), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Utah, and Millard and Beaver Counties. The BLM welcomes your comments on the DEIS and its supporting documents. Your review is critical to the Project analysis and BLM’s decision-making process. Your comments should be as specific as possible. In your comments, please reference the relevant document, section, and page and include suggested changes, sources, or methodologies as applicable. Responses to substantive comments (defined in 40 Code of Federal Regulations 1503.3 and Section 6.9.2.1 of BLM Handbook H-1790-1) will be included in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. To ensure your comments receive full consideration, the BLM must receive your written comments on the DEIS within 45 days following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings, hearings, or any other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media releases, or mailings. You may submit comments related to the DEIS for the Project by any of the following methods: • E-mail: [email protected] • Fax: (435) 743-3136 • Mail: Bureau of Land Management Fillmore Field Office Attn: Clara Stevens – Sevier Playa Potash Project Comments 95 East 500 North, Fillmore, UT 84631 Electronic versions of the DEIS and supporting documents can be downloaded from ePlanning at https://bit.ly/2CZPeWy. Paper and digital copies of the DEIS and supporting documents are only available for review during normal business hours at: 1) The BLM Fillmore Field Office at the above address; 2) The BLM West Desert District Office at 2370 South Decker Lake Blvd., West Valley City, UT 3) The Fillmore City Library at 75 West Center, Fillmore, UT 4) The Delta City Library at 76 North 200 West, Delta, UT For further information contact: Clara Stevens, Project Manager, telephone (435) 743-3119; address 95 East 500 North, Fillmore, UT 84631; e-mail [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual 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. Sincerely, Kevin Oliver District Manager Sevier Playa Potash Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement Executive Summary Executive Summary ES-1.0 Introduction The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Sevier Playa Potash Project (Project) was prepared by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fillmore Field Office in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (MLA) (30 United States Code [USC] §181 et seq., specifically §§281-287), and the Materials Act of 1947, as amended (30 USC §§ 601-604). Cooperating Agencies for the EIS include the U.S. Department of Defense (Utah Test and Training Range), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Utah, and Millard and Beaver Counties. The MLA as amended contains the right to lease “chlorides, sulphates, carbonates, borates, silicates, or nitrates of potassium in lands belonging to the United States.” Regulations promulgated for this activity are located at 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3500. Any soluble salt containing potassium is defined as potash and there are many different varieties of potash. Leases issued under the MLA also allow for the extraction and sale of minerals associated with the potassium resource. In February 2011, the BLM published an Environmental Assessment (EA) (the “Leasing EA”) that analyzed the effects of leasing and development of the Sevier Lake competitive potassium lease tracts, which included 125,762 acres in 64 tracts (BLM 2011a). The Decision Record for the Leasing EA did not authorize development of the leases, which requires a separate NEPA review and decision (the objective of this DEIS). The BLM published the Sevier Lake Potassium Lease Sale notice in March 2011. During the sale, 95,802 acres were leased to Peak Minerals, Inc. (a subsidiary of Crystal Peak Minerals, Inc. [CPM]) and 22,012 acres were leased to LUMA Minerals, LLC (LUMA). Approximately 7,950 acres that were included in the Leasing Proposal were not leased. Subsequent to the Lease Sale, Peak Minerals and LUMA entered into a cooperative development agreement. CPM holds or through agreement controls the right to develop and operate potassium mineral leases on 117,814 acres of federal lands administered by the BLM and an additional 6,409 acres of potash leases on State of Utah lands managed by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) or adjacent to the Sevier Playa, for a total of 124,223 acres. The Sevier Playa is located in central Millard County in southwestern Utah, approximately 130 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, between the towns of Delta (30 miles to the northeast) and Milford (25 miles to the south-southeast) (see Figure 1.1-1). CPM proposes to exercise its lease rights by constructing and operating the Project, which would produce at its peak approximately 372,000 tons per year of potassium sulfate (K2SO4), also known as sulfate of potash (SOP), and associated minerals. The annual average production over the 32-year lifetime of the Project would be about 328,500 tons, with the minimum annual production approximately 246,000 tons.
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