Stillwater Field Office, Nevada ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Bell Mountain Exploration Corporation Bell Mountain Mine Project DOI-BLM-NV-C010-2019-0013-EA U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Carson City District Stillwater Field Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701 775-885-6000 March 2020 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.1 Identifying Information ............................................................................................1 1.1.1 Location of Proposed Action .......................................................................1 1.2 Background Information ..........................................................................................3 1.3 Purpose and Need for Action ...................................................................................3 1.4 Land Use Plan Conformance Statement ..................................................................3 1.5 Relationships to Statutes, Regulations, Other Plans and Environmental Analysis Documents ................................................................................................4 1.6 Scoping and Issue Identification ..............................................................................4 1.7 Permits and Approvals .............................................................................................7 1.8 Decision to Be Made ................................................................................................7 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ............................................................8 2.1 Proposed Action .......................................................................................................8 2.1.1 Mine Pits ....................................................................................................13 2.1.2 Ore Stockpile/Crushing Circuit Area .........................................................13 2.1.3 Heap Leach Facility ...................................................................................13 2.1.4 ACA Plant ..................................................................................................15 2.1.5 Waste Rock Disposal Areas .......................................................................15 2.1.6 Ancillary Facilities .....................................................................................15 2.1.7 Power Supply .............................................................................................16 2.1.8 Reagents .....................................................................................................16 2.1.9 Roads..........................................................................................................16 2.1.10 Fencing and Security..................................................................................17 2.1.11 Water Management ....................................................................................17 2.1.12 Exploration Activities ................................................................................18 2.1.13 Reclamation ...............................................................................................18 2.1.14 Environmental Protection Measures and Design Features ........................21 2.1.15 Monitoring .................................................................................................21 2.2 Alternatives ............................................................................................................21 2.2.1 No Action Alternative ................................................................................21 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis ..........................21 2.3.1 Heap Leach Facility Alternate Location Alternative .................................21 2.3.2 Additional Waste Rock Disposal Area Alternative ...................................22 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ............................................................................................23 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................23 3.2 Supplemental Authorities.......................................................................................23 3.3 Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions ...................................25 3.4 Affected Environment and Effects of the Alternatives ..........................................28 3.4.1 Air Quality .................................................................................................28 3.4.2 Migratory Birds ..........................................................................................33 3.4.3 Vegetation including Noxious and Invasive, Non-native Species .............37 3.4.4 Water Resources (Surface and Ground) ....................................................39 Bell Mountain Mine Project i Environmental Assessment 3.4.5 Sensitive Species (Wildlife and Plants) .....................................................45 3.4.6 General Wildlife.........................................................................................54 3.4.7 Land Use ....................................................................................................56 3.4.8 Minerals and Geology ................................................................................58 3.4.9 Soils............................................................................................................60 4.0 PERSONS, GROUPS, OR AGENCIES CONSULTED ...............................................64 5.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................65 6.0 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................67 LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1: Issues and/or Concerns Identified in the Proposed Project Scoping........................5 Table 1-2: Major Permits and Approvals ..................................................................................7 Table 2-1: Existing and Proposed Disturbance .........................................................................9 Table 2-2 Estimated Consumptive Non-Potable Water Use ..................................................17 Table 3-1: Critical Element and Resource Review for Analysis .............................................23 Table 3-2: Cumulative Effects Study Areas Summary ...........................................................26 Table 3-3: Timeframe for Cumulative Analysis .....................................................................27 Table 3-4: Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions Summary ......................27 Table 3-5: Proposed Project Emissions – Including Generators .............................................31 Table 3-6: Proposed Project Emissions – Powerline ...............................................................32 Table 3-7: Highest Modeled Air Pollutant Concentrations from the Proposed Action at Receptor Points Accessible to the Public ...............................................32 Table 3-8: Field Observed Vegetation Communities in the Project Boundary .......................37 Table 3-9: Vegetation Communities with Potential to be Affected by the Proposed Action .....................................................................................................38 Table 3-10: Mine Pit Exploration Drilling Comparison to Depth to Groundwater .......................41 Table 3-11: Land Use Authorizations .......................................................................................57 Table 3-12: Summary of Soil Map Units in the Proposed Project Boundary ...........................60 Table 4-1: Persons, Groups, or Agencies Consulted ...............................................................64 Table 4-2: Stillwater Field Office Resource Specialists..........................................................64 Table 4-3: Third Party Consultants and Contractors ...............................................................64 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1 Project Area Figure 2-1 Proposed Action Figure 2-2 Proposed Mine Facilities Figure 3-1 Cumulative Effects Study Areas – Air Quality, Migratory Birds and Raptors, and Soils Figure 3-2 Cumulative Effects Study Areas – Wildlife and Sensitive Wildlife Species, Land Use, and Minerals and Geology Figure 3-3 Raptor and Golden Eagle Survey Results Figure 3-4 Hydrographic Basins Figure 3-5 Bat Survey Results Bell Mountain Mine Project ii Environmental Assessment Figure 3-6 Vegetation Survey Results Figure 3-7 Soil Map Units LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Environmental Protection Measures and Design Features Appendix B Relationships to Statutes, Regulations, Other Plans and Environmental Analysis Documents Appendix C Habitat Evaluation and Agency Correspondence Appendix D Draft EA Public Comments and Comment Response Matrix LIST OF ACRONYMS A ABA Acid Based Accounting ACA Activated Carbon Adsorption Amsl Above Mean Sea Level B bgs Below Ground Surface BLM Bureau of Land Management BMEC Bell Mountain Exploration Corporation BMRR Bureau of Mining Regulation and Reclamation BWPC Bureau of Water Pollution Control C CCA Circuit Crushing Area CESA Cumulative Effects Study Area CFR Code of Federal Regulations CO Carbon Monoxide CO2e Carbon Dioxide Equivalent COC Constituents