RAY LAND EXCHANGE / PLAN AMENDMENT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT - NEWSLETTER #2 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the Draft Supplemental Environmental Get Involved! Impact Statement (EIS) for the Ray Land You are encouraged to attend any of the Open Exchange and Plan Amendment project for public House public meetings to learn more about the Draft review and comment. Supplemental EIS, ask questions, and submit comments. Comments will be accepted The Ray Land Exchange is a proposal brought for 90 days through February 16, 2018. to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from private mining company ASARCO LLC (ASARCO). ASARCO wants to exchange 7,304 Public Meetings acres of private lands (Offered Private Lands) in Attend one of these meetings to learn about the Pinal and Mohave Counties, Arizona, for 10,976 proposed land exchange and provide comments on acres of BLM-administered public lands (Selected the environmental analysis. Public Lands) near or adjacent to existing mining operations at the Ray Mine Complex near Kearny, The open house meetings will be held from 5:00 to Arizona. 7:30 p.m. with a formal presentation at 5:30 p.m. Kearny, Arizona The BLM invites your input on the proposed January Ray School Auditorium land exchange. Your involvement is critical as 16 BLM moves towards a decision on whether the 701 N. Hwy 177, Kearny, AZ exchange is in the public interest. More information Gilbert, Arizona January about the National Environmental Policy Act Southeast Regional Library 17 (NEPA) process and the BLM decision to be made 775 N Greenfield Road, Gilbert, AZ is available on pages 5 and 6. Tucson, Arizona Pima Community College For more information and to download a digital January Community Rooms A109 and A112 copy of the Draft Supplemental EIS visit the project 18 401 N Bonita Ave, Tucson, AZ website at http://go.usa.gov/xn2FG. If you have questions, or would like a CD copy of the report, Kingman, Arizona contact Mr. Michael Werner, project manager, at January Mohave Community College [email protected] or 602-417-9561. 23 Neal Campus Room 240 1971 Jagerson Ave, Kingman, AZ How to Submit Comments • The BLM is accepting comments during the 90-day comment period through February 16, 2018. • Attend an open house public meeting to learn about the project and submit comments. • Email written comments to [email protected] • Send written comments via postal mail to: BLM Arizona State Office Attn: Ray Land Exchange One North Central Avenue, Suite 800 Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427 Offered Private Lands - Knisely Ranch Parcels Proposed Action and Alternatives Ray Land Exchange Proposed Action Selected Public Lands Under the Ray Land Exchange Proposed Action, ASARCO would acquire 10,976 acres of public lands. Of those, 8,196 acres include both the surface and mineral estate. The remaining 2,780 acres are mineral estate only with the surface privately owned. These lands are Selected Public Lands - Copper Butte Parcel 1 referred to as the “Selected Public Lands.” They are desirable to ASARCO because they are adjacent to or near the company’s current mining operations or have Ray Land Exchange Alternatives potential for future mining operations. ASARCO holds Alternatives are the heart of any EIS, as they present valid mining claims on most of the Selected Public Lands. other possible courses of action that could achieve the Because of these valid claims, ASARCO is expected to underlying purpose of and need for action to which the conduct mining operations on the Selected Public Lands agency is responding. The alternatives presented in the under the General Mining Act of 1872, regardless of the Supplemental EIS are identical to those contained in the land exchange. Some of the parcels are small, scattered, 1999 Final EIS and include the Proposed Action, the and difficult to access. Buckeye Alternative, the Copper Butte Alternative, and the No Action Alternative. Offered Private Lands In exchange for the Selected Public Lands, ASARCO has Buckeye Alternative offered the BLM 7,304 acres on 18 parcels of private land • Developed largely in response to scoping comments in Pinal and Mohave Counties. These lands are referred expressing concern for the integrity of resource values in to as the “Offered Private Lands.” Due to their natural and around Walnut Creek. resource values and location, the BLM considers these • Selected Public Lands acreage would be reduced by about parcels desirable for public ownership and management. 800 surface and subsurface acres in the Copper Butte area. The Offered Private Lands include parcels within or adjacent to designated Wilderness areas, areas of Copper Butte Alternative critical environmental concern (ACECs), riparian areas, • Developed in response to issues regarding recreational and other access to the White Canyon Wilderness through and habitat for endangered species and other special the Copper Butte area. category wildlife species, such as the desert tortoise. In most cases, the Offered Private Lands consolidate • Selected Public Lands would be reduced by about 1,800 fragmented public lands. surface and subsurface acres in the Copper Butte area. No Action Alternative • No lands would be exchanged. Selected Public Lands would remain in public ownership and continue to be managed by BLM for multiple use and sustained yield. • To develop its mining claims on public lands ASARCO would be required to file mine plans of operation (MPOs) with BLM as required under 43 CFR 3809 regulations Under these regulations, BLM is required to conduct a separate environmental analysis of the planned mining activities to ensure that no unnecessary or undue degradation would result from the proposed mining operations and that ASARCO remains in compliance with other applicable environmental regulations. • Comparison of the No Action Alternative with the three action alternatives is at the core of the “with and without” impact analysis required by the Ninth Circuit decision that this Supplemental EIS is intended to address. Selected Public Lands - Ray Mine Parcel 18 Ray Land Exchange and Plan Amendment Supplemental EIS - Page 2 Project Location Page Ray Mine GILA CO Kearny PINAL CO Knisely Ranch Parcels Gila River Hayden Winkelman Selected Lands Kingman Flagstaff Sacramento Valley Parcel Tomlin Parcels Holbrook Prescott McCracken Mountains Parcels Payson Wickenburg Offered Private Lands - Tomlin Parcel (Big Sandy River) Gila River at Cochran Parcel Globe Phoenix Ray Mine Parcels Casa Grande Parcels Yuma Casa Grande ENLARGED AREA Tucson Offered Private Lands Sacramento Valley Parcel Nogales RAY LAND EXCHANGE/PLAN AMENDMENT Selected Lands SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Offered Lands Cities and Towns 0 25 50 Highway Miles County 0 50 100 Kilometers Figure 1.5-1. Ray Land Exchange/Plan Amendment SEIS project location map. Offered Private Lands Gila River at Cochran Selected Public Lands - Ray Mine Parcel 17 (in background) Ray Land Exchange and Plan Amendment Supplemental EIS - Page 3 Proposed Action Parcel Description Selected Public Lands (public lands managed by BLM and selected by ASARCO for private ownership) Ray Mine Parcels • 6,325 acres Approximately 3.5 miles north of • Eighteen parcels surrounding the Ray Mine Kearny, AZ • Sonoran Desertscrub habitat and disturbed land • Sonoran riparian deciduous forest habitat along drainages • Low to high mineral potential • 43 archeological sites Copper Butte Parcels • 3,182 acres Approximately 10 miles • Five parcels located approximately one mile west of the Ray Mine northwest of Kearny, AZ • Sonoran Desertscrub habitat • Contains a portion of Walnut Creek, an ephemeral stream • Primarily low mineral potential, with high potential in two parcels • 35 archeological sites Chilito Parcels • 832 acres Approximately 6 miles east of • Five parcels near the Hayden operations Kearny, AZ • Sonoran Desertscrub habitat • Low to moderate mineral potential Casa Grande Parcels • 637 acres on three parcels near Casa Grande Approximately 3 miles • Subsurface mineral estate only west of Casa Grande, AZ • Disturbed land Offered Private Lands (private lands owned by ASARCO and offered to BLM for public ownership) Gila River at Cochran • 320 acres Parcel • 2.5 miles southwest of the White Canyon Wilderness on the Gila River Approximately 14 miles west of • Contains a segment of the Gila River Riparian Management Area • 146 acres of riparian habitat suitable for southwestern willow flycatcher and western Kearny, AZ yellow-billed cuckoo • BLM special status species known or likely to occur • Important wintering and breeding bird habitat • One mile of Gila River for bird-watching and sportsman’s access –fishing, hunting, camping Knisely Ranch Parcels • 160 acres on three inholding parcels within the Mount Tipton Wilderness Approximately 20 miles north- • Great Basin conifer woodland, interior chaparral, and Mohave desertscrub west of Kingman, AZ • Pine Canyon provides mesquite- and catclaw-dominated xeroriparian habitat • Offers legal access to large body of public land – sportsman’s hunting, camping, hiking • Consolidates public ownership of lands within the Mount Tipton Wilderness McCracken Mountain • 6,384 acres on 10 parcels within the McCracken Desert Tortoise Habitat ACEC Parcels • High quality xeroriparian habitat for a variety of wildlife species Approximately 13 miles • BLM special status species known or likely to occur • Consolidates checkerboard lands, limiting future development in desert tortoise habitat southwest of Wikieup, AZ • Consolidates