Notice of Availability of the Draft Cyprus Tohono Corporation Proposed Mine Expansion Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Resumen

In compliance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and The United States Department of the Interior Secretarial Order No. 3087, Section 5, Amendment No. 1, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement for the Cyprus Tohono Corporation's proposed mine expansion on the Tohono O'odham Nation, Papago Indian Reservation. The proposed action (Alternate A) consists of the conversion from in situ to open pit mining operations at Cyprus, the creation of a new overburden storage site, and a new copper oxide ore heap leach pad. Cyprus proposes production of approximately one billion pounds of copper during the thirteen year life of the proposal. A description of existing facilities and a detailed proposed plan of operations is presented in the Mine Plan of Operations for Expanded Open Pit and Heap Leach Operations (Cyprus Casa Grande Corporation 1993). The project was developed in response to three underlying needs: mining lease compliance, continued industrial economic support for the Nation, and copper production. Implementation of Alternative A would result in the d