Mount Taylor Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands; New Mexico; Roca Honda Mine Project

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service), Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands, intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess and disclose the effects of the proposed Plan of Operations (PoO), also referred to as the Mine Operations and Reclamation Plan (MORP), submitted by Roca Honda Resources, LLC (RHR), for the development and operations of the Roca Honda Mine Project. The Forest Service is the lead agency. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office are cooperating federal agencies. This notice announces the beginning of a 30-day comment period to solicit comments and identify issues. The EIS will evaluate potential impacts of the development and operations associated with the proposed underground uranium mine on National Forest System (NFS) and BLM- administered lands, as well as state and private lands. The Forest Service expects that the proposed action will require a project- specific amendment to ensure consistency with the Cibola National Forest Land Management Plan. The Enterprise Land Management System number for the project is 301824 (see link below).