Page 15 - gillibrand1991eis

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

The Angeles National Forest has prepared this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Forest Service regulations in order to assess
the potential environmental impacts of the proposed P. W. Gillibrand mining operations in the Soledad
Canyon area of the Angeles National Forest. Los Angeles County, California. The document win be
used in considering approval of these mining operations on National Forest land.

The proposed project is site-specific. The Angeles National Forest Land and Resources Management
Plan (Forest Plan) provides management direction from which site-specific EISs are tiered. The

Forest Service determined that because the proposed project could have significant environmental
impacts not fully considered in the Forest Plan, the preparation of an EIS was appropriate.

ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION

A total of nine alternatives including the proposed action were considered to meet the goals of the
mining project. Alternative l describes the proposed action and evaluates its impacts on the
environment. Alternatives 2 and 3 represent alternate ways of achieving the project's objectives.
Alternative 4 is the no action alternative. Five additional alternatives (Alternatives S through 9) were

initially considered but were eliminated from detailed study because they were found to be infeasible
for technical. cost. or operational reasons. A brief description of the alternatives follows.

Alternatl•e 1 (Proposed Action)

The proposed action is to conduct mining operations in the Soledad Canyon area of the Angeles
National Forest and to haul the ore by road to the adjacent plant site near Lang Station, California.

The Proponent plans to mine ilmenite, the titanium feedstock; apatite, a phosphate mineral; zircon,
an industrial sand; magnetite, an iron-bearing mineral; and miscellaneous construction aggregate
materials including sand and gravel. The northern boundary of the claim area (also called Operations
area) of the P.W. Gillibrand Company (the Proponent) lies one mile south of the Antelope Valley
Freeway (State Route 14), between the communities of Solemint and Acton. The claim area covers

about 13,500 acres of the National Forest land; however. project activities will be confined to three

S-1

I --• ■
• r 'l / ■ / 1 ■
I I'" 11" 'P '" , ~ •, r 1 Jo. l l I 1' I 'L-" ■ ',
1-' 1~ IL,.~•~ • 1 ' ■•'" "•' "•' • ■. ""'