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                                FINAL ENVIRONMENT AL IMPACT STATEMENT
                            GILLIBRAND SOLEDAD CANYON MINING OPERATIONS
                                  ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA



          a.     Responsible Aaency:  U.S.  Department  of Agriculture,  Forest Service,  Angeles  National
                                       Forest, California

          b.     Proposed Action:      Gilli brand Soledad Canyon Mining Operations, Los Angeles County,
                                       California

          c.     Inquiries on  this document should be directed to:

                                       Charles McDonald
                                       Angeles National Forest
                                       701  N. Santa Anita Avenue
                                       Arcadia, California 91006
                                       (818) 574-5257

          d.     Deslanatlon:  Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)


          e.     Abstract:  In August  1989,  the  P.W.  Gillibrand Company submitted a preliminary Plan of
                 Operations to the Forest Service for the development and production of the Soledad Canyon
                 Mining Project.  In response, the Angeles Forest Supervisor directed the  preparation of an

                 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
                 Act  (NEPA).     This  EIS  analyzes  effects  and  discloses  the  potential  environmental
                 consequences of the proposed action, no action, and two alternatives.  The proposed action

                 calls for the extraction of titanium ores and associated heavy minerals from the Proponent's
                 lode and placer claims in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County. California.  The
                 environmental analysis addresses the impacts of open-pit excavation, road construction, and
                 conveyor construction on specific sites within an 810-acre project boundary.  The Proponent
                 expects to produce 400,000 tons of ilmenite per year at the peak of operations.  This target

                 will cause 300 acres of site disturbance over a 10-year operations period.  The public used the
                 scoping  process  to  identify  such  issues  as  air  quality,  soils,  water  resources,  biological
                 resources.  cultural  and  paleontological  resources,  transportation,  visual  resources,  noise,

                 recreational  opportunities,  land  use,  property  values,  and  public  health and  safety.  The
                 preparers of the EIS evaluated these issues to formulate mitigation measures that will reduce
                 environmental  impacts  to  a non-significant  level.  The  Proponent  has  incorporated  these
                 mitigation  measures  and  other  applicable  regulatory  requirements  into  a  final  Plan  of

                 Operations for the project (see Appendix C, separately bound).






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