[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 194 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-24840]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: October 7, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[MT-921-04-4121-14-P; MTM 80697]

 

Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement and Request 
for Comments on the Fair Market Value and Maximum Economic Recovery; 
Coal Lease Application MTM 80697--Western Energy Company

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management announces the availability of 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Western Energy 
Company's Federal Coal Lease Application MTM 80697 and requests public 
comment on the fair market value (FMV) and maximum economic recovery 
(MER) of certain coal resources it proposes to offer for competitive 
lease sale.
    The land included in Coal Lease Application MTM 80697 is located in 
Rosebud County, Montana, and is described as follows:

T. 1 N., R. 39 W., P.M.M.
    Sec. 2: S\1/2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\
T. 1 N., R. 40 E., P.M.M.
    Sec. 6: Lots 1,2,3,4,
    S\1/2\N\1/2\, S\1/2\
    Sec. 8: E\1/2\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\
    Sec. 14: S\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\
T. 2 N., R. 40 E., P.M.M.
    Sec. 32: All
    2,061.00 acres

    The Rosebud seam, averaging 22.3 feet thick, is the only 
economically minable coal seam within the tract. The tract contains an 
estimated 35.6 million tons of recoverable reserves. Coal quality, as 
received, averages 8,360 BTU/lb, 25.52 percent moisture, 10.03 percent 
ash and 0.97 percent sulfur. This coal bed is being mined in adjoining 
tracts by Western Energy Company.
    The FEIS addresses the cultural, socioeconomic and environmental 
impacts that would likely result from leasing these federal coal lands, 
the cumulative impacts of the coal lease application, and the 
irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources involved with 
this action.
    Three alternatives are addressed in the FEIS:
    Alternative 1--(Preferred)--Lease the 2,061.00 acres of federal 
coal lands to Western Energy Company as applied for in the coal lease 
application with two additional mitigation measures: (1) Establish a 
160-foot buffer zone to protect cultural properties; and (2) Plant 
trees in the buffer zone to screen the traditional cultural properties 
from intrusions.
    Alternative 2--(No Action)--Reject or deny the coal lease 
application. The federal coal lands would not be offered for lease.
    Alternative 3--(Cultural Resource Avoidance)--The coal lease 
application would be partially approved. Two cultural properties with 
values as traditional cultural properties and sites with intangible 
spiritual attributes would be avoided by excluding federal coal lands 
in and around these two sites from the coal lease application.
    The public is invited to submit written comments on the FEIS, the 
FMV and MER of the tract.
    In addition, notice is also given that a public hearing will be 
held on Wednesday, November 2, 1994, on the proposed lease sale, the 
FMV and MER of the proposed lease tract.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before 1 p.m., November 2, 1994. 
The public hearing will be held at 1 p.m. on the same date at the Miles 
City District Office, Garryowen Road, Miles City, Montana.

ADDRESSES: For more complete data on this tract, please contact Donald 
Gilchrist (telephone 406-255-2816), Bureau of Land Management, Montana 
State Office, 222 North 32nd Street, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, Montana 
59107 or Mary Alice Spencer (telephone 406-232-4331), Bureau of Land 
Management, Miles City District Office, Garryowen Road, Miles City, 
Montana 59301. Copies of the FEIS are available at both addresses. 
Copies of the FEIS are also available at the Powder River Resource Area 
Office, Miles City Plaza, Miles City, Montana 59301.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Federal Coal 
Management regulations 43 CFR 3422 and 3425, not less than 30 days 
prior to publication of a notice of sale, the Secretary shall solicit 
public comments on the proposed sale, FMV, and MER of the proposed 
lease tract. Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted 
to the Bureau of Land Management in response to this solicitation of 
public comments. Data so marked shall be treated in accordance with the 
laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information. 
A copy of the comments submitted by the public on FMV and MER, except 
those portions identified as proprietary by the author and meeting 
exemptions stated in the Freedom of Information Act, will be available 
for public inspection at the Bureau of Land Management, 222 North 32nd 
Street, Billings, Montana, during regular business hours (9 a.m. to 4 
p.m.) Monday through Friday.
    Comments should be sent to the Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 
36800, Billings, Montana 59107 and should include, but not necessarily 
be limited to the following:
    1. The quality and quantity of the coal resources;
    2. The mining method or methods which would achieve MER of the coal 
including specification of the seams to be mined, timing and rate of 
production, restriction to mining and inclusion of the tract in an 
existing mining operation;
    3. The FMV appraisal including but not limited to the evaluation of 
the tract as an incremental unit of an existing mine, selling price of 
the coal, mining and reclamation costs, net present value discount 
factors, depreciation and other tax accounting factors, value of the 
surface estate and any comparable sales data of similar coal lands.
    The values given above may or may not change as a result of 
comments received from the public and changes in market conditions 
between now and when final economic evaluations are completed.
Thomas P. Lonnie,
Acting Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 94-24840 Filed 10-6-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P