[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22406-22407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11157]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement


Availability of Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Mining Plan and Permit Application, 
Fence Lake Mine.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) 
of the United States Department of the Interior is making available for 
public comment, the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Proposed Mining Plan and Permit Application for the Fence 
Lake Mine, located in Catron and Cibola Counties, New Mexico, and 
Apache County, Arizona. The draft supplemental EIS has been prepared to 
assist OSM in determining the environmental impacts of the life-of-mine 
mining plan to conduct surface coal mining operations in New Mexico, 
and the proposed construction and operation of a railroad corridor 
associated with this mine.

DATES: Written comments: OSM will accept written comments on the draft 
supplemental EIS until 4:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on June 28, 
1995.
    Public meetings: OSM has scheduled the following public meetings to 
receive both written and oral comments on the draft supplemental EIS: 
May 30, 1995, in Quemado, New Mexico, at 7:00 p.m. local time; May 31, 
1995, in St. Johns, Arizona, at 7:00 p.m. local time; June 1, 1995, in 
Gallup, New Mexico, at 7:00 p.m. local time; June 2, 1995, in Grants, 
New Mexico, at 7:00 p.m. local time; and June 3, 1995, in Albuquerque, 
New Mexico, at 10:00 a.m. local time.

ADDRESSES: Single copies of the draft supplemental EIS may be obtained 
by contacting Dr. Robert H. Block at the address and telephone number 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Written comments: Written comments may be hand delivered or mailed 
to Dr. Robert H. Block, Western Regional [[Page 22407]] Coordinating 
Center, Office of Surface Mining, 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320, Denver, 
Colorado, 80202-5733.
    Public meetings: The public meetings will be held at the Quemado 
High School multi-purpose room, Highway 60, Quemado, New Mexico; the 
St. Johns 4-H Community Center, 395 South First West Street, St. Johns, 
Arizona; the Best Western Gallup Inn, 3009 West Highway 66, Gallup, New 
Mexico; the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 600 West Santa Fe 
Avenue, Grants, New Mexico; and the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center, 2401 
12th Street, NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Robert H. Block, Western Regional 
Coordinating Center, Office of Surface Mining, 1999 Broadway, Suite 
3320, Denver, Colorado, 80202-5733; telephone (303) 672-5610.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSM is making available for public comment, 
the draft supplemental EIS for the Proposed Mining Plan and Permit 
Application for the Fence Lake Mine, located in Catron and Cibola 
Counties, New Mexico, and Apache County, Arizona. The draft 
supplemental EIS describes the environmental impacts that would result 
from the life-of-mine mining plan to conduct surface coal mining 
operations in New Mexico, and the proposed construction and operation 
of a railroad corridor associated with this mine.
    The Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District 
(SRP) of Phoenix, Arizona, has applied for Federal and State permits to 
conduct surface coal-mining and reclamation operations in New Mexico 
and Arizona as part of its proposed Fence Lake project. This proposed 
project has two basic elements: (1) The Fence Lake mine and its site 
facilities and (2) a 44-mile railroad corridor that would be associated 
with the proposed mine. The mine and its site facilities would be 
located in Catron and Cibola Counties, New Mexico, approximately 14 
miles north of the town of Quemado. SRP proposes to establish a total 
permitted area of 18,119 acres at Fence Lake; however, only an 
estimated 8,432 acres, or less than one half of this permit area, would 
actually be disturbed by the mining operations and support facilities 
including the railroad corridor. The railroad corridor would be 
constructed west of the mine--spanning about 31 miles in Catron County, 
New Mexico, and about 13 miles in Apache County, Arizona--and would 
extend to the Coronado Generating Station that is located approximately 
6 miles northeast of St. Johns, Arizona.
    Under the proposed mining plan, SRP would mine a total of 81.3 
million tons of coal at Fence Lake. Approximately 35.6 million of those 
tons would be Federal coal; the remaining 45.7 million tons would be 
State-leased and privately owned coal. The coal would be transported by 
railroad 44 miles west of the minesite to be used at SRP's existing 
Coronado Generating Station. The total mine life would be approximately 
50 years--2 years for premining development, 38 years to recover 
approximately 81.3 million tons of coal and complete reclamation, and 
10 years to obtain final bond release.

    Dated: May 2, 1995.
Mary Josie Blanchard,
Assistant Director, Program Support.
[FR Doc. 95-11157 Filed 5-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M