[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 77 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 17319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9528]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement


Availability of Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final supplemental environmental 
impact statement (EIS) for the proposed mining plan and permit 
application, Fence Lake Mine, Catron and Cibola Counties, New Mexico 
and Apache County, Arizona, OSM-EIS-31.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) 
is making available a final supplemental environmental impact statement 
(EIS) on the proposed mining plan and permit application for the Fence 
Lake mine. This is a supplemental EIS to the 1990 Bureau of Land 
Management EIS, and it updates the identified impacts and analyzes any 
new probable impacts of mining at the proposed Fence Lake mine. The 
supplemental EIS has been prepared to assist the Department of the 
Interior in making a decision on the mining plan and permit application 
submitted by Salt River Project (SRP) for a surface coal mining 
operation located approximately 14 miles northwest of Quemado, New 
Mexico; and for 13 miles of railroad in the State of Arizona.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final supplemental EIS may be obtained from 
Richard J. Seibel, Regional Director, Western Regional Coordinating 
Center, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 1999 
Broadway, Suite 3320, Denver, Colorado 80202-5733, Attn: Dr. Robert H. 
Block.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dr. Robert H. Block, Project Manager and EIS Team Leader at the Denver, 
Colorado, location given under ADDRESSES (telephone: 303-672-5610).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SRP's proposed Fence Lake mine consists of 
Federal, State and private coal leases situated on approximately 18,000 
acres northwest of Quemado, New Mexico. The proposed mine would remove 
approximately 81.3 million tons of coal, by surface methods, over the 
50 year life-of-mine. Approximately 1.8 million tons of coal would be 
removed each year from year 2 through year 28 and about 3 million tons 
of coal per year would be removed each year from year 29 through year 
40. The project also includes a proposed 44-mile railroad corridor that 
would be constructed west from the mine to supply coal to the existing 
Coronado Generating Station, located approximately 6 miles from St. 
Johns, Arizona.
    OSM has prepared the supplemental EIS to evaluate the alternative 
actions that the Department could take on the mining plan in the state 
of New Mexico and the permitting of the 13 miles of railroad corridor 
in the State of Arizona. In accordance with the New Mexico State 
Program, the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Department must take 
permitting actions on the proposed surface coal mining operation and 31 
miles of railroad corridor within the State of New Mexico. Two 
alternatives are evaluated in the supplemental EIS: (1) approval of the 
mining plan and permit application with conditions, and (2) disapproval 
of the mining plan and permit application. OSM has identified 
``approval of the proposed mining plan and permit application package 
with conditions'' as the preferred alternative.

    Dated: March 22, 1996.
Richard J. Seibel,
Regional Director, Western Regional Coordinating Center.
[FR Doc. 96-9528 Filed 4-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M