[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43265-43266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20957]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-920-06-1320-01]


Competitive Coal Lease Sale; WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale; Antelope Tract, 
WYW128322.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that certain coal resources in the 
Antelope Tract described below in Converse County, Wyoming, will be 
offered for competitive lease by sealed bid in accordance with the 
provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 
181 et seq.).

DATES: The lease sale will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Wednesday, 
September 18, 1996. Sealed bids must be submitted on or before 4:00 
p.m., on Tuesday, September 17, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the First Floor Conference 
Room (Room 107) of the Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, 
P.O. Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003. Sealed bids must be submitted 
to the Cashier, Wyoming State Office, at the address given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mavis Love, Land Law Examiner, or Eugene Jonart, Coal Coordinator, at 
(307) 775-6258 and (307) 775-6257, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal lease sale is being held in 
response to a lease by application filed by Antelope Coal Company of 
Gillette, Wyoming. The coal resources to be offered consist of all 
reserves recoverable by surface mining methods in the following-
described lands located in Converse County approximately 55 miles north 
of Douglas, Wyoming and 60 miles south of Gillette, Wyoming.

T. 41 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming,
    Sec. 30: Lots 15 thru 18;
T. 41 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming,
    Sec. 25: Lots 5 thru 8, 13, 14;
    Sec. 26: Lots 9 thru 11, 14, 15.

    Containing 617.20 acres.

    Of the total acreage, approximately 155 acres are unsuitable for 
mining due to the presence of County Road 37 and the Burlington 
Northern/Chicago and Northwestern railroad right-of-way along the north 
side of the eastern half of the tract.
    The tract is adjacent to the Antelope Mine and contains surface 
minable coal reserves in both the Anderson and the Canyon seams 
currently being mined in the existing mine. The Anderson seam averages 
about 40 feet thick and outcrops in the eastern half of the tract. The 
deeper Canyon seam averages about 33.5 feet thick.
    The overburden above the Anderson seam averages about 94 feet thick 
while the overburden above the Canyon seam east of the Anderson outcrop 
averages about 130 feet thick. The interburden between the two seams 
averages about 31 feet thick. The total in-place stripping ratio (BCY/
ton) of the two seams varies from about .5:1 to about 4:1, but is 
generally between 1:1 and 2:1 over most of the tract.
    The tract contains an estimated 60,364,000 tons of minable coal 
with 31,929,000 tons coming from the Anderson seam and 28,435,000 tons 
coming from the Canyon seam. This estimate of minable reserves does not 
include any tonnage from the 155 acres unsuitable for mining, nor does 
it include tonnage from localized seams or splits containing less than 
5 feet of coal. The coal in both seams is ranked as subbituminous C. 
The overall average quality of the two seams averages 8779 Btu/lb., 
4.22 percent ash, 25.7 percent moisture, 1.21 percent sodium, and .23 
percent sulfur. These quality averages place these coal reserves near 
the top end of coal quality currently being mined in the southern 
Powder River Basin.
    The tract will be leased to the qualified bidder of the highest 
cash amount provided that the high bid equals the fair market value of 
the tract. The minimum bid for the tract is $100 per acre or fraction 
thereof. No bid that is less than $100 per acre, or fraction thereof, 
will be considered. The bids should be sent by certified mail, return 
receipt requested, or be hand delivered. The Cashier will issue a 
receipt for each hand-delivered bid. Bids received after 4:00 p.m., on 
Tuesday, September 17, 1996, will not be considered. The minimum bid is 
not intended to represent fair market value. The fair market value of 
the tract will be determined by the Authorized Officer after the sale.
    If identical high bids are received, the tying high bidders will be 
requested to submit follow-up sealed bids until a

[[Page 43266]]

high bid is received. All tie-breaking sealed bids must be submitted 
within 15 minutes following the Sale Official's announcement at the 
sale that identical high bids have been received.
    The lease issued as a result of this offering will provide for 
payment of an annual rental of $3.00 per acre, or fraction thereof, and 
of a royalty payment to the United States of 12.5 percent of the value 
of coal produced by strip or augur mining methods and 8 percent of the 
value of the coal produced by underground mining methods. The value of 
the coal will be determined in accordance with 30 CFR 206.250.
    Bidding instructions for the tract offered and the terms and 
conditions of the proposed coal lease are available from the Wyoming 
State Office at the addresses above. Case file documents, WYW128322, 
are available for inspection at the Wyoming State Office.
Robert A. Bennett,
Deputy State Director, Minerals and Lands.
[FR Doc. 96-20957 Filed 8-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M