[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 185 (Monday, September 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49787-49788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24003]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[MT-960-1320-03-242A; MTM 83859]


Availability of Environmental Assessment and Request for Comments 
on the Finding of No Significant Impact; Fair Market Value, and Maximum 
Economic Recovery; Coal Lease Application MTM 83859--Spring Creek Coal 
Company

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Montana, Miles City District, 
Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management announces the availability of 
the Environmental Assessment (EA) for Spring Creek Coal Company's 
Federal Coal Lease Application MTM 83859 and requests public comment on 
the associated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Fair Market 
Value (FMV) and Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) of the coal resources 
subject to the lease application.
    The land included in the Coal Lease Application MTM 83859 is 
located in Big Horn County, Montana, and is described as follows:

T. 8 S., R. 39 E., P.M.M.
    Sec. 22: E\1/2\SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 25: SW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 26: S\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/2\N\1/
2\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/
4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, N\1/2\N\1/2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\SE\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 27: N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\S\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, 
SE\1/4\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, 
S\1/2\SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\.
T. 8 S., R. 40 E., P.M.M.
    Sec. 30: S\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, 
SW\1/4\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/
4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\.

    320.00 Acres.

    The EA addresses the cultural, socioeconomic, environmental and 
cumulative impacts that would likely result from leasing these coal 
lands. Two alternatives are addressed in the EA:
    Alternative 1--(Proposed Action) would involve leasing the 320 acre 
tract, as applied for, which contains about 37.8 million tons of coal. 
Approximately 247 acres of lands within the application area, inclusive 
of 48 acres of crucial winter range for deer and antelope and 199 acres 
currently designated as suitable for leasing with no stipulations, 
would be redesignated as suitable for leasing with stipulations.
    This alternative would also involve redesignating 63 acres of lands 
within the application area currently designated as suitable for 
leasing pending further study due to the presence of sage and Sharptail 
grouse. Approximately 30 of those acres would be redesignated as 
suitable for leasing with stipulations due to sage grouse wintering 
habitat. The remaining 33 acres would be outside the grouse habitat and 
would be suitable for leasing without stipulations.
    Alternative 2--(No Action) Reject or deny the coal lease 
application. The Federal coal lands would not be offered for lease.
    The public is invited to submit written comments on the FONSI 
associated with this proposed action as well as the FMV and MER of the

[[Page 49788]]

proposed lease tract. In addition, notice is also given that a public 
hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 1996, on the FONSI, the 
proposed lease sale, FMV, and MER.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before 4:30 p.m., October 25, 
1996. The public hearing will be held Tuesday, October 22, 1996 at 1:00 
p.m. at the BLM Miles City District Office, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles 
City, Montana.

ADDRESSES: Comments or questions may be directed to Todd Christensen, 
Area Manager, Powder River Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, 
111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, Montana, 59301 (telephone 406-232-
4331). Copies of the EA are available at the above address. For more 
complete data on this tract, please contact Randy Heuscher (telephone 
406-255-2816), BLM, 222 North 32nd Street, P.O. Box 36800, Billings, 
Montana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Benoit, Project Leader, Miles City 
District Office, phone (406) 232-4331.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Federal Coal 
Management regulations 43 CFR 3422 and 3425, not less than 30 days 
prior to publication of 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 will 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, (9:00 a.m. to 
4:00 p.m.) Monday through Friday.
    Comments should be sent to the BLM, P.O. Box 36800, Billings 
Montana 59107 and should include but is not necessarily limited to the 
following:
    1. The quantity and quality 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 the 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.
Glenn A. Carpenter,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 96-24003 Filed 9-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P