[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 237 (Monday, December 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64919-64920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31224]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-060-1620-01, WYW136142, WYW136458]


Powder River Federal Coal Production Region, WY; Coal Lease 
Application

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on two separate lease applications received from Powder River 
Coal Company and Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation for Federal coal in the 
decertified Powder River Federal Coal Production Region, Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a competitive 
coal lease application from Powder River Coal Company on March 23, 
1995, for approximately 4,020 acres (approximately 550 million tons of 
coal) in an area adjacent to the company's North Antelope and Rochelle 
Mines in

[[Page 64920]]

Campbell County, Wyoming (WYW136142). On April 14, 1995, BLM received a 
second coal lease application from Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation for 
approximately 4,000 acres (approximately 432 million tons of coal) in 
an area adjacent to the company's Jacobs Ranch Mine in Campbell County, 
Wyoming (WYW136458). The two application areas are about 9 miles apart. 
Both applications were filed as maintenance tract lease-by-applications 
(LBAs) under the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
3425.1. The Powder River Regional Coal Team (RCT) reviewed both 
competitive lease applications at their meeting on April 23, 1996, in 
Cheyenne, Wyoming, and recommended that both be processed.
    BLM conducted scoping on the two lease applications in June and 
July of 1996, including a public scoping meeting held at the Holiday 
Inn in Gillette, Wyoming, on June 27, at 7 p.m. As part of the scoping 
process, BLM requested comments on several options to satisfy the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 
processing these two lease applications: preparing separate NEPA 
documents for each lease application or preparing one NEPA document to 
analyze the impacts of both lease applications. The RCT had recommended 
that BLM include such a request for comments from the public on which 
of these options would best satisfy NEPA during scoping.
    After consideration of the comments received during the scoping 
period, the BLM Wyoming State Director determined that the requirements 
of NEPA and the parties concerned would be best served by preparing one 
EIS for both of these lease applications. The U.S. Forest Service and 
Office of Surface Mining will be cooperating agencies on the EIS.

DATES: As part of the public scoping process, the public had the 
opportunity to comment verbally on concerns or issues the BLM should 
address in processing these two applications at the public scoping 
meeting on June 27, and to submit written comments to BLM by July 31, 
1996. Although the scoping comment period has expired, BLM will 
continue to accept comments on these two lease applications at the 
address given below. Comments should be submitted by December 31, 1996 
to be considered in the draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Please address questions, comments or concerns to the Casper 
District Office, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 1701 
East E Street, Casper, Wyoming 82601, or fax them to 307-234-1525.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the above address, or phone: 307-261-
7600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 23, 1995, Powder River Coal Company 
filed a coal lease application with the BLM for a maintenance tract LBA 
for the following lands, which contain an estimated 550 million tons of 
coal:

Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming

T. 41 N., R. 70 W.,
    Sec. 6, lots 10 thru 13, and 18 thru 21;
    Sec. 7, lots 6, 11, 14, and 19.
    Sec. 18, lots 5, 12, 13, and 20.
T. 42 N., R. 70 W.,
    Sec. 31, lots 5 thru 20;
    Sec. 32, lots 1 thru 16;
    Sec. 33, lots 1 thru 16;
    Sec. 34, lots 1 thru 16;
    Sec. 35, lots 1 thru 16.

T. 41 N., R. 71 W.,
    Sec. 1, lots 5, 6, 11, and 12.

    The area described contains 4,022.96 acres more or less.

    The North Antelope and Rochelle Mines are contiguous mines which 
are both adjacent to the lease application area. Both mines have 
approved mining and reclamation plans. The Rochelle Mine has an air 
quality permit approved by the Wyoming Department of Environmental 
Quality, Air Quality Division (WDEQ/AQD), to mine up to 30 million tons 
of coal per year. The North Antelope Mine has an air quality permit 
approved by the WDEQ/AQD to mine up to 35 million tons of coal per 
year. According to the application, Powder River Coal Company plans no 
production increase at either mine solely from the acquisition of the 
proposed lease; the additional tonnage would extend the life of both 
mines.
    Powder River Coal Company previously acquired a maintenance coal 
lease (WYW122586, issued effective 10/1/92) containing approximately 
3,493 acres adjacent to the North Antelope and Rochelle Mines using the 
LBA process.
    On April 14, 1995, Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation filed a coal lease 
application with the BLM for a maintenance tract LBA for the following 
lands, which contain an estimated 432 million tons of coal:

Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming

T. 43 N., R. 70 W.,
    Sec. 4, lots 8, 9, and 15 thru 18;
    Sec. 5, lots 5 thru 20;
    Sec. 6, lots 8 thru 23;
    Sec. 7, lots 5 thru 7;
    Lot 8 (N\1/2\), lots 9 thru 12, lot 13 (N\1/2\ and SE\1/4\), lot 
19 (NE\1/4\);
    Sec. 8, lots 1 thru 16;
    Sec. 9, lots 3 thru 6 and 11 thru 13;
T. 43 N., R. 71 W.,
    Sec. 1, lots 5 thru 15, 19, and SE\1/4\NE\1/4\.

    The area described contains 3,354.265 acres more or less.

    The acreage applied for in Kerr McGee's application is known as the 
Thundercloud tract. It is described in a 1983 BLM document entitled 
``Powder River Coal Region Tract Summaries,'' which was prepared in 
anticipation of a Federal coal sale proposed for 1984 that did not take 
place.
    The Jacobs Ranch Mine has an air quality permit approved by the 
WDEQ/AQD to mine up to 35 million tons of coal per year. According to 
Kerr-McGee, the additional coal reserves would extend the life of the 
current mining operations at the Jacobs Ranch Mine.
    Kerr-McGee previously acquired a maintenance coal lease (WYW117924, 
issued effective 10/1/92) containing approximately 1,709 acres adjacent 
to the Jacobs Ranch Mine under the LBA process.
    There are six surface coal mines (Jacobs Ranch, Black Thunder, 
North Rochelle, Rochelle, North Antelope, and Antelope) located 
southeast of Wright, Wyoming, in southern Campbell County and northern 
Converse County. Since decertification of the Federal coal region in 
1990, these mines have leased approximately 8,300 acres of Federal 
coal, and have applied for an additional 10,000 acres of Federal coal. 
The BLM has determined that the EIS will include an updated analysis of 
the cumulative impacts of coal mining in the southern group of mines in 
the Wyoming Powder River Basin, so that the cumulative impacts of 
mining the previously issued leases and the applied-for tracts in this 
area can be fully disclosed as required by NEPA.
    The major issues related to these two competitive lease 
applications having been identified to date include the potential 
cumulative impacts to air quality, groundwater, and wildlife that may 
occur if these tracts are leased and mined. If you have specific 
concerns about these issues, or have other concerns or issues that BLM 
should consider in processing these lease applications, please address 
them to the individuals listed above. Comments should be submitted by 
December 31, 1996 to be considered in the draft EIS. Comments will 
again be requested following issuance of the draft and final EIS 
documents.

    Dated: December 2, 1996.
Robert A. Bennett,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 96-31224 Filed 12-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-M