[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 234 (Friday, December 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64397-64398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31909]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-1990-00]


Carbon Basin Area; Potential Federal Coal Planning Decisions; 
Carbon Co., WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.


[[Page 64398]]


ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment for a 
Planning Review of the Carbon Basin Area, Carbon County, Wyoming, and 
Potential Federal Coal Planning Decisions for the area.

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SUMMARY: The Carbon Basin planning review area is located approximately 
40 miles east of the town of Rawlins and 12 miles southeast of the town 
of Hanna, all located in Carbon County, Wyoming. The planning review is 
being conducted because an application to lease Federal coal in the 
Carbon Basin area has been submitted and Federal coal planning 
decisions were not made for the area during development of the Great 
Divide Resource Management Plan (RMP).

DATES: The 45 day comment/review period for the environmental 
assessment will begin the day following the publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed in writing to the Great Divide 
Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Karla Swanson, Area 
Manager, 1300 North Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties may direct 
questions or concerns to obtain further information from Brenda Vosika-
Neuman or John Spehar, who can be visited at the above address or 
reached by telephone: 307-328-4200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ark Land Company, St. Louis, Missouri, has 
filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to obtain 
a coal lease on approximately 4,145 acres of Federal coal lands located 
in the Carbon Basin area. Ark Land Company, through its affiliate, Arch 
of Wyoming, Inc., (Arch) has conducted coal mining operations in the 
Hanna Basin Region of Carbon County since 1972. The depletion of 
recoverable coal reserves in the Hanna Basin has led Arch to identify 
additional (local) coal resources in the Carbon Basin area that could 
utilize the existing infrastructure and meet existing contracts and/or 
long-term commitments. The Carbon Basin area is in close proximity to 
the Hanna Basin coal fields and provides a logical continuation of the 
Hanna Basin mining operations.
    In 1982, a Federal coal lease was issued for approximately 60 
percent of the Federal coal lands located in the Carbon Basin. Because 
this lease was still in effect at the time the current BLM land use 
plan (the Great Divide Resource Management Plan RMP-1990) covering the 
Carbon Basin area was prepared, it was exempt from the coal screening/
planning requirements. However, development of this lease was never 
pursued and the lease expired in 1992. Also, at the time the Great 
Divide RMP was prepared, there was no other interest expressed by 
industry in obtaining Federal coal leases in the area. As a result of 
these two factors, the coal screening/planning process was not 
conducted on the area and there were no coal planning decisions for any 
of the Federal coal lands in the Carbon Basin area included in the 
Great Divide RMP.
    The Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976 requires that 
Federal coal lands must first be identified in a comprehensive land use 
plan before they can be considered for leasing. Because no coal 
planning decisions were made for the Carbon Basin coal area in the 
Great Divide RMP, a planning review, which includes conducting the coal 
screening/planning process and an environmental analysis, must be 
completed and documented before the BLM can consider leasing Federal 
coal in the Carbon Basin. The Ark Land Company coal lease application, 
or any future applications to lease coal in the Carbon Basin, cannot be 
given consideration until a planning review is conducted on the Federal 
coal lands involved and a determination is made that some or all of the 
lands are open to consideration for coal leasing and development.

    Dated: November 26, 1997.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 97-31909 Filed 12-4-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P