[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8426-8427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4168]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Cottonwood Coal Lease Tract, UTU-68012; Manti-La Sal National 
Forest, Emery County, Utah

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a third-party Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will direct 
preparation of a Third-Party Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
document the analysis and disclose the environmental and human effects 
of proposed actions to offer the Cottonwood Coal Lease Tract for 
competitive bidding in accordance with 43 CFR part 3425. As the surface 
management agency, the Forest Service will be the lead agency for 
preparation of the EIS and the Bureau of Land Management will be a 
joint lead agency. The Office of Surface Mining and Bureau of 
Reclamation will also participate as cooperating agencies.
    The coal lease tract, as delineated by the Tract Delineation Team, 
encompasses 9,243.87 acres of Federal coal lands on the Manti-La Sal 
National Forest as follows:

T. 17 S., R. 6 E., SLM,
    Section 2, SW4;
    Section 3, lots 1-12, SE4;
    Section 4, lots 1-2, S2NE4, SE4;
    Section 9, E2, E2W2;
    Section 10, lots 1-8, E2;
    Section 11, All;
    Section 12, W2W2;
    Section 13, W2W2;
    Section 14, lots 1-4, E2, NW4;
    Section 15, lots 1-12, NE4;
    Section 16, NE4NW4;
    Section 20, E2E2;
    Section 21, All;
    Section 22, All;
    Section 23; lots 1-12, NE4;
    Section 24, W2W2;
    Section 25, N2NW4;
    Section 26, N2NE4, W2SW4NE4, NW4, N2SW4, W2NW4SE4;
    Section 27, N2, N2S2;
    Section 28, All;
    Section 29, E2;
    Section 32, E2;
    Section 33; All.

    (Additions and/or deletions to the delineated tract may be 
considered as alternatives to the proposed action, to be developed and 
analyzed based on issues and management needs.)
    PacifiCorp applied to the Bureau of Land Management for the lease 
to obtain additional coal reserves to increase the production life of 
their Cottonwood/Wilberg/Trail Mountain mine complex. The tract lies 
west and north of the boundary of the existing approved permit area for 
the Trail Mountain Mine. If PacifiCorp obtains the tract, it would be 
mined by longwall and room-and-pillar methods through underground 
workings in the existing permit area. Existing portal facilities in 
Cottonwood/Wilberg/Trail Mountain mine comples would be used. If 
another company obtains the tract, it is most likely that new portal 
facilities would be required in Cottonwood Canyon, north of the 
existing Trail Mountain Mine facility. The underground mining methods 
and layout would be similar. The EIS would consider the effects of both 
scenarios, the No Action Alternative, and other alternatives to be 
developed after completion of project scoping.

AGENCY DECISIONS: In accordance with the Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 
1975, which amended the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the Forest 
Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National forest, must decide whether or not to 
consent to leasing by the Bureau of Land Management and identify 
special coal lease stipulations needed to protect non-mineral 
resources.

    In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the 
Utah State Director of the Bureau of Land Management must decide 
whether or not to offer the tract for competitive leasing and under 
what terms, conditions, and stipulations.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described 
in this notice should be received on or before March 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Manti-La Sal National Forest, 599 
West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions concerning the proposed action and EIS should be addressed to 
Dale Harber or Aaron Howe, Manti-La Sal National Forest, phone (435) 
637-2817.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the Final EIS and 
Record of Decision for the Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan 
provides the overall guidance (Goals, Objectives, Standards, and 
Management Area Direction) to achieve the Desired Future Condition for 
the area being analyzed, and contains specific management area 
prescriptions for the entire Forest. The proposed lease tract is 
available for further consideration for coal leasing. The Forest 
Service and Bureau of Land Management have determined that data are 
available to meet the Data Adequacy Standards for Federal Coal Leasing, 
Uinta-Southwestern Utah Coal Region.

    Issues and alternatives to be evaluated in the analysis will be 
determined through public scoping. The major issues are expected to 
include the socioeconomic benefits of mining; the potential impacts of 
underground mining and mining-induced subsidence to surface and ground 
water, vegetation, wildlife, cultural/paleontological resources, range 
improvements, and other land uses; the potential for impacts on the 
Joes Valley Dam; and the potential impacts of any new surface 
facilities to the Forest and human environments.
    The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from 
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and 
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed 
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on 
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed. 
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and 
Final

[[Page 8427]]

EIS. For most effective use, comments would be submitted to the Forest 
Service within 30 days from the date of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register. Preparation of the EIS will include the following 
steps:
    1. Define the purpose of and need for action.
    2. Identify potential issues.
    3. Eliminate issues of minor importance or those that have been 
covered by previous and relevant environmental analysis.
    4. Select issues to be analyzed in depth.
    5. Identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
    6. Describe the affected environment.
    7. Identify the potential environmental effects of the 
alternatives.
    Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed through the scoping process.
    Step 5 will consider a range of alternatives developed from the key 
issues and management needs. At a minimum, the ``No Action'' and 
``Propose Action'' Alternatives will be analyzed. Other alternatives 
could involve modified tract boundaries (additions and/or reductions) 
and different sets of special lease stipulations for the protection of 
non-mineral resources. Alternatives may also be developed to include 
analysis of mining in the existing adjacent lease area and a potential 
modification of adjacent existing leases to add up to 160 acres/lease 
to prevent bypassing minable reserves.
    Step 6 will describe the physical attributes of the area to be 
affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental 
factors that could be adversely affected.
    Step 7 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative. 
This analysis will be consistent with management direction outlined in 
the Forest plan. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each 
alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, the site 
specific mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified 
and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.
    Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to 
visit with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process. 
Two specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal 
comments on the analysis. The two comment periods are, (1) during the 
scoping process, the next 30 days following publication of this Notice 
in the Federal Register, and (2) during the formal review period of the 
Draft EIS.
    The Draft EIS is estimated to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in September, 
1998. At this time the EPA will publish an availability notice of the 
Draft EIS in the Federal Register.
    The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability appears in 
the Federal Register. It is very important that those interested in 
this proposed action participate at that time. To be the most helpful, 
comments on the Draft EIS should be as specific as possible and may 
address the adequacy of the statement or the merits of the alternatives 
discussed (See The Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3).
    In addition, Federal court decisions have established that 
reviewers of draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewers' position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the 
draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the 
final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (9th 
Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). The reason for this is to ensure that 
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final document.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns related to the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS 
should be as specific as possible. Referring to specific pages or 
chapters of the Draft EIS is most helpful. Comments may also address 
the adequacy of the Draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. (Reviewers may wish to refer 
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 40 
CFR 1503.3, in addressing these points.)
    The final EIS is expected to be released in December, 1998.
    The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest and Utah 
State Director of the Bureau of Land Management, who are the 
responsible officials for the EIS, will then make their respective 
decisions regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, 
responses, and environmental consequences discussed in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies. The rationale for the respective agency decisions will be 
documented in the Record(s) of Decisions.

    Dated: February 11, 1998.
Janette S. Kaiser,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 98-4168 Filed 2-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M