[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64272-64273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30971]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[CO-933-99-1320-01; COC 59748]


Notice of Public Hearing and Request for Comments on 
Environmental Assessment, Maximum Economic Recovery Report, and Fair 
Market Value; Application for Competitive Coal Lease COC 59748; 
Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, Lakewood, 
Colorado, hereby gives notice that a public hearing will be held to 
receive comments on the environmental assessment, maximum economic 
recovery, and fair market value of federal coal to be offered. An 
application for coal lease was filed by Juniper Coal Company requesting 
the Bureau of Land Management offer for competitive lease 14,785.64 
acres of federal coal in Routt County, Colorado.

DATES: The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m., December 9, 1998. 
Written comments should be received no later than December 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held in the Little Snake Field 
Office, 455 Emerson St., Craig, Colorado 81625. Written comments should 
be addressed to the Bureau of Land Management, Little Snake Field 
Office, at the address given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Husband, Field Office Manager, 
Little Snake Field Office at the address above, or by telephone at 
(970) 826-5089.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State 
Office, Lakewood, Colorado, hereby gives notice that a public hearing 
will be held on December 9, 1998, at 7 p.m., in the Little Snake Field 
Office at the address given above.

    An application for coal lease was filed by Juniper Coal Company 
requesting the Bureau of Land Management offer for competitive lease 
federal coal in the lands outside established coal production regions 
described as:

T. 5 N., R. 88 W., 6th P.M.
    Sec. 4, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 5, lot 5, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\,SW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/4\, 
and SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 7, lot 17, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\; Tract 39, lots 15, 
and 16;
    Sec. 8, all;
    Sec. 9, W\1/2\W\1/2\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 17, N\1/2\N\1/2\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, and S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 18, lots 5, 12, 13, 16, and 17, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, and SW\1/
4\NE\1/4\;

[[Page 64273]]

    Tract 39, lots 6, and 8;
    Tract 40, lots 7, 9 to 11, inclusive, 14, and 15;
    Sec. 19, lots 7, 8, 13, and 14;
    Sec. 20, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\, and W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 30, lots 7, 8, 13, and 14;
    Sec. 31, lots 7, 8, 15, and 16.
T. 5 N., R. 89 W., 6th P.M.
    Sec. 3, lots 19 to 24, inclusive;
    Tract 42, lots 17, 18, 25, and 27;
    Tract 45, lot 26;
    Sec. 4, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 9, lots 1, 2, and 7 to 10, inclusive;
    Sec. 10, lots 2 to 15, inclusive;
    Tract 45, lot 1;
    Sec. 11, lots 6, 8, 10, and 14 to 19, inclusive;
    Tract 37, lots 3 to 5, inclusive, 7, 9, 11, 12, and 20;
    Tract 47, lots 13, and 21;
    Sec. 12, lots 4 to 6, inclusive, and 9 to 11, inclusive;
    Tract 47, lots 7, and 8;
    Sec. 13, lots 1 to 3, inclusive, and 5 to 17, inclusive;
    Tract 47, lot 4;
    Sec. 14, lots 2, 3, and 5 to 17, inclusive;
    Tract 47, lot 1;
    Tract 52, lots 4, and 10;
    Sec. 15, lots 1 to 16, inclusive;
    Sec. 16, lots 3, 4, 9, and 10, inclusive;
    Sec. 21, NE\1/4\, and S\1/2\;
    Sec. 22, all;
    Sec. 23, all;
    Sec. 24, all;
    Sec. 25, all;
    Sec. 26, all;
    Sec. 27, all;
    Sec. 28, all;
    Sec. 33, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 34, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 35, N\1/2\;
    Sec. 36, all.
T. 6 N., R. 88 W., 6th P.M.
    Sec. 32, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 33, N\1/2\, and N\1/2\S\1/2\;
    Sec. 34, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, N\1/
2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 35, SW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\.

    Containing approximately 14, 785.64 acres, more or less.

    The coal resource to be offered is limited to coal recoverable by 
underground mining methods.
    The purpose of the hearing is to obtain public comments on the 
environmental assessment and on the following items:
    (1) The method of mining to be employed to obtain maximum economic 
recovery of the coal,
    (2) The impact that mining the coal in the proposed leasehold may 
have on the area, and
    (3) The methods of determining the fair market value of the coal to 
be offered.
    Written requests to testify orally at the December 9, 1998, public 
hearing should be received at the Little Snake Field Office prior to 
the close of business December 9, 1998. Those who indicate they wish to 
testify when they register at the hearing may have an opportunity if 
time is available.
    In addition, the public is invited to submit written comments 
concerning the fair market value and maximum economic recovery of the 
coal resource. Public comments will be utilized in establishing fair 
market value for the coal resource in the described lands. Comments 
should address specific factors related to fair market value including, 
but not limited to:
    1. The quality and quantity of the coal resource.
    2. The price that the mined coal would bring in the market place.
    3. The coast of producing the coal.
    4. The interest rate at which anticipated income streams would be 
discounted.
    5. Depreciation and other accounting factors.
    6. The mining method or methods which would achieve maximum 
economic recovery of the coal.
    7. Documented information on the terms and conditions of recent and 
similar coal land transactions in the lease area, and
    8. Any comparable sales data of similar coal lands.
    Should any information submitted as comments be considered to be 
proprietary by the commenter, the information should be labeled as such 
and stated in the first page of the submission. Written comments on the 
environmental assessment, maximum economic recovery, and fair market 
value should be sent to the Little Snake Field Office at the above 
address prior to close of business on December 23, 1998.
    Substantive comments, whether written or oral, will receive equal 
consideration prior to any lease offering.
    The Draft Environmental Assessment and Maximum Economic Recovery 
Report are available from the Little Snake Field Office upon request A 
copy of the draft Environmental Assessment, the Maximum Economic 
Recovery Report, the case file, and the comments submitted by the 
public, except those portions identified as proprietary by the 
commenter and meeting exemptions stated in the Freedom of Information 
Act, will be available for public inspection at the Colorado State 
Office, 2850 Youngfield, Lakewood, Colorado, 80215.

    Dated: November 10, 1998.
Karen A. Purvis,
Solid Minerals Team, Resource Services.
[FR Doc. 98-30971 Filed 11-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-M