[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2979-2980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1158]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-920-1620-00-EL, WYW146744]


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a Lease 
Application Received From Jacobs Ranch Coal Company

AGENCY:  Department of the Interior, Wyoming.

ACTION:  Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
on a lease application received from Jacobs Ranch Coal Company 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 Jacobs Ranch Coal Company (JRCC) on October 
2, 1998, for a tract containing approximately 519 million tons of 
Federal coal and including approximately 4,821 acres in an area 
adjacent to the company's Jacobs Ranch Mine. This tract, which was 
assigned case number WYW146744, is called the North Jacobs Ranch tract. 
JRCC is a subsidiary of Kennecott Energy and Coal Company. The Jacobs 
Ranch Mine and North Jacobs Ranch tract are located in southern 
Campbell County, Wyoming. The tract was applied for as a maintenance 
tract lease-by-application (LBA) under the provisions of 43 CFR 3425.1. 
The Powder River Regional Coal Team (RCT) reviewed this lease 
application at public meetings held on February 23, 1999, in Billings, 
MT, and October 27, 1999, in Gillette, WY. The RCT recommended that the 
lease application be processed, pending resolution of the conflicts 
between proposed coal mining and existing and proposed oil and gas 
development (including coal bed methane) on the tract. BLM has 
determined that the requirements of NEPA would be best served by 
preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for this lease 
application.
    BLM conducted scoping on the North Jacobs Ranch lease application, 
and on the pending Belle Ayr Federal coal lease application, in October 
1999. A public scoping meeting was held at the Tower West Lodge in 
Gillette, WY, on October 19, 1999, at 7 p.m. During the scoping period, 
BLM received seven written comment letters. At the scoping meeting, 
presentations were made by the applicants for the North Jacobs Ranch 
and Belle Ayr Federal coal tracts and oral comments were received from 
six speakers.

DATES:  The scoping period for this Federal coal lease application was 
held during October 1999, however, the public still has an opportunity 
to submit written comments on concerns or issues that the BLM should 
address in processing the North Jacobs Ranch lease application. 
Comments should be submitted by February 15, 2000, in order to be 
considered in the draft EIS.

ADDRESSES:  Please address questions, comments or concerns to the BLM, 
Casper District Office, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 1701 East E Street, 
Casper, WY 82601, fax to 307-234-1525, or send e-mail comments to 
[email protected]., attn: Nancy Doelger.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  On October 2, 1998, JRCC filed coal lease 
application WYW146744, for the following lands in Campbell and County, 
Wyoming:

T. 44 N., R. 70 W., 6th PM, Wyoming
    Section 26: Lots 9, 10;
    Section 27: Lots 1 thru 16;
    Section 28: Lots 1 thru 16;
    Section 29: Lots 1 thru 16;
    Section 30: Lots 5 thru 20;
    Section 31: Lots 5 thru 20;

[[Page 2980]]

    Section 32: Lots 1 thru 16;
    Section 33: Lots 4, 5, 12, 13;
T. 44 N., R. 71 W., 6th PM, Wyoming
    Section 25: Lots 1 thru 16.

    The tract as applied for, which is referred to as the North Jacobs 
Ranch Tract, includes 4,821.19 acres, more or less, with an estimated 
519 million tons of coal in place. As part of the coal leasing process, 
BLM will evaluate the tract configuration, and may decide to add or 
subtract Federal coal to avoid bypassing coal or to increase estimated 
fair market value.
    The Jacobs Ranch Mine, which is adjacent to the lease application 
area, has an approved mining and reclamation plan from the Land Quality 
Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The mine 
has an approved air quality permit from the Air Quality Division of the 
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to mine up to 35 million 
tons of coal per year, and they have applied for an air quality permit 
to mine up to 55 million tons per year. According to the application 
filed for the North Jacobs Ranch LBA Tract, the maintenance tract would 
be mined to extend the life of the existing mine.
    Using the LBA process, JRCC previously acquired maintenance coal 
lease WYW117924, containing approximately 1,709 acres and 147 million 
tons of minable coal adjacent to the Jacobs Ranch Mine, effective 
October 1, 1992.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) will 
be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. If the North 
Jacobs Ranch LBA tract is leased to the applicant, the new lease must 
be incorporated into the existing mining plans for the adjacent mine 
and the Secretary of the Interior must approve the revised mining plan 
before the Federal coal in the tract can be mined. OSM is the Federal 
agency that would be responsible for recommending approval, approval 
with conditions, or disapproval of the revised mining plan to the 
Secretary if the tract is leased.
    Several issues related to this lease application were identified 
during the scoping held during the month of October 1999. The primary 
issue raised in both written and oral comments is the need for 
resolution of the conflicts between existing and proposed oil and gas 
development and proposed coal mining on the North Jacobs Ranch LBA 
tract. Other issues identified during the scoping process included the 
potential impacts to big game herds and hunting, the potential impacts 
to sage grouse, the size of the tract as applied for, the need for 
considering the cumulative impacts of this leasing decision, the 
validity and currency of the resource data to be used in analyzing the 
impacts, the impact on existing land uses, the potential impacts to 
sensitive and endangered species including prairie dogs and mountain 
plover, and the potential impacts on air and water quality. If you have 
specific concerns about these issues, or have other concerns or issues 
that BLM should consider in processing this application, please address 
them in writing to the above address. Written comments should be 
received by February 15, 2000, in order to be fully considered in the 
draft EIS.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the address listed above during 
regular business hours, 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If 
you wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or 
from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state 
this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such 
requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions 
from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: January 11, 2000.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 00-1158 Filed 1-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P