[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 53 (Friday, March 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14523-14524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6150]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Manti-La Sal National Forest and Utah State Office/Price Field 
Office; Flat Canyon Coal Lease Track, UTU-77114 Sanpete County, UT; 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA and Bureau of Land Management, USDI.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will 
jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document the 
analysis and disclose the environmental and human effects of proposed 
actions to offer the Flat Canyon Coal Lease Tract (UTU-77114) for 
competitive leasing in accordance with 43 CFR 3425. The Office of 
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement will participate as a 
cooperating agency.
    The coal lease tract to be considered for leasing, as delineated by 
the Interagency Tract Delineation Team, encompasses 2,692.16 areas of 
Federal coal lands on the Manti-La Sal National Forest as follows:

T. 13 S., R. 6 E., SLM
    Section 21, lots 1-4, E\1/2\E\1/2\,
    Section 28, lots 1-8, S\1/2\NW\1/4\,SW\1/4\;
    Section 33, E\1/2\, E\1/2\W\1/2\, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/
4\.
T. 14 S., R. 6 E., SLM
    Section 4, lots 1-4, S\1/2\N\1/2\,S\1/2\;
    Section 5, lots 1-4, S\1/2\N\1/2\,S\1/2\.

    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.
    Canyon Fuel Company, LLC (Canyon Fuel) submitted an application for 
leasing of the Tract to the Bureau of Land Management on March 18, 
1998. The purpose of the application is to obtain the right to mine the 
remaining Federal coal reserves to the west of the permit area for 
Canyon Fuel's Skyline Mine. If Canyon Fuel is successful in obtaining 
the tract, they intend to extend the existing underground workings of 
the Skyline Mine to the west into the Flat Canyon Tract to extend the 
mine life an estimated 7-9 years at the current production rate.
    Pursuant to Canyon Fuel's application, the Bureau of Land 
Management, with participation from the Forest Service and State of 
Utah, completed a tract delineation report that set the boundaries of 
the tract to be evaluated for leasing (Uinta-Southwestern Utah Coal 
Region, Bureau of Land Management, Tract Delineation Report, Lease by 
Application UTU-77114, Canyon Fuel, 1999).
    The Forest Service determined that the proposed lands are available 
for further consideration for coal leasing under the Land and Resource 
Management Plan (Forest Plan), Final EIS, and Record of Decision (ROD) 
for the MManti-La National Forest, 1986. The Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) and Forest Service (FS) have determined that coal and 
environmental data are available to meet Uinta-Southwestern Utah Coal 
region Data Adequate Standards.

Agency Decisions

    In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the 
BLM Utah State Director must decide whether or not to offer the tract 
for competitive leasing and under what terms, conditions,and 
stipulations.
    In accordance with the Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1975 that 
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 BLM and under what conditions for the protection of non-mineral 
resources. Forest Service conditions would be included into the lease 
document as stipulations.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described 
in this notice should be received on or before April 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Forest Supervisor, 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 carter Reed or Aaron Howe, Manti-
LA Sal National Forest, phone (435) 637-2817.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) will 
tier to the final EIS and ROD for the Mani-La Sal National Forest Land 
and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The 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.
    Issues and alternatives to be evaluated in the analysis will be 
determined through scoping. The primary issues are expected to include 
the socioeconomic benefits of leasing and mining, the potential impacts 
of underground mining and mining-induced subsidence to surface and 
ground water, vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources, range 
improvements, recreation, and other land uses.
    The Forest Service and BLM are 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 agencies invite written comments and suggestions on the 
issues related to the proposed action and the area being analyzed. 
Information received will be used to

[[Page 14524]]

prepare the Draft and Final EIS and to make the respective agency 
decisions. 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 proposed action and purpose 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 analyses.
    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 
``Proposed Action'' alternatives will be analyzed. Other alternatives 
could involve modified tract boundaries (additions) and/or reductions) 
and different sets of lease stipulations for the protection of natural 
resources. Alternatives may also be developed to include analysis of 
mining and the existing adjacent lease area and additions to adjacent 
leases needed to prevent bypassing coal 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 and BLM 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 period 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 November, 
2000. At that time the EPA will publish an availability notice in the 
Federal Register.
    The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date 
that EPA'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 of 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 statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's 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, (19th 
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 the 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 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 March, 2001.
    The Forest Supervisor of 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, 
Environmental Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies. The rationale for the respective agency decisions will be 
documented in the Records of Decision.

    Authority: (Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920 (P.L. 66-
146, 41 Stat. 437, as amended; 30 U.S.C. 181-287))

    Dated: March 7, 2000.
Jeff Walter,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
    Dated: March 8, 2000.
Richard L. Manus,
Field Office Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Price Field Office.
[FR Doc. 00-6150 Filed 3-16-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M