[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 35 (Thursday, February 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 8034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4150]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ES-020-1320-EL]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Land Use Analysis/Environmental 
Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Land Use Analysis/Environmental 
Assessment.

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SUMMARY: A Land Use Analysis/Environmental Assessment (LUA/EA) is being 
prepared to consider leasing Federal coal in response to lease 
application KYES-50213. The 315.13-acre application area in Clay 
County, Kentucky is managed by the Daniel Boone National Forest. The 
LUA/EA will be a cooperative effort among the Bureau of Land 
Management, the Forest Service and the Office of Surface Mining. This 
notice is issued pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2(c).
    The planning effort will follow the procedures set forth in 43 CFR 
1600. As provided at 43 CFR 3420, information and data pertaining to 
the coal deposits or other resources, which potentially may be affected 
by development of the coal, are requested. Additionally, the public is 
invited to participate in this planning process, beginning with the 
identification of planning issues and criteria.

DATES: Input will be accepted for thirty days from the date of this 
publication. 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 comments. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by the law. All submissions from 
organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Daniel Boone National Forest, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1700 bypass Road, Winchester, KY 40391.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Corey Miller, Lead for LUA/EA, Daniel 
Boone National Forest at 859-745-3149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The coal lease application was filed by Chas 
Coal, L.L.C. to supplement their existing private and other federal 
reserves currently under lease. The reserves would be mined by 
underground methods from a portal area on private surface and mineral 
estates. A permit (No. 826-5049) has been issued by the State of 
Kentucky for this 47.9-acre portal area located in Clay County, KY, 1.8 
miles west of Gardner.
    The BLM has responsibility to address coal lease applications on 
federal mineral estate. The Forest Service has the responsibility to 
consider consenting to lease Federal coal underlying Forest Service 
managed surface lands. The Office of Surface Mining provides 
recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior regarding approval of 
mining plans. An interdisciplinary team from these three agencies will 
be used in the preparation of the LUA/EA. Preliminary issues, subject 
to change as a result of public input, are (1) potential impacts of 
coal exploration and development on the surface and subsurface 
resources and (2) consideration of restrictions on lease rights to 
protect surface resources and uses by the Forest Service.
    Due to the limited scope of this LUA/EA process, a public meeting 
is not scheduled during this scoping stage; however, a public hearing 
will be conducted, in accordance with 43 CFR 3420 and 1600, upon the 
completion of the LUA/EA.

Bruce E. Dawson,
Field Manager, Jackson Field Office.
[FR Doc. 02-4150 Filed 2-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GJ-P