[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 134 (Friday, July 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46207-46209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17589]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ES-020-1610-DO]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan for 
Alabama and Mississippi. Call for Coal Information and Invitation To 
Participate in Identification of Issues and Planning Criteria

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent and Call for Coal Information.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office in Jackson, 
Mississippi (Jackson Field Office) is initiating the preparation of a 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the states of Alabama and 
Mississippi (AL-MS).
    This action will require the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS). Planning will be conducted for lands (tracts) and 
minerals under the administration of the BLM. The RMP will establish 
land use management policy on approximately 2,080 acres of land in 
Alabama, 3,770 acres of land in Mississippi and 200,000 acres of BLM 
administered in Alabama and Mississippi fluid mineral rights (oil and 
gas).
    This notice also solicits coal information (Call for Coal 
Information) for BLM-administered coal in Alabama and Mississippi. Coal 
companies, state and local governments, and the general public are 
encouraged to submit information to assist the BLM in determining coal 
development potential, and development conflicts with other resources. 
If it is determined that there is development potential, BLM staff will 
give further consideration to addressing coal leasing in the RMP. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the data requested in this Call for Coal 
Information.

DATES: Submit comments and coal information on or before September 10, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and coal information to BLM, Jackson 
Field Office; RMP AL-MS; 411 Briarwood Dr., Ste. 404; Jackson, MS 
39206. Submit electronic comments and coal information to 
[email protected] (RMP Team Leader). See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for file formats and other information about electronic 
filing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Allison, (601) 977-5413.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Planning will be conducted for lands 
(tracts) and minerals under the administration of the BLM. The tracts 
are located in more than 32 counties in Alabama and 19 counties in 
Mississippi. There are approximately 200,000 acres of BLM administered 
fluid mineral rights (oil and gas) under patented (private) lands in 
Alabama and Mississippi. BLM administered coal in these States may be 
addressed, if there are expressions of interest for future leasing and 
development.

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    Preliminary issues represent the BLM's knowledge, to date, on 
existing issues and concerns. The anticipated issues to be addressed in 
the RMP include, but are not limited to: (1) Public lands that could be 
transferred from BLM administration; (2) public lands that would be 
designated and managed as special management areas, and (3) BLM-
administered fluid minerals that would be closed to leasing or 
designated as open to oil and gas development under (a) standard terms 
and conditions, (b) timing limitation (seasonal) constraints, (c) 
controlled surface use constraints, or (d) no surface occupancy 
constraints.
    These issues are not final and may be refined by public input 
(comments). Issues proposed by the public will be reviewed by BLM. 
Determinations will be made as to whether they (1) will be addressed in 
the RMP or (2) are outside the scope of the RMP.
    Preliminary planning criteria developed to guide the preparation of 
this RMP are listed below. These criteria may be refined by public 
input (comment).
    1. Land use planning and environmental analysis will be conducted 
in accordance with laws, regulations, executive orders and manuals. 
Planning will be conducted for lands (tracts) and minerals under the 
administration of the BLM.
    2. Surface tracts will be mapped and identified by legal 
description. Land use policy will be established for BLM-administered 
lands identified after the RMP is completed.
    3. A reasonably foreseeable development scenario (RFDS) will be 
prepared for the future leasing (and development) of fluid minerals 
under split-estate lands (i.e., non-BLM surface and BLM minerals). The 
RFDS will be developed on a regional (county) basis. Areas of high, 
moderate and low oil and gas potential will be identified (mapped) for 
each state.
    4. Areas with the potential for non energy solid mineral leasing 
(i.e., phosphates, sodium, etc.) will be evaluated for inclusion in the 
RMP.
    5. Resource data needed to evaluate the impacts of future 
(foreseeable) mineral development will be collected on a regional 
basis.
    6. The planning team will work cooperatively with (1) federal, 
state, county and local governments and agencies; (b) tribal 
governments; (c) groups and organizations; and (d) individuals.
    An interdisciplinary team approach will be used to address resource 
issues in this RMP. The preliminary list of resource programs that will 
be addressed includes archeology, lands and realty, geology and 
minerals, outdoor recreation, socioeconomic, soils, water, and 
wildlife. A RFDS will be developed for BLM-administered fluid minerals 
and used in the preparation of the RMP and EIS.
    This notice initiates the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
public scoping process. The BLM will work collaboratively with 
interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best 
suited to national, regional and local needs and concerns. The public 
is invited to participate in this planning process, beginning with the 
identification of issues and planning criteria for the RMP. Comments 
relating to the preliminary issues and planning criteria (listed above) 
can be submitted in writing to the address listed above.
    This planning process will emphasize localized one-to-one contacts, 
media coverage, direct mailings and continual coordination and 
collaboration. Meetings will be conducted to (1) determine the scope of 
the RMP, and (2) obtain input on issues and planning criteria. All 
public meetings will be announced through the local news media and 
BLM's Web site (www.es.blm.gov) at least 15 days prior to the event.
    Individuals who submit comments 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 and businesses and individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
available for public review in their entirety.
    You may submit comments and coal information by sending electronic 
mail (e-mail) to [email protected] (RMP Team Leader).
    Submit comments as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. The BLM also accepts comments 
and data on disks in WordPerfect 7 (and higher) and Word 97 (and 
higher) file formats or the ASCII file format. Identify all comments 
and data in electronic form by the docket number [PP 4F4327/R2253].
    Information is needed to determine (1) The potential for coal 
development and (2) the development conflicts with other resources. 
Industry and other interested parties are asked to provide information 
required in Title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), subpart 
3420.1-2 (43 CFR 3420.1-2). Information is needed for (1) the 
application of coal planning screens, and (2) possible activity 
planning (i.e., tract delineation, ranking and selection). Based on the 
information that's received, additional issues (coal leasing) could be 
addressed in the RMP.
    Those issues would be based on:
    1. Determining areas acceptable for further coal leasing 
consideration with standard stipulations.
    2. Determining areas acceptable for further coal leasing 
consideration with special stipulations.
    3. Determining areas unacceptable for further coal leasing 
consideration.
    These determinations will be based on the data BLM receives. BLM 
staff will: (1) Assess coal development potential, (2) apply 
unsuitability criteria to proposed lease areas, (3) identify potential 
multiple use conflicts and (4) identify surface owner consultation 
needs.
    The type of information needed includes, but is not limited to, the 
following:
    1. Location:
    a. Mining companies should include a narrative description and 
delineate areas on a map (scale of 1 inch to 2,000 feet) for areas they 
are interested in leasing.
    b. Descriptions of both public and private industry coal users in 
the general region.
    2. Quantity needs (tonnage, dates) for both public and private 
industry coal developers and users.
    3. Quality needs (by type and grade) by end users of the coal.
    4. Coal reserve drilling data which may pertain to the planning 
area.
    5. Information pertaining to land and mineral ownership.
    a. Surface owner consent previously granted, whether consent is 
transferrable, and surface owner leases with coal companies.
    b. Non federal, or fee (private) coal ownership adjacent to federal 
tracts currently leased or mined.
    6. Other resource values occurring within the planning area which 
may conflict with coal development:
    a. Describe the resource value and locate it on a map (scale of 1 
inch to 2,000 feet).
    b. State the reasons the particular resource would be in conflict 
with coal development.
    Any individual, business entity, or public body may participate in 
this process by providing coal or other resource information under this 
Call for Coal Information.

(Authority: 43 U. S. C. 1701 et al; 42 U. S. C. 4321.)



[[Page 46209]]


    Dated: June 4, 2002.
Mike Nedd,
Eastern States Director.
[FR Doc. 02-17589 Filed 7-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GJ-P