[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18997-18999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9374]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-040-1320-DO]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan Amendment 
and Environmental Assessment and Call for Coal or Other Resource 
Information

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Resource Management Plan 
Amendment (RMPA) and associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for 
Federal coal resources in Haskell, Latimer, and LeFlore Counties, 
Oklahoma, and notice of scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) 
of 1976 and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oklahoma Field Office will prepare an 
amendment to the Oklahoma Resource Management Plan (RMP) (1994, as 
amended 1996) and complete an EA on the amendment for three potential 
competitive Federal coal lease sales covering lands in Haskell, 
Latimer, and LeFlore Counties, Oklahoma. The RMPA would evaluate three 
Lease Application Areas (LAAs) to determine whether they are suitable 
for further consideration for leasing. The LLAs total approximately 
6,883 acres of previously unleased coal and are part of the Federal 
mineral estate. The RMPA will be prepared under guidance provided 
through BLM Planning Regulations. This notice is also to solicit coal 
and other resource information pursuant to 43 CFR 3420.1-2.
    This notice formally initiates the public scoping phase to identify 
issues and review preliminary planning criteria that will help guide 
the preparation of the RMPA/EA. The BLM will encourage public 
participation and will begin by conducting two public

[[Page 18998]]

scoping meetings near the LAAs to solicit input from all concerned 
parties. The dates, times, and locations for these meetings will be 
announced in local and regional newspapers. Coal companies, other 
mineral extraction companies, state and local governments, and the 
general public are encouraged to submit information to the BLM to 
assist in the determination of coal development potential and possible 
conflicts with other resources.

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice. Meetings and comment closing dates will be announced 
through local media, a newsletter, and the BLM Web site: http://www.nm.blm.gov. At least 15 days public notice in local news media will 
be given for activities where the public is invited to attend.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to ``RMPA/EA COMMENTS,'' 
BLM, Oklahoma Field Office, 7906 East 33rd Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 
74145-1352, Fax: (918) 621-4130. Comments, including the names and 
street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at 
the Oklahoma Field Office during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as 
part of the RMPA/EA. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from 
public 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 will be available for public 
inspection in their entirety. The current RMP and all other documents 
relevant to this planning effort are also available for public review 
at the Oklahoma Field Office at the address dates and times listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact: Doug Cook, Co-Team 
Leader, BLM, Oklahoma Field Office, 7906 East 33rd Street, Tulsa, 
Oklahoma 74145-1352, phone (918) 621-4124 or Keith Tyler, Co-Team 
Leader, BLM, Oklahoma Field Office, 221 North Service Road, Moore, 
Oklahoma 73160-4946, phone (405) 790-1015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In February and June of 2002, BLM received 
three applications from Farrell-Cooper Mining Company for three 
competitive coal lease sales for land in Haskell, Latimer, and LeFlore 
Counties. The sizes and locations of these three LAAs are as follows: 
(1) Liberty West, 640 acres, in parts of sections 1 and 12, T. 10 N., 
R. 12 E. in Haskell County; (2) McCurtain, 2,380 acres, in parts of 
sections 8-11, 14-17, T. 8 N., R. 22 E. in Haskell County; and (3) Bull 
Hill, 3,863.17 acres, in parts of sections 9-12, T. 5 N., R. 20 E., and 
in parts of sections 1-3 and 7-10, T. 5 N., R. 21 E. in Latimer County 
and in parts of sections 4-6, T. 5 N., R. 23 E., sections 31-34, T. 6 
N., R. 24 E.; sections 33-36, T. 6 N., R. 23 E. and sections 1-3, T. 5 
N., R. 22 E. in LeFlore County. The total 6,883.17 acres of Federal 
mineral estate is administered by the BLM and the surface is privately 
owned.
    Opportunities for the public to be informed and participate will 
occur throughout the planning process. To ensure local community 
participation and input, public scoping meetings will be held in two 
towns strategically located near the LAAs. Early participation by all 
interested parties is encouraged and will help guide the planning 
process and decision. The summary and list of attendees for each 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days to any 
participants who wish to clarify their views. The results of scoping 
will be sent to all of those interested parties on the mailing list for 
this project in a newsletter or scoping report. BLM personnel have 
identified preliminary issues and management concerns. Preliminary 
issues include the following: Access and traffic; public interest/
benefits regarding the extraction of the coal; identification of 
resource values on the private lands; and water quality. Preliminary 
management concerns include the following: Special status species of 
plants and animals; maintaining government-to-government relationships 
with tribal governments; effects of disproportionate impacts on 
disadvantaged communities resulting from the potential execution of the 
decision to lease the coal (Environmental Justice Executive Order 
12898); potential for spread of noxious weeds; protection of designated 
streams (Clean Water Act, section 303-d), and application of 
unsuitability criteria. The public is encouraged to help identify any 
additional issues, questions, and concerns during the initial scoping 
phase. Industry and other interested parties are asked to provide any 
information that will be useful in meeting the Federal Coal Management 
Program defined in 43 CFR part 3420, including the application of coal 
planning screens.
    Information resulting from this call for information will be used 
to determine potential for coal development and likelihood of conflict 
with other resources. Lands already considered in the Oklahoma RMP, 
adopted in January 1994 and as amended in 1996, need not be addressed.
    The issue of Federal coal leasing and development will include:
    1. Determining areas acceptable for further coal leasing 
consideration with standard stipulations;
    2. Determining areas acceptable for consideration with special 
stipulations; and
    3. Determining areas unacceptable for further coal leasing 
consideration. Any individual, business entity, or public body may 
participate in this process by providing coal or other resource 
information under this call. Planning criteria will be developed during 
the initial public scoping early in the process to help guide the 
planning effort. Preliminary planning criteria being considered by BLM 
for the planning effort include the following: Recognize valid existing 
rights; comply with existing law, executive orders, regulations, and 
BLM policy and program guidance; seek public input; consider adjoining 
lands to minimize land use conflict when making decisions; consider 
planning jurisdictions of other Federal agencies and State, local, and 
tribal governments; develop reasonable and sound alternatives; use 
current scientific data to evaluate appropriate strategies; analyze 
socioeconomic effects of alternatives along with the environmental 
effects; and consider public welfare and safety.
    Written comments should address one or more of the following: (1) 
Issues to be considered, (2) whether the planning criteria are adequate 
for the issues, (3) feasible and reasonable alternatives to examine, or 
(4) relevant coal or other resource information having a bearing on the 
RMPA/EA.
    Following the initial scoping phase, BLM will prepare an inventory 
to determine the existing condition of the environment in the three 
areas. The resources to be inventoried include air quality, geology, 
energy and mineral resources, soils, water resources, vegetation, 
wildlife, special status species, noxious weeds, land use, access, 
visual resources, noise, social and economic conditions, environmental 
justice, hazardous materials, and cultural and paleontological 
resources. A range of reasonable alternatives, including an alternative 
considering no action as required by NEPA, will be developed and 
analyzed. Through the comments received during the initial scoping, the

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public will assist in developing the alternatives. It is anticipated 
that the RMPA/EA process will require approximately 14 months to 
complete, resulting in a Decision Record and RMPA being published in 
spring of 2004.

    Dated: February 13, 2003.
Timothy R. Spisak,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-9374 Filed 4-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-FB-P