[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 116 (Thursday, June 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33935-33936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-13670]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-040-1320-EL; WYW154595]


Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) 
on a Coal Lease by Application (LBA) Received for a Federal Coal Tract 
in the Decertified Green River/Hams Fork Coal Production Region, 
Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sec.  3425.4, the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Ten Mile Rim Coal 
Tract Final EA.
    The Final EA analyzes and discloses direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental impacts of issuing a Federal coal lease on the 
eastern flank of the Rock Springs Uplift. These lands are located in 
Sweetwater County, Wyoming.

DATES: Written comments on the Final EA will be accepted for 30 days 
following the date this notice is published in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Please address questions, comments, or concerns to the Rock 
Springs Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Teri Deakins, 
280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82902; fax them to 307-
352-0329; or send electronic comments to Teri Deakins at [email protected].
    A copy of the Final EA has been sent to the affected Federal, 
State, and local government agencies; persons and entities identified 
as potentially being affected by a decision to lease the Federal coal 
in this tract; and to persons who indicated to the BLM that they wished 
to receive a copy of the Final EA. Copies of the Final EA are available 
for public inspection during business hours at the following office 
locations:
     Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009.
     Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, 280 
Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901.
    An electronic copy of the Final EA may be viewed or downloaded at 
the following Web site: http://www.wy.blm.gov/rsfo.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teri Deakins or Jeff Clawson at the 
above address, or telephone 307-352-0256.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 28, 2001, Bridger Coal Company 
applied for a coal lease for approximately 7,054.34 acres in one tract 
(approximately 110 million recoverable tons of coal) adjacent to the 
Bridger Coal Mine in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The tract is referred 
to as the Ten Mile Rim Tract, and was assigned case number WYW154595. 
Based on exploratory drilling results, the Ten Mile Rim Tract was 
modified and decreased in acreage. The modification was filed on 
February 11, 2003, reducing the amount of acreage to 2,242.18 acres 
containing approximately 44 million tons of in-place coal reserves.
    The following lands are contained in the modified lease application 
in Sweetwater County, Wyoming:

Sixth Principle Meridian, Wyoming

T. 21 N., R. 100 W.
    Section 6: Lots 8 through 14, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, 
E\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\.
T. 22 N., R. 100 W.
    Section 30: Lots 5 through 8, E\1/2\W\1/2\, E\1/2\.
T. 22 N., R. 101 W.
    Section 26: Lots 1 through 16
    Section 34: Lots 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\SW\1/4\SE\1/4\

    Containing 2,242.18 acres, more or less.

    According to the modified application, the coal would be mined and 
sold to the Jim Bridger electrical power generating plant located 
adjacent to the existing mine and would therefore extend the life of 
the existing mine. The mine adjacent to the tract described above has 
an approved mining and reclamation plan from the Wyoming Department of 
Environmental Quality (WYDEQ) Land Quality Division, and an approved 
air quality permit from its Air Quality Division.
    A draft EA was released for review and comment in early February 
2004. The public comment period ended March 4, 2004. On March 9, 2004, 
a public hearing was held at the Rock Springs Field Office, Rock 
Springs, Wyoming. In addition to soliciting for comments on the draft 
EA, the purpose of the hearing was to solicit comments from the public 
on (1) the proposal to issue a Federal coal lease; (2) the proposed 
competitive lease sale; (3) the fair market value of the Federal coal; 
and (4) maximum economic recovery of the Federal coal included in the 
Ten Mile Rim tract. Eight written comment letters were received and are 
included in the Final EA with BLM's responses.
    The Final EA analyzes two alternatives: the Proposed Action of 
leasing the tract and the No Action Alternative of rejecting the 
application to lease Federal coal. Consistent with the coal leasing 
regulations, BLM identified and considered other alternative tract 
configurations that would (1) add or subtract Federal coal to avoid 
bypassing coal, or (2) increase the estimated fair market value of the 
unleased Federal coal in this area. These were eliminated from detailed 
study in the EA. A decision to adopt either the Proposed Action or No 
Action Alternative would conform to the 1997 Green River Resource 
Management Plan.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the Final EA. If the tract is 
leased, it must be incorporated into the existing mining and 
reclamation plan for the adjacent Bridger coal mine. Before the Federal 
coal in this tract can be mined, the Secretary of the Interior must 
approve each revision to the MLA (Mineral Leasing Act) mining plan. OSM 
is the Department of the Interior agency that would be responsible for 
recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the 
revised MLA plans to the Secretary of the Interior.
    The BLM asks that those submitting comments make them as specific 
as possible with reference to page numbers and chapters of the Final 
EA. Comments that contain only opinions or preferences will not receive 
a formal response; however, they will be considered and included as 
part of the BLM decisionmaking process. Comments, including names and 
street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at 
the address listed above during business hours (7:45 a.m. through 4:30 
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents 
may request confidentiality. BLM will not accept anonymous comments. 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 or organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Authority: 43 CFR 3425.4.


[[Page 33936]]


    Dated: April 19, 2004.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 04-13670 Filed 6-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P