[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1464-1465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-330]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-920-1320-EL, WYW160394]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 
Pit 14 Lease by Application, Sweetwater County, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS), to initiate scoping for a coal lease application 
received from Black Butte Coal Company for Federal coal in the 
decertified Green River/Hamms Fork Coal Production Region, Wyoming. The 
EIS may result in amendment of the Green River Resource Management 
Plan. If analysis shows that a plan amendment is necessary, the Green 
River Resource Management Plan may be amended.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a competitive 
coal lease application from Black Butte Coal Company (BBCC) for a 
maintenance tract adjacent to its

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existing Black Butte Mine in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. A maintenance 
tract is a parcel of land containing coal reserves nominated for 
leasing that may be used to extend an existing mine. This tract, 
assigned case number WYW160394, is called the Pit 14 Tract and was 
applied for as a lease by application (LBA) under the provisions of 43 
Code of Federal Regulations 3425.
    Consistent with regulations pertaining to National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM must prepare an environmental document prior 
to allowing the coal lease to be sold. Under the provisions of Section 
102(2)(c) of NEPA, the BLM announces its intentions to prepare an EIS 
and to solicit public comments regarding issues and resource 
information.
    Consistent with regulations found at 43 CFR 3425, this NOI also 
serves to notify the public that a coal lease is under consideration.

DATES: The scoping period for the Pit 14 LBA will begin with 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The BLM can best 
utilize public input if comments and resource information are submitted 
within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 
On January 26, 2005, an open house will be held between 4 p.m. and 5:30 
p.m., and a scoping meeting at 7 p.m., at the Rock Springs Field 
Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments to the Rock Springs Field 
Office, Attn: Teri Deakins, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, 
Wyoming 82901. Fax comments to 307-352-0328, or e-mail them to [email protected]. Please indicate Pit 14 LBA in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teri Deakins, Project Manager, may be 
reached at 307-352-0211. For information specific to coal or coal 
operations, Jeff Clawson may be contacted at 307-352-0323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 24, 2004, BBCC filed a coal lease 
application for a maintenance tract containing approximately 20 million 
tons of in-place Federal coal within a tract of approximately 1,399.48 
acres. This tract, case number WYW160394, is called the Pit 14 Tract 
and affects the following lands in Sweetwater County:

T. 17 N., R. 101 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

    Sec. 2: Lots 3, 4, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    Sec. 4: Lots 1, 2, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 10: NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\;
T. 18 N., R. 101 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
    Sec. 34: E\1/2\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\.

    Containing 1,399.48 acres more or less.
    The Pit 14 Tract is located within ``checkerboard,'' or mixed 
Federal and private surface ownership. The Pit 14 project area is 33% 
Federal surface and mineral estate. As part of the coal leasing 
process, BLM will evaluate the tract configuration and may decide to 
add or subtract Federal coal to avoid bypassing coal, to facilitate 
maximum economic recovery, or to increase competition.
    The Black Butte Coal Mine is adjacent to the LBA area and BBCC 
proposes to mine the tract as a maintenance tract for the Black Butte 
Mine. BBCC has an approved mining and reclamation plan from the Wyoming 
Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), Land Quality Division. The 
mine also has an approved air quality permit from the WDEQ, Air Quality 
Division to mine up to 7 million tons of coal per year. BBCC is 
currently mining from existing Federal, private, and state leases at a 
rate of 3 to 4 million tons per year.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) 
will be a cooperating agency during preparation of the EIS. If the Pit 
14 LBA Tract is leased to the applicant, the new lease must be 
incorporated into the existing mining plan for the adjacent mine. 
Before the Federal coal can be mined, the Secretary of the Interior 
must approve the revised mining plan. The OSMRE is the Federal agency 
that would be responsible for recommending approval, approval with 
conditions, or disapproval of the revised mining plan to the Secretary 
should the tract be leased.
    Through BLM's initial scoping of BBCC's proposal, at least one key 
issue has been identified: The potential conflict between coal mining 
and oil and gas development within the lease tract. Other issues 
tentatively identified include air quality; biological issues, 
including potential impacts to big game crucial winter range and sage-
grouse nesting habitat; vegetation, including plant species that BLM 
has identified as sensitive; nearby on-going shallow gas exploration 
and development projects; socio-economic impacts; cumulative impacts; 
and water quality.
    If you have specific issues or other concerns that BLM should 
consider during the NEPA process, please identify them in writing. You 
may send comments to the BLM by mail, facsimile, or electronic mail. 
Comments may also be hand-delivered to the Rock Springs Field Office or 
submitted at the public meeting. To receive full consideration, please 
submit comments on or before February 4, 2005. All comments, including 
the names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for 
public review at the address listed above during regular business hours 
(7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the 
environmental analysis process. If you do respond, we will keep you 
informed of the availability of environmental documents that address 
impacts that occur from this proposal. Please note that comments and 
information submitted regarding this project including names, e-mail 
addresses, and street addresses of the respondents will be available 
for public review and disclosure at the above address. Individual 
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your 
name, e-mail address, 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 the law. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Alan Rabinoff,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-330 Filed 1-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P