[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5218-5219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1599]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-060-1320-EL, WYW154432]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, To 
Initiate Scoping, Provide Notice of a Public Meeting, and To Solicit 
Comments on Fair Market Value and Maximum Economic Recovery for a 
Federal Coal Lease Application Received From Cordero Mining Company for 
a Coal Tract in the Decertified Powder River Federal Coal Production 
Region, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received a competitive 
coal lease application from Cordero Mining Company for a maintenance 
tract of Federal coal adjacent to the company's Cordero Rojo Mine in 
Campbell 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, which was applied for as a lease 
by application (LBA) under the provisions of 43 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) 3425.1, is called the Maysdorf Tract and has been 
assigned LBA case number WYW154432. Consistent with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, BLM must prepare an 
environmental analysis prior to holding a competitive Federal coal 
lease sale. In accordance with the provisions of section 102(2)(C) of 
NEPA, BLM is announcing it will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for this lease application and is soliciting public 
comments regarding issues and resource information.

DATES: This notice initiates the EIS scoping process and request for 
Fair Market Value (FMR) and Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) comments 
(see 43 CFR 3425.4). The BLM can best use public input if comments and 
resource information are submitted within 60 days of publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register. On February 15, 2005, the BLM will 
host an open house between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. and a public scoping 
meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Clarion Western Plaza Motel, 2009 
South Douglas Highway, Gillette, Wyoming. The purpose of an open house 
is to provide information to the public regarding the Powder River 
Basin (PRB) Coal Review. At the public scoping meeting the public is 
invited to submit comments and resource information, and offer issues 
or concerns to be considered in

[[Page 5219]]

the LBA process. The BLM will announce public meetings and other 
opportunities to submit comments on this project at least 15 days prior 
to the event. Announcements will be made through local news media and 
the Casper Field Office's Web site: http://www.wy.blm.gov/cfo.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments or concerns to the BLM Casper 
Field Office, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 
Wyoming 82604. Written comments or resource information may be hand-
delivered to the BLM Casper Field Office. Comments or questions may 
also be sent by facsimile to the attention of Nancy Doelger at (307) 
261-7587; or sent electronically to: [email protected]. Please put 
Maysdorf Tract/Nancy Doelger in the subject line.
    Members of the public may examine documents pertinent to this 
proposal by visiting the Casper Field Office during its business hours 
(7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the EIS 
process. If you do respond we will keep you informed of the 
availability of environmental documents that address impacts that might 
occur from this proposal. Please note that comments and information 
submitted regarding this project including names, electronic mail 
addresses and street addresses of the respondents will be available for 
public review and disclosure at the Casper Field Office. Individuals 
may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name, 
electronic 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 law. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, or from individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs, BLM 
Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, Wyoming 82604. Ms. 
Doelger or Mr. Karbs may also be reached by telephone at (307) 261-
7600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cordero Mining Company (CMC) initially filed 
an application to lease the Federal coal on the Maysdorf Tract adjacent 
to the Cordero Rojo Mine on September 20, 2001. The Powder River 
Regional Coal Team reviewed this lease application at a public meeting 
held on May 30, 2002, in Casper, Wyoming, and recommended that BLM 
process it.
    CMC filed applications to modify the tract on May 22, 2002; April 
30, 2004; and November 9, 2004. As currently filed, the application 
includes approximately 230.3 million tons of in-place Federal coal 
underlying the following lands in Campbell County, Wyoming:

    T. 46 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
    Section 4: Lots 5, 6, 7 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 10 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 11, 
12;
    Section 10: Lots 1, 2, 3 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 4 (N\1/2\, 
N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 5 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 6 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/
2\);
    Section 11: Lots 1 through 8, 9 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 10 
(N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 11 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 12 (N\1/2\, 
N\1/2\ S\1/2\);
    T. 47 N., R. 71 W, 6th P.M., Wyoming
    Section 8: Lots 3 through 6, 11 through 13;
    Section 21: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7 
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16;
    Section 28: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7 
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16;
    Section 33: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7 
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16.
    Containing 2,219.39 acres more or less.

    The surface estate of Lots 3, 4, 5, of Section 10, and Lot 4 of 
Section 11, T. 46 N., R. 71 W., containing 132.13 acres, more or less, 
is owned by the Federal government and administered by the BLM. The 
remainder of the surface estate is privately owned.
    CMC proposes to mine the tract as a part of the Cordero Rojo Mine. 
At the 2003 mining rate of 36 million tons per year, the coal included 
in the Maysdorf Tract would extend the life of the Cordero Rojo Mine 
six to seven years. In accordance with 43 CFR 3425.1-9, BLM will 
evaluate the tract's proximity to all mining operations and may decide 
to add or subtract Federal coal lands to avoid bypassing coal or to 
increase potential competitive interest in the tract.
    The Cordero Rojo Mine is operating under approved mining permits 
from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality and 
Air Quality Divisions.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) will 
be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. If the Maysdorf 
Tract is leased to the applicant, the new lease must be incorporated 
into the existing mining and reclamation plan for the adjacent mine and 
the Secretary of the Interior must approve the revision to the Mineral 
Leasing Act (MLA) mining plan before the Federal coal in the tract can 
be mined. OSM is the Federal agency that would be responsible for 
recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the 
revised MLA mining plan to the office of the Secretary of the Interior 
if this tract is leased.
    The BLM will provide interested parties the opportunity to submit 
comments or relevant information or both. This information will help 
BLM identify issues to be considered in preparing a draft EIS and in 
evaluating the FMV and MER of the Federal coal included in the Maysdorf 
Tract. Issues that have been raised during processing previous EISs in 
the Wyoming PRB include: the need for resolution of conflicts between 
existing and proposed oil and gas development including coal bed 
natural gas (CBNG) and coal mining on the tract proposed for leasing; 
potential impacts to big game herds and hunting; potential impacts to 
sage grouse; potential impacts to listed threatened and endangered 
species; potential health impacts related to blasting; the need to 
consider the cumulative impacts of coal leasing decisions combined with 
other existing and proposed development in the Wyoming PRB; and 
potential site specific and cumulative impacts on air and water 
quality.
    The BLM open house that precedes the scoping meeting will provide 
information about the PRB Coal Review, a regional technical study being 
prepared to update the BLM's current status of coal development in the 
PRB, and to forecast coal and related industrial development. Based on 
these two review documents, a cumulative impact analysis will be 
developed for use in future EISs, including the EIS that BLM will 
prepare for the Maysdorf Tract.

Alan L. Kesterke,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-1599 Filed 1-31-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P