[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68834-68835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20044]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT-110-1320-EL, UTU 081895]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
To Initiate Scoping for a Federal Coal Lease Application Filed by Alton 
Coal Development LLC, Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and to initiate scoping for a Federal Coal Lease Application 
(LBA) Fielded by Alton Coal Development LLC, near Alton, Utah.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Kanab Field Office announces its intent to prepare an EIS and is 
soliciting public comments regarding issues and resource information on 
the potential impacts of a proposal to primarily surface mine Federal 
coal in the vicinity of Alton, Utah as requested by Alton coal 
Development LLC (Alton LLC) in LBA case number UTU 081895 and in 
conformance with the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
3425.1.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments and 
resource information should be submitted within 90 days of publication 
of this notice in the Federal Register. The BLM will host public 
scoping meetings in the following locations: Alton, Kanab, Panguitch, 
Cedar City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Times and dates of these meetings 
will be announced through the Utah BLM Web site (http://www.ut.blm.gov), press releases, local newspapers, and other media. At 
the scoping meetings, the public is invited to submit comments and 
resource information, and identify issues or concerns to be considered 
in 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.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments or concerns to the BLM Kanab 
Field Office, Attn: Keith Rigtrup, 318 North 100 East, Kanab, Utah 
84741. Written comments or resource information may also be hand-
delivered to the BLM Kanab Field Office or sent by facsimile to the 
attention of Keith Rigtrup at 435-644-4620. Comments may be sent 
electronically to [email protected]; please put Alton Coal 
Lease/Keith Rigtrup in the subject line. Members of the public may 
examine documents pertinent to this proposal by visiting the Kanab 
Field Office during its business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday, except holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Rigtrup, BLM Kanab Field Office, 
318 North 100 East, Kanab, Utah 84741 or by telephone at 435-644-4600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application to lease Federal coal near 
the Town of Alton, Utah was filed with BLM on November 12, 2004, by 
Alton LLC. The Utah State Office Solid Minerals Branch reviewed this 
lease application, delineated the boundaries of the tract, and 
recommended that the BLM process it. This LBA is called the Alton Tract 
and is currently delineated to include approximately 46 million tons of 
in-place Federal coal underlying the following lands in Kane County, 
Utah:

T. 39 S., R. 5 W., SLM, Utah

[[Page 68835]]

    sec. 7, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 18, lots 3 and 4, E\1/2\, E\1/2\W\1/2\;
    sec. 19, lots 1 through 4, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\W\1/2\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, 
SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 20, lots 4 and 5, N\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    sec. 30, lots 2 through 4, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/
2\SW\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 31, lots 1 through 3, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\;
T. 39 S., R. 6 W., SLM, Utah
    sec. 12, SW\1/4\, W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 13, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
    sec. 24, NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 25, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\.

    Containing 3,581.27 acres more or less.

    The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will be a cooperating agency in 
the preparation of the EIS.
    If the Alton Tract is leased, the OSM is the Federal agency that 
would prepare the documentation for the Assistant Secretary, Land and 
Minerals Management decision to approve, approve with conditions, or 
disapprove the Mining Plan. 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 for the Alton Tract. Specific issues that have been 
identified at this time include: potential impacts in the vicinity of 
the tract to city and county facilities and occupied residences; 
livestock grazing, big game herds and hunting, sage grouse, listed 
threatened and endangered species, alluvial valley floors; potential 
health issues related to blasting operations conducted by the mines to 
remove overburden and coal; site-specific and cumulative impacts on air 
and water quantity/quality; and the need to consider the cumulative 
impacts of coal leasing decisions combined with other existing and 
proposed development in the affected areas.
    The area included within this lease application was part of a 
larger area analyzed in response to a petition filed under Section 522 
of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to have 
federal lands declared unsuitable for all types of surface coal mining 
operations. The petition sought to have the lands declared unsuitable 
for coal mining because of impacts to air quality, visual resources, 
fish and wildlife resources, geologic features within Bryce Canyon 
National Park, and hydrology. The petitioners also questioned whether 
the lands could be reclaimed after mining. After an extensive 
evaluation, which included input from the public and a combined 
petition evaluation and environmental impact statement, the Secretary 
of the Interior, on December 16, 1980, determined that the coal lands 
included in this lease application were not unsuitable for surface coal 
mining operations. The Secretary's decision is documented in a 
secretarial decision document entitled, ``Petition to Designate Certain 
Federal Lands in Southern Utah Unsuitable for Surface Coal Mining'' 
(OSM Reference No: 79-5-001).
    Alton LLC has applied for a permit with the State of Utah to mine 
fee coal on private lands adjacent to this federal tract. That permit 
application is in progress and this federal tract, if approved, would 
be a continuation of that mining operation.
    Your response is important and will be considered in the EIS 
process. If you respond, the BLM 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 Kanab Field Office.
    If you comment as a private individual in your personal capacity, 
you may ask us to withhold personal identifying information from the 
public. You must do so prominently in writing at the beginning of your 
comments and must tell us precisely what you want us to withhold. You 
also must explain in detail why releasing that personal identifying 
information to the public would constitute a clearly unwarranted 
invasion of privacy. Individuals may request confidentiality. General 
assertions that are not supported by specific facts will not meet that 
burden.
    We will withhold personal identifying information from release to 
the public in response to your request only where, in our judgment, you 
present sufficient factual justification for our doing so under current 
laws, regulations, and court decisions. Typically, notwithstanding your 
request, in all but the most exceptional circumstances, we will release 
to the public all of the personal identifying information that you 
submit.
    If you comment as or on behalf of an organization or business, we 
will release your comments to the public in their entirety, including 
all personal identifying information. We will not consider a request 
from an organization or business, or anyone commenting on behalf of an 
organization or business, that we withhold any personal identifying 
information from release to the public.

Rex Smart,
Kanab Field Manager.
 [FR Doc. E6-20044 Filed 11-27-06; 8:45 am]
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