[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 25, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 20560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7807]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-921-06-1320-EL; COC 68590]


Notice of Federal Competitive Coal Lease Sale Reoffer, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of competitive coal lease sale, lease application COC 
68590.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the United States Department of 
the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office, 
will reoffer certain coal resources describe below as Federal coal 
lease by application (LBA) COC 68590 in Moffat County, Colorado, for 
competitive sale by sealed bid, in accordance with the provisions for 
competitive lease sales in 43 CFR 3422.2(a), and the Mineral Leasing 
Act of 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).

DATES: The lease sale will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 30, 2007. 
Sealed bid must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, or 
be hand delivered to the address indicated below, and must be received 
on or before 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 30, 2007. The BLM cashier will 
issue a receipt for each hand delivered sealed bid. Any bid received 
after the time specified will not be considered and will be returned. 
The outside of the sealed envelope containing the bid must clearly 
state that the envelope contains a bid for Coal Lease Sale COC 68590, 
and is not to be opened before the date and hour of the sale.

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the BLM Colorado State 
Office, Conference Room, Fourth Floor, 2850 Youngfield Street, 
Lakewood, Colorado. Sealed bids must be submitted, hand delivered or 
mailed to BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, 
Colorado 80215.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Barton at BLM Colorado State 
Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215 or telephone 
303-239-3714.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal lease sale is being held in 
response to a LBA filed by Colowyo Coal Company, March 8, 2005. The 
tract was previously offered on December 19, 2006, and the one bid 
received at that sale was rejected because it did not meet the BLM's 
estimate of fair market value (FMV). The coal resource to be offered 
consists of recoverable coal reserves in the X through G seams mined by 
surface mining methods in the following lands:

T. 3 N., R. 94 W., 6th P.M.
    Sec. 1, lots 7, 8, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/
4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 2, lots 5 through 8, S\1/2\N\1/2\, SW\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\, 
SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, N\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, and SW\1/4\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 3, lot 5, E\1/2\W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, and E\1/
2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 10, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\;
    Sec. 11, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SW\1/
4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\; N\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\NW\1/4\, and N\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\.
T. 4 N., R. 94 W., 6th P.M.
    Sec. 34, S\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\W\1/2\SE\1/
4\, and E\1/2\SE\1/4\.

    Containing approximately 1,406.71 acres in Moffat County, 
Colorado.

    Total recoverable reserves are estimated to be 92 million tons. The 
surface minable coal is ranked as sub bituminous B coal. The estimated 
coal quality on an as-received basis for the seams are as follows:

                            X Through G Seams
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         10,549 BTU/lb.
                         BTU                               (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volatile Matter......................................              33.52
Moisture.............................................              15.90
Fixed Carbon.........................................              44.92
Sulfur Content.......................................               0.48
Ash Content..........................................               5.66
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The tract will be leased to the qualified bidder who submits the 
highest bid amount, provided that the high bid meets the FMV for the 
tract. The minimum bid for the tract is $100 per acre or fraction 
thereof. No bid that is less than $100 per acre, or fraction thereof, 
will be considered. The minimum bid is not intended to represent FMV. 
The FMV of the tract will be determined by the Authorized Officer after 
the sale. In the event identical high sealed bids are received, the 
tying high bidders will be requested to submit follow-up bids until a 
high bid is received. All tie-breaking sealed bids must be submitted 
within 15 minutes following the Sale Official's announcement at the 
sale that identical high bids have been received. The lease issued as a 
result of this offering will provide for payment of an annual rental of 
$3.00 per acre, or fraction thereof, and of a royalty payment to the 
United States of 12.5 percent of the value of coal produced by strip or 
auger mining methods and 8 percent of the value of the coal produced by 
underground mining methods. The value of the coal will be determined in 
accordance with 30 CFR 206.250.
    The required Detailed Statement for the offered tract, including 
bidding instructions and sales procedures under 43 CFR 3422.3-2, and 
the terms and conditions of the proposed coal lease, is available from 
BLM Colorado State Office at the addresses above. Case file documents 
and written comments for COC 68590 submitted by the public on FMV or 
royalty rates, except those portions identified as proprietary by the 
commentator and meeting exemptions stated in the Freedom of Information 
Act, are available for public inspection during normal business hours 
in the BLM Public Room.

Kurt Barton,
Solid Minerals Staff, Division of Energy, Lands and Minerals.
[FR Doc. E7-7807 Filed 4-24-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P