[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72750-72751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24428]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-060-1320-EL, WYW172684]


Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and Notice of Public Meeting on a Federal Coal Lease-
by-Application (LBA) in the Decertified Powder River Federal Coal 
Production Region, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent and notice of public meeting.

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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), Casper Field Office announces its intent to prepare an EIS on 
the potential impacts of the application to lease a tract of Federal 
coal. The EIS will be called the Hay Creek II Coal EIS. Under the 
provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.1, the BLM 
received the following application to lease a maintenance tract of 
Federal coal in Campbell County, Wyoming:
     Kiewit Mining Properties Inc. applied for a maintenance 
coal lease for approximately 1448.873 acres (approximately 148 million 
tons of recoverable coal) in a maintenance tract of Federal coal 
adjacent to the Buckskin Mine. The tract, which is referred to as the 
Hay Creek II Tract, has been assigned case number WYW172684.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. To provide the 
public with an opportunity to review the proposal and gain 
understanding of the coal leasing process, the BLM will host a meeting 
on January 31, 2008, at 7 p.m. at the Gillette College Presentation 
Hall, Room 120, 300 West Sinclair, Gillette, Wyoming. At the meeting, 
the public is invited to submit comments and resource information, plus 
identify issues or concerns to be considered in the coal LBA process. 
The BLM can best use public input if comments and resource information 
are submitted by March 29, 2008. The BLM will announce future public 
meetings and other opportunities to submit comments on this project at 
least 15 days prior to the events. Announcements will be made through 
local news media and the Casper Field Office's Web site, which is: 
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Casper.html.

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

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments or concerns to the BLM Casper 
Field Office, Attn: Teresa Johnson, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 
Wyoming 82604. Written comments or resource information may also be 
hand-delivered to the BLM Casper Field Office or sent by facsimile to 
the attention of Teresa Johnson at (307) 261-7510. Comments may be sent 
electronically to [email protected]. Please include ``Buckskin 
Mine, Hay Creek II Coal EIS/Teresa Johnson'' 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Kiewit Mining Properties, Inc. submitted an 
application on March 24, 2006, to lease a maintenance tract of Federal 
coal adjacent to the company's Buckskin Mine in Campbell County, 
Wyoming, which is operated by Buckskin Mining Company. A maintenance 
tract is a parcel of land containing Federal coal reserves that can be 
leased to maintain production at an existing mine. This tract is known 
as the Hay Creek II Tract. Consistent with Federal regulations under 
NEPA and the Minerals Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the BLM must 
prepare an environmental analysis prior to holding a competitive 
Federal coal lease sale. The Powder River Regional Coal Team reviewed 
this LBA at a public meeting held on April 19, 2006, in Casper, 
Wyoming, and recommended that the BLM process it.
    The Hay Creek II Tract application includes approximately 148 
million tons of recoverable Federal coal underlying the following lands 
in Campbell County, Wyoming:

T. 52 N., R. 72 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
    Section 7: Lots 18 through 20;
    Section 8: Lots 13 through 16;
    Section 17: Lots 1 through 4, 5 (N\1/2\), 6 (N\1/2\), 7 (N\1/
2\), and 8 (N\1/2\)
    Section 18: Lots 5 through 7, 10, 11, 12 (N\1/2\, SW\1/4\), 13 
(W\1/2\), 14, 15, 18, 19, and 20 (W\1/2\);
    Section 19: Lots 5 (W\1/2\), 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 (W\1/2\), 13 (W\1/
2\), 14, 15, 17 through 19, and 20 (W\1/2\).

    Containing 1448.873 acres, more or less.

    Buckskin Mining Company proposes to mine the tract as a part of the 
Buckskin Mine. At the mining rate of 25 million tons per year, the coal 
included in the Hay Creek II Tract would extend

[[Page 72751]]

the life of the Buckskin Mine by as many as 6 years.
    Lands in the application contain private surface estate overlying 
the Federal coal.
    The Buckskin Mine is operating under approved mining permits from 
the Land Quality and Air Quality Divisions of the Wyoming Department of 
Environmental Quality.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) will 
be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. If the tract is 
leased to the applicant, the new lease must be incorporated into the 
existing mining and reclamation plan for the mine. Before the Federal 
coal in the tract can be mined the Secretary of the Interior must 
approve the revised Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) mining plan for Buckskin 
Mine. The OSM is the Federal agency that is responsible for 
recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the 
revised MLA mining plan to the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. 
Other cooperating agencies may be identified during the scoping 
process.
    The BLM will provide interested parties the opportunity to submit 
comments or relevant information or both. This information will help 
the BLM identify issues to be considered in preparing the Hay Creek II 
Coal EIS. Issues that have been identified in analyzing the impacts of 
previous Federal coal leasing actions in the Wyoming Powder River Basin 
(PRB) include the need for resolution of conflicts between existing and 
proposed oil and gas development and coal mining on the tract proposed 
for coal leasing; potential impacts to big game herds and hunting; 
potential impacts to Greater Sage-grouse; potential impacts to listed 
threatened and endangered species; potential health impacts related to 
blasting operations conducted by the mine to remove overburden and 
coal; 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.
    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. Before including your address, phone number, 
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: November 5, 2007.
Alan Rabinoff,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-24428 Filed 12-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P