[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2316-2317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-651]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMT921000-12-L13200000-EL0000-P; MTM 97988]


Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the coal reserves in the lands 
described below in Musselshell County, Montana, will be offered for 
competitive lease by sealed bid in accordance with the provisions of 
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended.

DATES: The lease sale will be held at 11 a.m. on February 28, 2012. 
Sealed bids must be submitted on or before 10 a.m. on February 28, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the 920 Conference Room of 
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Montana State Office, 5001 
Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 59101-4669.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Fesko by telephone at (406) 896-
5080 or by email at [email protected]; or Connie Schaff by telephone at 
(406) 896-5060 or by email at [email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-(800) 877-8339 to contact the 
above individuals during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the 
above individuals. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This sale is being held in response to a 
lease by application (LBA) filed by Signal Peak Energy LLC. The Federal 
coal resource to be offered consists of all reserves recoverable by 
underground mining methods in the following described lands:

Principal Meridian, Montana

T. 6 N., R. 27 E.,
    Sec. 4, lot 1, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 8, NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 10, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\, S\1/2\;
    Sec. 14, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\, S\1/2\; and
    Sec. 22, W\1/2\, SE\1/4\.

    Containing 2,679.86 acres, more or less, in Musselshell County, 
Montana.
    The tract (LBA MTM 97988) contains an estimated 35.5 million tons 
of recoverable coal reserves. The tract's coal reserves average 12.4 
feet in thickness, 9,735 BTU per pound in heating value, 9.64 percent 
ash, and 0.87 percent sulfur content. The coal reserves to be offered 
are based on mining the Mammoth coal seam described in the proposed 
action in the Environmental Assessment and consists of all reserves 
recoverable by underground mining methods. The tract will be leased to 
the qualified bidder of the highest cash amount provided that the high 
bid meets or exceeds the BLM's estimate of the fair market value of 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 fair 
market value. The fair market value will be determined by the 
authorized officer after the sale.
    Sealed bids clearly marked ``Sealed Bid for MTM 97988 Coal Sale--
Not to be opened before 11 a.m. on February 28, 2012'' must be 
submitted to the Cashier, BLM Montana State Office, at the address 
given above.
    Prior to lease issuance, the high bidder, if other than the 
applicant, must pay to the BLM the cost recovery fees in the amount of 
$132,739 in addition to all processing costs the BLM incurs after the 
date of this sale notice (43 CFR 3473.2).
    The bids should be sent by certified mail, return-receipt 
requested, or be hand delivered. The cashier will issue a receipt for 
each hand-delivered bid. Bids received after 10 a.m. on February 28, 
2012, will not be considered. If identical high bids are received, the 
tying high bidders will be requested to submit follow-up sealed 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. A lease issued 
as a result of this offering will provide for payment of an annual 
rental of $3 per acre, or fraction thereof, and a royalty payable to 
the United States of 12.5 percent of the value of coal mined by surface 
methods and 8.0 percent of the value of coal mined by underground 
methods. Bidding instructions for the tract offered and the terms and 
conditions of the proposed coal lease are included in the Detailed 
Statement of Lease Sale. Copies of the statement and the proposed coal 
lease are available at the Montana State Office. Case file MTM 97988 is 
also available

[[Page 2317]]

for public inspection at the Montana State Office.

Phillip C. Perlewitz,
Chief, Branch of Solid Minerals.
[FR Doc. 2012-651 Filed 1-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P