[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 21803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8686]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCO921000-L51100000-GA0000-LVEMC09CC005, COC-70615]


Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that certain coal reserves in the Elk 
Creek East Tract described below in Gunnison County, Colorado, 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 10 a.m., May 15, 2012. The sealed 
bid must be submitted on or before 10 a.m., May 15, 2012.

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the Second Floor Conference 
Room of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office, 2850 
Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215. Sealed bids must be 
submitted to the Cashier, BLM Colorado State Office, at the address 
given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Barton, Land Law Examiner, at 
303-239-3714, or [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 individual 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 individual. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal lease sale is being held in 
response to a lease by application (LBA) filed by Oxbow Mining, LLC. 
The Federal coal reserves to be offered consist of all D seam reserves 
recoverable by underground mining methods in the following described 
lands located in Gunnison County, Colorado:

Sixth Principal Meridian

T. 13 S. R. 90 W.,
    Sec. 3, lots 8, 9, and 16;
    Sec. 4, lots 5 to 16, inclusive;
    Sec. 5, lots 12, 13, 20, and 24.
    Containing approximately 725.90 acres, more or less.

    The tract contains an estimated 3.96 million tons of recoverable 
coal reserves. The underground minable coal is ranked as bituminous B 
coal. The estimated coal quality on an as-received basis for the seam 
is as follows:

                                 D Seam:
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British Thermal Unit (BTU)................  12,005 BTU/lb.
Volatile Matter...........................  34.72%
Moisture..................................  7.47
Fixed Carbon..............................  45.87
Sulfur Content............................  0.67
Ash Content...............................  11.27
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    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. 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.
    The sealed bids should be sent by certified mail, return-receipt 
requested, or be hand delivered to the Cashier, BLM Colorado State 
Office, at the address given above and clearly marked ``Sealed Bid for 
COC-70615 Coal Sale--Not to be opened before 10 a.m., May 15, 2012.'' 
The cashier will issue a receipt for each hand-delivered bid. Bids 
received after 10 a.m., May 15, 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.
    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 
$10,347.10 in addition to all processing costs the BLM incurs after the 
date of this sale notice (43 CFR 3473.2).
    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 8 percent of the value of coal 
mined by underground methods.
    Bidding instructions for the LBA tract offered and the terms and 
conditions of the proposed coal lease are included in the Detailed 
Statement of Lease Sale and available from the BLM Colorado State 
Office at the address above. Case file documents, COC-70615, are 
available for inspection at the BLM Colorado State Office Public Room.

Steven Hall,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-8686 Filed 4-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P