[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45276-45277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19299]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLMT921000-15X-L51100000.GA0000-LVEME15CE410; NDM 102083; MO# 
4500119938]


Competitive Coal Lease Sale, North Dakota

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of coal lease sale.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that coal resources in lands in Oliver 
County, North Dakota, 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. Mountain Time on October 
10, 2018. Sealed bids must be submitted on or before 10 a.m., October 
10, 2018.

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. Sealed bids must be 
submitted to the Cashier, BLM Montana State Office, at this same 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Fesko by telephone at 406-896-
5080 or by email at [email protected]. Persons who use telecommunication 
devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 
1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual during normal business 
hours. The FRS 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 sale is being held in response to a 
Lease-by- Application (LBA) filed by BNI Coal, Ltd. (BNI). The Federal 
coal resources to be offered are located in the following-described 
lands:

T.141 N, R. 83 W, 5th P.M.
    sec. 18: NE\1/4\.

    The 160-acre tract, located in Oliver County, North Dakota, 
contains an estimated 2.4 million tons of surface mineable Federal 
coal resources. The tract contains one mineable coal bed, the Hagel 
A bed. The Hagel A bed averages approximately 9.0 feet in thickness 
with an average overburden thickness of 43 feet. The coal quality 
for the Hagel A bed averages 6,729 BTUs per pound in heating value, 
39.31 percent moisture, 5.74 percent ash, 0.76 percent sulfur, and 
6.23 percent sodium-in-ash content.

    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 Montana State 
Office, at the address provided in the ADDRESSES section and clearly 
marked ``Sealed Bid for NDM 102083 Coal Sale--Not to be opened before 
11 a.m. October 10, 2018.'' The cashier will issue a receipt for each 
hand-delivered bid. Bids received after 10 a.m. 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

[[Page 45277]]

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 
$240,321.00 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 require 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. 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. Casefile 
NDM 102083 is also available for public inspection at the Montana State 
Office.

    Authority: 43 CFR 3422.3-2

Al Nash,
Acting State Director, BLM Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2018-19299 Filed 9-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P