[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61165-61166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25845]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[L11100000 DS0000 LXSS036E0000 LLWY1610000]


Notice of Intent for the Potential Amendment to the Approved 
Resource Management Plan for the Buffalo Field Office, Wyoming, and To 
Prepare an Associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Wyoming Buffalo Field Office intends to prepare a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and potential amendment for the 
2015 Buffalo Field Office Approved Resource Management Plan (RMP). The 
Supplemental EIS is in response to a United States District Court, 
District of Montana, opinion and order (Western Organization of 
Resource Councils, et al vs BLM). This notice announces the beginning 
of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues 
presented in the opinion and order.

DATES: To ensure that we can adequately consider all comments, the

[[Page 61166]]

BLM must receive written comments by December 28, 2018. The BLM will 
announce a public scoping meeting during this period through local news 
media, newsletters, our ePlanning website, and the BLM website (http://www.blm.gov/wyoming) at least 15 days prior to the meeting. The BLM 
will provide additional opportunities for public participation upon 
publication of the Draft Supplemental EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues, planning criteria, and 
resource information by any of the following methods:
     Website: http://go.usa.gov/x9PT8.
     Mail: Buffalo RMP SEIS, Attn: Thomas Bills, Project 
Manager, BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas (Tom) Bills, RMP Supplemental 
EIS Project Manager; Telephone 307-684-1133; or at the above mailing 
address or website. Persons who use a telecommunications device 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, seven days a week, to leave a message or 
question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM is preparing this Supplemental EIS 
in response to a United States District Court of Montana opinion and 
order (Western Organization of Resource Councils, et al. v. BLM; CV 16-
21-GF-BMM; 3/26/2018 and 7/31/2018).
    In September 2015, the BLM approved the Record of Decision for 
Approved RMPs and Amendments in the Rocky Mountain Region, which 
included Wyoming's Buffalo Field Office. The 2015 Buffalo Approved RMP 
provides a single, comprehensive land use plan that guides management 
of BLM-administered lands and minerals in the Buffalo Field Office. The 
plan provides goals, objectives, land use allocations, and management 
direction for the BLM-administered surface and mineral estate based on 
the BLM's multiple use and sustained yield mission, unless otherwise 
specified by law (FLPMA Sec. 102(c), 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). The 
Buffalo Field Office manages approximately 800,000 acres of surface 
land and 4.7 million acres of mineral estate in Campbell, Johnson, and 
Sheridan counties in north-central Wyoming.
    On March 26, 2018, the U.S. District Court concluded: (1) NEPA 
requires the BLM to consider an alternative that would decrease the 
amount of coal potentially available for leasing, which requires 
updated coal screening that considers climate change impacts to assess 
the amount of recoverable coal available in the Approved RMP; (2) the 
BLM must supplement the Buffalo Final EIS with an analysis of the 
environmental consequences of downstream combustion of federal coal, 
oil, and gas open to development under the RMP; and (3) The BLM must 
provide additional justification and analysis of global warming 
potential over an appropriate planning period consistent with evolving 
science. The purpose of this public scoping process is to solicit 
public input that will influence the scope of the Buffalo Supplemental 
EIS with respect to the U.S. District Court's determinations.
    There are currently 13 operating coal mines in the planning area. 
All are in Campbell County (part of the Antelope Mine is in Converse 
County). There are presently two proposed mining operations on existing 
Federal coal leases or on privately owned coal in the planning area. 
One of these proposed mining operations is located in Sheridan County. 
All of the existing or proposed mining operations are surface coal 
mines, using truck/shovel or dragline mining methods.
    The 2015 Buffalo RMP relied on coal screening completed during a 
2001 RMP update. The 2001 screening reviewed 567,200 acres in two areas 
identified as acceptable for potential coal leasing in the Buffalo 
Field Office (494,000 acres in Campbell County and 73,200 acres in 
Sheridan County), containing an estimated 50.25 billion tons of coal. 
Based on the update, the BLM determined that 63,600 acres containing 
more than 6.2 billion tons of coal are unsuitable for surface coal 
mining operations, while the remainder of the coal lands in these areas 
remains available for further consideration for coal leasing. The BLM 
completed and documented surface owner consultation. The BLM estimates 
about 26 billion tons of coal would be developed under the Approved RMP 
in the areas made available for coal leasing under the 2001 coal 
screening. Since 1985, about 10.8 billion tons of coal within the 
planning area either were leased or are under consideration for 
leasing. The BLM has projected that the areas it screened and deemed 
acceptable for leasing will meet the anticipated demand for coal 
reserves. The BLM determined a new coal screening is not necessary in 
the Buffalo Field Office because no new lands have been nominated for 
analysis since the previous screenings, but BLM Wyoming will analyze 
the downstream impacts of developing federal minerals.

Call for Coal and Other Resource Information

    The BLM requests that industry, state and local governments, and 
the public provide relevant coal resource data that can help inform 
this planning effort. Specifically, the BLM requests information on the 
development potential (e.g., location, quality, and quantity) of BLM-
administered coal mineral estate, and on surface resource values 
related to multiple use conflicts.
    The purpose of this request is to ensure BLM Wyoming has sufficient 
information and data to consider a reasonable range of resource uses, 
management options, and alternatives for managing BLM-administered coal 
mineral estate. The BLM will use this information to complete the 
Supplemental EIS and formulate alternatives that identify areas 
acceptable for further leasing consideration.
    Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted in 
response to this call for coal and other resource information. Please 
submit all proprietary information to the Buffalo Field Manager at the 
address listed above. The BLM will treat submissions marked as 
``Confidential'' in accordance with the laws and regulations governing 
the confidentiality of such information.
    Before including your address, phone number, email 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, the BLM cannot guarantee that it will 
be able to do so.

    Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2(c) and 3420.1-2.

    Dated: November 16, 2018.
Mary Jo Rugwell,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-25845 Filed 11-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-22-P