[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13919-13920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04847]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOS01000.L51100000.GA0000.LVEMC18CC400.20X]


Notice of Federal Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Application COC-
78825, Dunn Ranch Tract, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of coal lease sale.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the coal resources in the lands 
described below in La Plata County, Colorado, will be offered for 
competitive sale by sealed bid, in accordance with the Mineral Leasing 
Act of 1920, as amended.

DATES: The lease sale will be held at 10 a.m. on April 10, 2020. Sealed 
bids must be received by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado 
State Office Public Room on or before 9:30 a.m. on April 10, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the 4th floor conference room 
of the BLM Colorado State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 
80215. Sealed bids must be submitted to the Public Room, BLM Colorado 
State Office, at this same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Siple, Mining Engineer, at 303-
239-3774 or [email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 to contact Mr. Siple during normal business hours. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question. 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 GCC Energy, LLC (GCCE). These 
lands, known as the Dunn Ranch Tract (Tract), are located in La Plata 
County, Colorado, southwest of Hesperus, Colorado. The Federal coal 
resources to be offered are located in the following described lands:

New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado

T. 35 N., R. 11 W.,
    sec. 18, lots 2 thru 5, 8, 9, and 10, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and NE\1/
4\SW\1/4\;
    sec. 19, lots 1, 2, 6, and 7, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and N\1/2\SE\1/
4\NW\1/4\.
T. 35 N., R. 12 W.,
    sec. 13, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, NE\1/
4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 14, S\1/2\NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\SW\1/4\, S\1/2\SW\1/
4\, S\1/2\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 15, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\ and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 22, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/
4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/
4\, and E\1/2\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 23, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/
4\SW\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
    sec. 24, N\1/2\, SW\1/4\, and NW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 26, N\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/
4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\NW\1/
4\, and SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 27, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\ and SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\.

The area described contains 2,462.07 acres.

    The coal in the Tract has one minable coal bed, which is designated 
as the Upper Menefee coal seam. This seam is approximately 8.4 feet 
thick. The Tract is adjacent to GCCE's King II Mine and contains 
approximately 9.54 million tons of recoverable high-volatile bituminous 
coal. The coal quality in the Upper Menefee coal seam is as follows:

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British Thermal Unit (BTU)..............................   12,700 BTU/lb
Moisture................................................           6.24%
Sulfur Content..........................................           0.89%
Ash Content.............................................           7.04%
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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 (FMV) of the Tract. The minimum bid 
for the Tract is $100 per acre or fraction thereof. The minimum bid is 
not intended to

[[Page 13920]]

represent FMV. The authorized officer will determine if the bids meet 
FMV after the sale.
    The sealed bids should be sent by certified mail, return receipt 
requested, or be hand delivered to the Public Room, BLM Colorado State 
Office (see ADDRESSES), and clearly marked ``Sealed Bid for COC-78825 
Coal Sale--Not to be opened before 10 a.m. on April 10, 2020.'' The 
Public Room representative will issue a receipt for each hand-delivered 
bid. Bids received after 9:30 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 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 the BLM the cost recovery fee in the amount of 
$117,668.15, in addition to all processing costs the BLM incurs after 
the date of this sale notice (43 CFR 3473.2(f)).
    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 8 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, with copies available at the BLM Colorado 
State Office (see ADDRESSES). Documents for case file COC-78825 are 
available for public inspection at the BLM Colorado State Office Public 
Room.

(Authority: 43 CFR 3422.3-2)

Gregory P. Shoop,
Colorado Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-04847 Filed 3-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P