[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 162 (Thursday, August 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51478-51479]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18211]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLES930000/L51100000/LVEMM1450000/GA0000/xxx]


Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the 
Warrior Met Coal, Inc. Lease-by-Application ALES-55797, Tuscaloosa 
County, AL; Notice of Public Hearing, and Request for Comment on 
Environmental Assessment, Maximum Economic Recovery, and Fair Market 
Value

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern States Office 
(ESO) announces that an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Warrior 
Met Coal, Inc. Coal Lease-by-Application (LBA), serial number ALES-
55797, is available for public review and comment. The BLM is also 
announcing that it will hold a virtual public hearing to receive 
comments on the LBA, EA, Fair Market Value (FMV), and Maximum Economic 
Recovery (MER) of the coal resources contained in the proposed LBA 
lease tract. You can register to attend the virtual public meeting 
using the link provided below. Once registered, you will receive 
instructions for participating online or by phone.

DATES: To maximize the opportunity for public input while prioritizing 
the health and safety of BLM employees and the interested public, BLM 
will host the public hearing virtually via Zoom. The date and 
information on how to login and participate in this virtual public 
hearing will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local 
media and on the BLM website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/53496. Once registered, you will receive instructions for 
participating online or by phone. Written or electronic comments should 
be submitted or postmarked no later than September 24, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments related to the LBA, EA, FMV, and MER, may be 
uploaded to the BLM's ePlanning website for Warrior Met Coal, Inc. LBA-

[[Page 51479]]

ALES-55797, linked here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/53496 or mailed to Sabry Hanna at the BLM Eastern States Office 
address below. Comments may also be faxed to 202-912-7186, Attention: 
Sabry Hanna. Submitted comments related to the Warrior Met Coal, Inc. 
LBA, EA, FMV, and MER for the tract will be available for public 
inspection at the BLM-Eastern States Office, Division of Lands and 
Minerals, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA, 22041.
    Please note that any details and updates made to any aspect of the 
hearing will be posted on the BLM ePlanning web page.
    In accordance with the Federal coal management regulations, 43 CFR 
3422 and 3425, not less than 30 days prior to the publication of a 
notice of sale, the Secretary shall solicit public comments on FMV and 
MER and on factors that may affect these two determinations. 
Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted to Mr. Hanna 
in writing or faxed in response to this solicitation for public 
comments. Data so marked shall be treated in accordance with the laws 
and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information. A 
copy of the comments submitted by the public on FMV and MER, except 
those portions identified as proprietary by the author and meeting 
exemptions stated in the Freedom of Information Act, will be available 
for public inspection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sabry Hanna, Solid Minerals Program 
Lead, phone: 202-912-7720, email: [email protected], or at the address 
provided in the ADDRESSES section. 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. Hanna during normal business hours. The 
FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question for Mr. Hanna. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application to lease Federal coal in 
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, for 5,704.52 acres of Federal coal 
reserves, was filed with the BLM on August 13, 2009. The EA analyzes 
and discloses the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of 
leasing and subsequent mining of the proposed LBA tract. The tract 
contains an estimated 24 million tons of coal recoverable by 
underground mining. The lands are described as follows:

Huntsville Meridian, Alabama

T. 18 S., R. 8 W.,
    sec. 17, NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\NW\1/
4\;
    sec. 18, SE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\ SW\1/4\;
    sec. 28, W\1/2\SW\1/4\ and SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 33, SW\1/4\ NW\1/4\.
T. 19 S., R. 8 W.,
    sec. 4, SE \1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 11, E\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 18, SW\1/4\ and W\1/2\NW\1/4\.
T. 18 S., R. 9 W.,
sec. 21, NE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    sec. 22, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\, 
and SE\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 24, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\, E\1/
2\NW\1/4\, and SW\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 26, NE\1/4\, SE \1/4\, SW\1/4\, and E\1/2\NWI/4;
    sec. 27, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\, and NW\1/4\;
    sec. 28, N\1/2\SE \1/4\;
    sec. 33, E\1/2\NE\1/4\ and NE\1/4\SE \1/4\;
    sec. 34, NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\, and NW\1/4\;
    sec. 35, N\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\, SW\1/4\SE\1/
4\, W \1/2\ SW \1/4\ , N\1/2\NW\1/4\ and SW \1/4\ NW\1/4\.
T. 19 S., R. 9 W.,
    sec. 1, NE\1/4\ and E\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 12, NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, and E\1/2\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 14, SE\1/4\ and NW\1/4\
    Total Acres: 5,704.52 acres.
    Through this notice, the BLM is inviting the public to provide 
comments regarding the LBA and EA, and, also, to submit comments on the 
FMV and MER for the proposed LBA tract. All public comments, whether 
written or oral, will receive consideration prior to the BLM's decision 
regarding the leasing of the Federal coal contained in the tracts.
    The BLM usually holds a public hearing in the local community where 
the tracts are located. However, due to the COVID-19 National Emergency 
and the uncertainty of Federal, State, and local social distancing 
guidelines, the BLM is holding the virtual public hearing to ensure 
staff and interested community members can participate safely. The 
presentation and comments received during the virtual meeting will be 
recorded. All public comments, whether written or oral, will receive 
consideration prior to the BLM's decision regarding the leasing of the 
Federal coal. Public comments on the EA should address the potential 
environmental impacts of the proposed action. Public comments on the 
FMV and MER for the proposed lease tract may address, but do not have 
to be limited to, the following:
    1. The quality and quantity of the Federal coal resource;
    2. The mining method or methods to be employed to obtain the MER of 
the coal resource, including the name of the coal bed(s) to be mined, 
timing and rate of production, restriction of mining, and the inclusion 
of the tracts in an existing mining operation;
    3. The price that the mined coal would bring when sold;
    4. Costs, including mining and reclamation, and the anticipated 
timing of production;
    5. The percentage rate at which anticipated income streams should 
be discounted, either with inflation, or in the absence of inflation, 
in which case the anticipated rate of inflation should be given;
    6. Depreciation, depletion, amortization, and other tax accounting 
factors; and
    7. The value of any privately held mineral or surface estate in the 
mining area.
    The Fair Market Value of the coal developed by BLM may or may not 
change as a result of comments received from the public and changes in 
the market conditions between now and when final economic evaluations 
are completed.
    Any proprietary information or data that you submit to the BLM must 
be marked as confidential to assure the data will be treated in 
accordance with the applicable laws and regulations governing the 
confidentiality of such information or data. A copy of the comments 
submitted by the public on the LBA, EA, FMV, and MER for the tracts, 
except those portions identified as proprietary and that meet one of 
the exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act, will be available for 
public inspection at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section, 
during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through 
Friday.
    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 public at any time. While you may request in 
your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from 
public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that it can do so.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR 3422.1, 3425.3, and 3425.4.)

Mitchell Leverette,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-18211 Filed 8-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GJ-P