[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 118 (Monday, June 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26604-26605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11474]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[A2407-014-004-065516; #O2412-014-004-047181.1]
Draft Environmental Assessment, Public Hearing, and Request for
Comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment, Maximum Economic
Recovery, and Fair Market Value for the Falkirk Mining Company Proposed
Emergency Federal Coal Lease-By-Application and Mining Plan for NDM
111489, McLean County, ND
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearing.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) announce that a draft
environmental assessment (EA) is available for public review and
comment for the Falkirk Mining Company's emergency Federal coal lease-
by-application (LBA) for Falkirk Mine, serial number NDM-111489, and
mining plan for the proposed NDM-111489. The BLM and OSMRE also
announce that a public hearing will be held to receive comments on the
draft EA, Fair Market Value (FMV), Maximum Economic Recovery (MER), and
on factors that may affect the FMV and MER determinations of the coal
resources contained in the proposed LBA lease tracts. The BLM and OSMRE
take these actions in compliance with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended; the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended; and the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended.
DATES: The draft EA will be available for public comment on June 23,
2025. To receive due consideration, written comments must be received
by the BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office no later than July 7, 2025.
A public hearing will be held on July 7, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 6
p.m. Mountain Time.
ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Underwood City Hall
located at 88 Lincoln Avenue in Underwood, ND 58576. Any updates to the
public hearing will be provided through the ePlanning project website
and a press release.
The draft EA and documents pertinent to this proposal are available
for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2037729/510. Please submit your
comments to this website.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tessa Wallace, BLM Montana/Dakotas
State Office, Solid Minerals, 5001 Southgate Dr. Billings, MT 59101;
telephone: 406-896-5086; email: [email protected].
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services for contacting
Ms. Wallace. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose and need for the BLM's Federal
action is to respond to Falkirk Mining Company's emergency LBA to lease
Federal coal resources at the Falkirk Mine in North Dakota. The Federal
tracts contain approximately 11.3 million tons of minable coal over
approximately 800 acres, which could be mined through 2045. The purpose
of OSMRE's Federal action is to conduct an analysis of the potential
environmental effects of the proposed mining plan for the proposed NDM
111489 lease. OSMRE will use this analysis to inform its recommendation
to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, who may
approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions the proposed Federal
mining plan. Three alternatives are analyzed in the draft EA.
Comments on the draft EA, FMV, and MER received from the public
will be considered and incorporated as appropriate into the final EA
and written report.
The tracts for the proposed NDM 111489 lease underlie private
surface and are described as follows:
Fifth Principal Meridian, ND
Fifth Principal Meridian, ND
T. 146 N., R. 82 W.,
Sec. 2, lots 3 and 4, and S\1/2\NW\1/4\;
Sec. 3, lots 1 and 2, S1/2NE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\;
T. 146 N., R. 83 W.,
Sec. 24, SE\1/4\;
T. 144 N., R. 84 W.,
Sec. 12, NW\1/4\.
The areas described aggregate 799.96 acres, according to the
surveys of the said land, on file with the BLM.
Through this notice, the BLM and OSMRE are inviting the public to
provide comments regarding the potential environmental impacts related
to the proposed action and any factors that may affect the
determinations of the FMV and MER.
Any proprietary information or data that you submit to the BLM must
be marked as confidential and mailed directly to the BLM Montana-
Dakotas State Office, Attention: Tessa Wallace (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) 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 draft 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 BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT), during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Central Time), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other
[[Page 26605]]
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 we will
be able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 43 CFR 3425.3 and 3425.4)
Joshua F. Alexander,
Deputy State Director, BLM Montana/Dakotas.
[FR Doc. 2025-11474 Filed 6-20-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-20-P