Notice of Availability of Maysdorf Coal Lease Application Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Federal Coal Notice of Hearing, Wyoming, 30445-30446 [E6-8085]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 102 / Friday, May 26, 2006 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[(WY–060–1320–EL), WYW154432]
Notice of Availability of Maysdorf Coal
Lease Application Draft Environmental
Impact Statement and Federal Coal
Notice of Hearing, Wyoming
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of
a draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS) and notice of public hearing for
coal lease by application (LBA)
WYW154432 in the decertified Powder
River Federal Coal Production Region,
Wyoming.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
the implementing regulations, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
announces the availability of the
Maysdorf Coal DEIS and announces a
public hearing pursuant to 43 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.4.
DATES: Requests to be included on the
mailing list and to receive copies of the
DEIS and notification of the comment
period and hearing date should be sent
to the address, facsimile number, or
electronic address listed below. Written
comments on the DEIS will be accepted
for 60 days following the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes their NOA of the DEIS in the
Federal Register. The BLM asks that
those submitting comments on the DEIS
make them as specific as possible with
reference to page numbers and chapters
of the document. Comments that
contain only opinions or preferences
will not receive a formal response;
however, they will be considered and
included as part of the BLM decisionmaking process. The public hearing will
be held at 7 p.m. MST, on June 13, 2006,
at the Clarion Hotel, 2009 South
Douglas Highway, Gillette, Wyoming.
ADDRESSES: Please address questions,
comments, or concerns to the Casper
Field Office, Bureau of Land
Management, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 2987
Prospector Drive, Casper, Wyoming
82604, fax them to 307–261–7587, or
send e-mail comments to the attention
of Nancy Doelger at
casper_wymail@blm.gov. A copy of the
DEIS has been sent to affected Federal,
State, and local Government agencies;
persons, and entities identified as
potentially being affected by a decision
to lease the Federal coal in this tract;
and persons who indicated to the BLM
that they wished to receive a copy of the
DEIS. Copies of the DEIS are available
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:12 May 25, 2006
Jkt 208001
for public inspection at the following
BLM office locations: BLM Wyoming
State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009; and BLM
Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector
Lane, Casper, Wyoming 82604.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the
above address, or telephone: 307–261–
7600.
The DEIS
analyzes and discloses to the public
direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of issuing a
Federal coal lease in the Wyoming
portion of the Powder River Basin. The
purpose of the public hearing is to
solicit comments on the DEIS on the
proposed competitive sale of the Federal
coal in the Maysdorf Coal tract, and on
the fair market value and maximum
economic recovery of the Federal coal.
The BLM is considering a coal lease
issuance as a result of a September 20,
2001 application made by Cordero
Mining Company (CMC) to lease Federal
coal near the Cordero Rojo Mine
approximately 15 miles south-southeast
of Gillette, Wyoming. in Campbell
County, Wyoming.
Cordero, the operator of the mine,
applied to lease the tract as a
maintenance tract to extend the life of
their existing mining operations under
the provisions of the Leasing on
Application regulations at 43 CFR 3425.
This tract, case number WYW154432, is
referred to as the Maysdorf Coal tract.
On November 8, 2004, BLM received
a request from CMC to modify the
Maysdorf Coal tract. The following
lands in Campbell County, Wyoming are
included in the tract as currently filed:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
T. 46 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 4: Lots 5, 6, 7 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 10 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
11, 12;
Sec. 10: Lots 1, 2, 3 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2), 4 (N1⁄2,
N1⁄2 S1⁄2), 5 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2), 6 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2
S1⁄2);
Sec. 11: Lots 1 through 8, 9 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2),
10 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2), 11 (N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2), 12
(N1⁄2, N1⁄2 S1⁄2);
T. 47 N., R. 71 W, 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 8: Lots 3 through 6, 11 through 13;
Sec. 21: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 6 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
7 through 10, 11 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 14 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
15, 16;
Sec. 28: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 6 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
7 through 10, 11 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 14 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
15, 16;
Sec. 33: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 6 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
7 through 10, 11 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2), 14 (E1⁄2 E1⁄2),
15, 16;
Total Acres: 2,219.39 acres, more or less.
The tract as currently filed includes an
estimated 230.30 million tons of in-place
coal.
The Cordero Rojo Mine is adjacent to
the lease application area and has an
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
30445
approved mining and reclamation plan
from the Land Quality Division of the
Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ). The Mine has an
approved air quality permit from the Air
Quality Division of the Wyoming DEQ
to mine up to 65 million tons of coal per
year.
The Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM),
the Land Quality Division of the
Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (WDEQ), and the Wyoming
State Planning Office (WSPO) are
cooperating agencies in the preparation
of the DEIS. If the tract is leased as a
maintenance tract, the new lease will be
incorporated into the existing mining
and reclamation plan for the adjacent
mine. The Secretary of the Interior must
approve the revision to the Mineral
Leasing Act (MLA) mining plan before
the Federal coal can be mined. If the
tract is leased, OSM is the Federal
agency that would be responsible for
recommending approval, approval with
conditions, or disapproval of the revised
MLA mining plan to the Office of the
Secretary of the Interior. WDEQ has
entered into a cooperative agreement
with the Secretary of the Interior to
regulate surface coal mining operations
on Federal and non-Federal lands
within the State of Wyoming. WSPO
coordinates planning within state
agencies and facilitates collaboration
among the agencies, the Federal
Government, other states, the private
sector, and the general public.
The DEIS analyzes leasing the tract as
applied for as described above as a
separate Proposed Action. Under this
alternative, a competitive sale would be
held and a lease issued for Federal coal
in the tract as applied for by Cordero. As
part of the coal leasing process, BLM
has identified and is evaluating other
tract configurations which add Federal
coal to avoid bypassing coal or to
prompt competitive interest in the
unleased Federal coal in this area. The
tract configurations that BLM has
identified are described and analyzed as
separate alternatives in the DEIS. Under
these alternatives, a competitive sale
would be held and a lease issued for
Federal coal lands included in a tract
modified by the BLM. The DEIS also
analyzes the alternative of rejecting the
application to lease Federal coal as the
No Action Alternative. The Proposed
Action and Alternatives being
considered in the DEIS are in
conformance with the ‘‘Approved
Resource Management Plan for Public
Lands Administered by the Bureau of
Land Management Buffalo Field Office’’
(April 2001).
E:\FR\FM\26MYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 102 / Friday, May 26, 2006 / Notices
• Mail: Attn: RMPR Comments, BLMTaos, 226 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM
87571.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined at the Taos Field
Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information and/or to have your
name added to our mailing list, contact
Ms. Sharon ‘‘Sher’’ Churchill, telephone
(505) 751–4725; e-mail
sharon_churchill@nm.blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document provides notice that the BLM
Field Office, Taos, New Mexico, intends
to prepare a RMPR with associated EIS
for the Taos Field Office and announces
public scoping meetings.
The planning area is located in Taos,
Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, Colfax, Harding,
Los Alamos, Mora, San Miguel and
Union counties in the state of New
Mexico. This planning activity
Robert A. Bennett,
encompasses approximately 593,659
State Director.
surface acres of public land and
[FR Doc. E6–8085 Filed 5–25–06; 8:45 am]
4,331,946 acres of Federal mineral
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
estate. The plan revision will fulfill the
obligations set forth by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act (FLPMA), and BLM management
Bureau of Land Management
policies. The BLM will work
[NM–220–1610–DO–026G]
collaboratively with interested parties to
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource identify the management decisions that
Management Plan Revision (RMPR) for are best suited to local, regional, and
the Taos Field Office, New Mexico, and national needs and concerns.
The purpose of the public scoping
Associated Environmental Impact
process is to determine relevant issues
Statement (EIS)
that will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis and EIS
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,
alternatives. These issues also guide the
Interior.
planning process. You may submit
ACTION: Notice of intent.
comments on issues and planning
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land
criteria in writing to the BLM at any
Management (BLM) Field Office, Taos,
public scoping meeting or you may
New Mexico, intends to prepare a
submit them to the BLM using one of
Resource Management Plan Revision
the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
with an associated Environmental
section above. To be most helpful, you
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Taos
should submit formal scoping
Field Office and by this notice is
comments within 30 days after the last
announcing public scoping meetings.
public meeting. The minutes and list of
The RMPR will revise the existing Taos
attendees for each scoping meeting will
Resource Management Plan.
be available to the public and open for
DATES: The BLM will announce public
30 days after the meeting to any
scoping meetings to identify relevant
participant who wishes to clarify the
issues through local news media,
views he or she expressed. Individual
newsletters and the BLM Web site
respondents may request
https://www.nm.blm.gov/tafo/taos_rmpa/ confidentiality. If you wish to withhold
taos_rmpa.htm at least 15 days prior to
your name and/or address from public
the first meeting. We will provide
review or disclosure under the Freedom
formal opportunities for public
of Information Act, you must state this
participation upon publication of the
prominently at the beginning of your
Draft RMPR/EIS.
written comment. The BLM will honor
such requests to the extent allowed by
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
law. All submissions from organizations
by any of the following methods:
or businesses, and from individuals
• Web site: https://www.nm.blm.gov/
identifying themselves as
tafo/taos_rmpr/taos_rmpr.htm.
representatives or officials of
• Fax: (505) 758–1620.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Comments, including names and
street addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the Casper
Field Office at the address listed above
during regular business hours (7:45 a.m.
through 4:30 p.m.), Monday through
Friday, except holidays. Individual
respondents may request
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold
your name or street address from public
review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act, you must
state this prominently at the beginning
of your written comment. Such requests
will be honored to the extent allowed by
law. All submissions from organizations
or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public inspection in
their entirety.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:12 May 25, 2006
Jkt 208001
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
organizations or businesses, are
available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Preliminary issues and management
concerns have been identified by BLM
personnel, other agencies, and in
meetings with individuals and user
groups. They represent the BLM’s
knowledge to date regarding the existing
issues and concerns with current land
management. The major issues that will
be addressed in this planning effort
include land tenure adjustment, land
uses, special area designations, visual
resource management, off-highway
vehicle use, and minerals materials.
After public comments as to what issues
the plan revision should address are
gathered, they will be placed in one of
three categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan
revision;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy
or administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan
revision.
The BLM will provide an explanation
in the plan revision as to why we placed
an issue in category two or three. In
addition to these major issues, a number
of management questions and concerns
will be addressed in the plan revision.
The public is encouraged to help
identify these questions and concerns
during the scoping phase.
Preliminary planning criteria are:
1. Actions must comply with laws,
regulations, executive orders, and BLM
Manual (i.e., supplemental program
guidance).
2. Actions must be reasonable,
achievable, allow for flexibility where
appropriate, and support adaptive
management principles.
3. The Taos RMP Revision will
change Field Office management
guidance in a number of program areas
by either modifying existing direction or
adding new direction. As appropriate,
RMPR guidance will be developed
within an adaptive management
framework, providing context and
identifying processes and tools for
implementing adaptive management.
4. The planning process will include
an environmental impact statement that
complies with National Environmental
Policy Act standards.
5. The planning process will follow
guidance provided in the BLM Land Use
Planning Handbook H–1610–1.
6. The planning process will be
conducted using an interdisciplinary
approach.
7. While ensuring conformance with
BLM policies and Federal laws, the
planning team and Taos Field Office
manager will strive to make RMP
Revision decisions consistent with
E:\FR\FM\26MYN1.SGM
26MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30445-30446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8085]
[[Page 30445]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[(WY-060-1320-EL), WYW154432]
Notice of Availability of Maysdorf Coal Lease Application Draft
Environmental Impact Statement and Federal Coal Notice of Hearing,
Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS) and notice of public hearing for coal lease by
application (LBA) WYW154432 in the decertified Powder River Federal
Coal Production Region, Wyoming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the
implementing regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces
the availability of the Maysdorf Coal DEIS and announces a public
hearing pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.4.
DATES: Requests to be included on the mailing list and to receive
copies of the DEIS and notification of the comment period and hearing
date should be sent to the address, facsimile number, or electronic
address listed below. Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted for
60 days following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes their NOA of the DEIS in the Federal Register. The BLM
asks that those submitting comments on the DEIS make them as specific
as possible with reference to page numbers and chapters of the
document. Comments that contain only opinions or preferences will not
receive a formal response; however, they will be considered and
included as part of the BLM decision-making process. The public hearing
will be held at 7 p.m. MST, on June 13, 2006, at the Clarion Hotel,
2009 South Douglas Highway, Gillette, Wyoming.
ADDRESSES: Please address questions, comments, or concerns to the
Casper Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Nancy Doelger,
2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, Wyoming 82604, fax them to 307-261-7587,
or send e-mail comments to the attention of Nancy Doelger at casper_
wymail@blm.gov. A copy of the DEIS has been sent to affected Federal,
State, and local Government agencies; persons, and entities identified
as potentially being affected by a decision to lease the Federal coal
in this tract; and persons who indicated to the BLM that they wished to
receive a copy of the DEIS. Copies of the DEIS are available for public
inspection at the following BLM office locations: BLM Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009; and BLM Casper
Field Office, 2987 Prospector Lane, Casper, Wyoming 82604.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the
above address, or telephone: 307-261-7600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS analyzes and discloses to the
public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of
issuing a Federal coal lease in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River
Basin. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit comments on the
DEIS on the proposed competitive sale of the Federal coal in the
Maysdorf Coal tract, and on the fair market value and maximum economic
recovery of the Federal coal. The BLM is considering a coal lease
issuance as a result of a September 20, 2001 application made by
Cordero Mining Company (CMC) to lease Federal coal near the Cordero
Rojo Mine approximately 15 miles south-southeast of Gillette, Wyoming.
in Campbell County, Wyoming.
Cordero, the operator of the mine, applied to lease the tract as a
maintenance tract to extend the life of their existing mining
operations under the provisions of the Leasing on Application
regulations at 43 CFR 3425. This tract, case number WYW154432, is
referred to as the Maysdorf Coal tract.
On November 8, 2004, BLM received a request from CMC to modify the
Maysdorf Coal tract. The following lands in Campbell County, Wyoming
are included in the tract as currently filed:
T. 46 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 4: Lots 5, 6, 7 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 10 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 11,
12;
Sec. 10: Lots 1, 2, 3 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 4 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\
S\1/2\), 5 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 6 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\);
Sec. 11: Lots 1 through 8, 9 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 10 (N\1/
2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 11 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\ S\1/2\), 12 (N\1/2\, N\1/2\
S\1/2\);
T. 47 N., R. 71 W, 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 8: Lots 3 through 6, 11 through 13;
Sec. 21: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16;
Sec. 28: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16;
Sec. 33: Lots 1, 2, 3 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 6 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 7
through 10, 11 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 14 (E\1/2\ E\1/2\), 15, 16;
Total Acres: 2,219.39 acres, more or less.
The tract as currently filed includes an estimated 230.30
million tons of in-place coal.
The Cordero Rojo Mine is adjacent to the lease application area and
has an approved mining and reclamation plan from the Land Quality
Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The
Mine has an approved air quality permit from the Air Quality Division
of the Wyoming DEQ to mine up to 65 million tons of coal per year.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the
Land Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (WDEQ), and the Wyoming State Planning Office (WSPO) are
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the DEIS. If the tract is
leased as a maintenance tract, the new lease will be incorporated into
the existing mining and reclamation plan for the adjacent mine. The
Secretary of the Interior must approve the revision to the Mineral
Leasing Act (MLA) mining plan before the Federal coal can be mined. If
the tract is leased, OSM is the Federal agency that would be
responsible for recommending approval, approval with conditions, or
disapproval of the revised MLA mining plan to the Office of the
Secretary of the Interior. WDEQ has entered into a cooperative
agreement with the Secretary of the Interior to regulate surface coal
mining operations on Federal and non-Federal lands within the State of
Wyoming. WSPO coordinates planning within state agencies and
facilitates collaboration among the agencies, the Federal Government,
other states, the private sector, and the general public.
The DEIS analyzes leasing the tract as applied for as described
above as a separate Proposed Action. Under this alternative, a
competitive sale would be held and a lease issued for Federal coal in
the tract as applied for by Cordero. As part of the coal leasing
process, BLM has identified and is evaluating other tract
configurations which add Federal coal to avoid bypassing coal or to
prompt competitive interest in the unleased Federal coal in this area.
The tract configurations that BLM has identified are described and
analyzed as separate alternatives in the DEIS. Under these
alternatives, a competitive sale would be held and a lease issued for
Federal coal lands included in a tract modified by the BLM. The DEIS
also analyzes the alternative of rejecting the application to lease
Federal coal as the No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action and
Alternatives being considered in the DEIS are in conformance with the
``Approved Resource Management Plan for Public Lands Administered by
the Bureau of Land Management Buffalo Field Office'' (April 2001).
[[Page 30446]]
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will
be available for public review at the Casper Field Office at the
address listed above during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. through
4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual
respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your
name or street address from public review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the
extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public inspection in their entirety.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-8085 Filed 5-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
