Notice of Availability of the Pit 14 Coal Lease-By-Application Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wyoming, 68833-68834 [E6-20045]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 28, 2006 / Notices Authority This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1–6), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8. Dated: November 3, 2006. Michael D. Olsen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. E6–20152 Filed 11–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Notice of Cancellation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Reconstruction of BIA Route 27 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice. ycherry on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to cancel work on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed reconstruction of BIA Route 27 near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, and instead, prepare an Environmental Assessment for the proposed action. The Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS, which included a description of the proposed action, was published in the Federal Register on August 22, 2005 (70 FR 48972). DATES: This cancellation is effective December 27, 2006. Written comments must arrive by December 26, 2006. ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Marilyn Bercier, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great Plains Regional Office, 115 4th Avenue SE, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn Bercier, (605) 226–7656. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA is canceling work on this EIS because scoping and analysis completed to date, including a public scoping meeting held September 13, 2005, in Manderson, South Dakota, and consultation under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, have shown VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:42 Nov 27, 2006 Jkt 211001 68833 that the proposed action would have no significant impact on the environment. The EIS is therefore being converted to an Environmental Assessment (EA). A Notice of Availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact, which will include information on how to obtain a copy of the EA, will be published and/ or posted in the same places (except the Federal Register) as the Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS and will be sent to all parties on any mailing list relating to the EIS process for this project. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Public Comment Availability SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Pit 14 Coal Lease By Application (LBA) FEIS. The tract is being considered for sale as a result of coal lease application received from Black Butte Coal Company (BBCC) operating the adjacent mine in southwestern Wyoming. DATES: The FEIS will be available for a 30 calendar-day review period effective the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes their Notice of Availability (NOA) of the FEIS in the Federal Register. ADDRESSES: The FEIS is available at https://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/rsfodocs/ pit14 on the internet. In addition, copies are available at the following BLM offices: • BLM–Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009. • BLM–Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901. Written comments may be submitted to: Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, Attn: Pit 14 LBA Project, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, WY 82901. The public may submit comments electronically at: Pit_14_LBA_WYMail@blm.gov. Please note that any comments submitted to this FEIS including names and street addresses of respondents will be made available for public review at the Rock Springs Field Office, at the address listed above, during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address or both from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations, businesses and individuals identifying themselves as Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the mailing address shown in the ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 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. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. 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. Authority This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Department of Interior Manual (516 DM 1–6), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8. Dated: November 3, 2006. Michael D. Olsen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. E6–20153 Filed 11–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Bureau of Land Management [WY–040–1320–EL, WYW160394] Notice of Availability of the Pit 14 Coal Lease-By-Application Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wyoming Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM 28NON1 68834 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 28, 2006 / Notices representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the NEPA aspect of the project, please call Teri Deakins at 307– 352–0211. For information on coal leasing, please call Joanna NaraKloepper, Project Leader, at 307–352– 0321. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 24, 2004, BBCC filed an LBA with the BLM, to access Federal coal reserves adjacent to their existing Black Butte Mine in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The LBA tract is approximately 28 miles southeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming, and comprises the following public lands: ycherry on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES T. 17 N., R. 101 W., 6th PM, Wyoming sec. 2: Lots 3, 4, SW1⁄4NW1⁄4; sec. 4: Lots 1, 2, S1⁄2NE1⁄4, SE1⁄4NW1⁄4, NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, S1⁄2SW1⁄4, SE1⁄4; sec. 10: NW1⁄4, N1⁄2SW1⁄4; T. 18 N., R. 101 W., 6th PM, Wyoming sec. 34: E1⁄2, E1⁄2NW1⁄4, SW1⁄4. Containing 1,399.48 acres, more or less. The Black Butte Coal Mine started operations in the late 1970s and continues to operate today. Additional mineable coal reserves are needed to meet the growing regional demand for electricity, including electricity supplied by the Jim Bridger Power Plant. BBCC estimates that approximately 34.6 million tons of inplace coal reserves are present in the Upper Cretaceous Almond Formation within the project area. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) is a cooperating agency in the preparation of this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). If the tract is leased as a maintenance tract, the new lease must 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, OSMRE is the Federal agency that would be responsible for recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the revised MLA mining plan to the Secretary of the Interior. On January 7, 2005, the BLM published its Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the Pit 14 Coal LBA (WYW160394) in the Federal Register. On March 24, 2006, both the BLM and the EPA published NOAs of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Pit 14 Coal LBA project for a 60day comment and review period. Under the provisions of Federal coal VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:42 Nov 27, 2006 Jkt 211001 regulations at 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.4, a public hearing was held at 2 p.m. on May 10, 2006, at the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, Rock Springs, WY. The purpose of the hearing was to solicit comments on the DEIS, fair market value, and the maximum economic recovery of the Federal coal. Seven comment letters on the DEIS were received during the review and comment period, and two statements were recorded during the public coal hearing (of which one statement was subsequently submitted as a comment letter). The FEIS analyzes two alternatives in detail: 1. The Proposed Action. This alternative analyzes the impacts of leasing Federal coal and the impacts associated with surface mining. 2. The No Action Alternative. This alternative would reject the coal lease application as submitted. BLM’s preferred alternative is the Proposed Action. The Proposed Action is in conformance with the Green River Resource Management Plan (1997). A Record of Decision (ROD) will be prepared after the close of the comment period for the FEIS. Comments received on the FEIS will be considered during preparation of the ROD. Dated: September 22, 2006. Robert A. Bennett, State Director. [FR Doc. E6–20045 Filed 11–27–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–22–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [UT–110–1320–EL, UTU 081895] Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and To Initiate Scoping for a Federal Coal Lease Application Filed by Alton Coal Development LLC, Utah Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to initiate scoping for a Federal Coal Lease Application (LBA) Fielded by Alton Coal Development LLC, near Alton, Utah. AGENCY: SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Kanab Field Office announces its intent to prepare an EIS and is soliciting public comments regarding issues and resource information on the potential PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 impacts of a proposal to primarily surface mine Federal coal in the vicinity of Alton, Utah as requested by Alton coal Development LLC (Alton LLC) in LBA case number UTU 081895 and in conformance with the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.1. This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments and resource information should be submitted within 90 days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The BLM will host public scoping meetings in the following locations: Alton, Kanab, Panguitch, Cedar City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Times and dates of these meetings will be announced through the Utah BLM Web site (https://www.ut.blm.gov), press releases, local newspapers, and other media. At the scoping meetings, the public is invited to submit comments and resource information, and identify issues or concerns to be considered in the LBA process. The BLM will announce public meetings and other opportunities to submit comments on this project at least 15 days prior to the event. ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments or concerns to the BLM Kanab Field Office, Attn: Keith Rigtrup, 318 North 100 East, Kanab, Utah 84741. Written comments or resource information may also be hand-delivered to the BLM Kanab Field Office or sent by facsimile to the attention of Keith Rigtrup at 435–644–4620. Comments may be sent electronically to UT_Kanab_Altoncoal@blm.gov; please put Alton Coal Lease/Keith Rigtrup in the subject line. Members of the public may examine documents pertinent to this proposal by visiting the Kanab Field Office during its business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Rigtrup, BLM Kanab Field Office, 318 North 100 East, Kanab, Utah 84741 or by telephone at 435–644–4600. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application to lease Federal coal near the Town of Alton, Utah was filed with BLM on November 12, 2004, by Alton LLC. The Utah State Office Solid Minerals Branch reviewed this lease application, delineated the boundaries of the tract, and recommended that the BLM process it. This LBA is called the Alton Tract and is currently delineated to include approximately 46 million tons of in-place Federal coal underlying the following lands in Kane County, Utah: DATES: T. 39 S., R. 5 W., SLM, Utah E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM 28NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68833-68834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20045]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-040-1320-EL, WYW160394]


Notice of Availability of the Pit 14 Coal Lease-By-Application 
Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Pit 14 Coal Lease By Application (LBA) FEIS. The tract is being 
considered for sale as a result of coal lease application received from 
Black Butte Coal Company (BBCC) operating the adjacent mine in 
southwestern Wyoming.

DATES: The FEIS will be available for a 30 calendar-day review period 
effective the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes their Notice of Availability (NOA) of the FEIS in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS is available at https://www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/
rsfodocs/pit14 on the internet. In addition, copies are available at 
the following BLM offices:
     BLM-Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 82009.
     BLM-Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock 
Springs, Wyoming 82901.
    Written comments may be submitted to: Bureau of Land Management, 
Rock Springs Field Office, Attn: Pit 14 LBA Project, 280 Highway 191 
North, Rock Springs, WY 82901. The public may submit comments 
electronically at: Pit--14--LBA--WYMail@blm.gov. Please note that any 
comments submitted to this FEIS including names and street addresses of 
respondents will be made available for public review at the Rock 
Springs Field Office, at the address listed above, during regular 
business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. 
If you wish to withhold your name or street address or both from public 
review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you 
must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comments. 
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All 
submissions from organizations, businesses and individuals identifying 
themselves as

[[Page 68834]]

representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the NEPA aspect of 
the project, please call Teri Deakins at 307-352-0211. For information 
on coal leasing, please call Joanna Nara-Kloepper, Project Leader, at 
307-352-0321.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 24, 2004, BBCC filed an LBA with 
the BLM, to access Federal coal reserves adjacent to their existing 
Black Butte Mine in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The LBA tract is 
approximately 28 miles southeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming, and 
comprises the following public lands:

T. 17 N., R. 101 W., 6th PM, Wyoming
    sec. 2: Lots 3, 4, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\;
    sec. 4: Lots 1, 2, S\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/
4\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\, SE\1/4\;
    sec. 10: NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\;
T. 18 N., R. 101 W., 6th PM, Wyoming
    sec. 34: E\1/2\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\.

    Containing 1,399.48 acres, more or less.

    The Black Butte Coal Mine started operations in the late 1970s and 
continues to operate today. Additional mineable coal reserves are 
needed to meet the growing regional demand for electricity, including 
electricity supplied by the Jim Bridger Power Plant. BBCC estimates 
that approximately 34.6 million tons of in-place coal reserves are 
present in the Upper Cretaceous Almond Formation within the project 
area.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) is a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of this Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS). If the tract is leased as a maintenance tract, the new 
lease must 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, OSMRE is the Federal 
agency that would be responsible for recommending approval, approval 
with conditions, or disapproval of the revised MLA mining plan to the 
Secretary of the Interior.
    On January 7, 2005, the BLM published its Notice of Intent (NOI) to 
prepare an EIS for the Pit 14 Coal LBA (WYW160394) in the Federal 
Register. On March 24, 2006, both the BLM and the EPA published NOAs of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Pit 14 Coal LBA 
project for a 60-day comment and review period. Under the provisions of 
Federal coal regulations at 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
3425.4, a public hearing was held at 2 p.m. on May 10, 2006, at the BLM 
Rock Springs Field Office, Rock Springs, WY. The purpose of the hearing 
was to solicit comments on the DEIS, fair market value, and the maximum 
economic recovery of the Federal coal. Seven comment letters on the 
DEIS were received during the review and comment period, and two 
statements were recorded during the public coal hearing (of which one 
statement was subsequently submitted as a comment letter).
    The FEIS analyzes two alternatives in detail:
    1. The Proposed Action. This alternative analyzes the impacts of 
leasing Federal coal and the impacts associated with surface mining.
    2. The No Action Alternative. This alternative would reject the 
coal lease application as submitted.
    BLM's preferred alternative is the Proposed Action. The Proposed 
Action is in conformance with the Green River Resource Management Plan 
(1997).
    A Record of Decision (ROD) will be prepared after the close of the 
comment period for the FEIS. Comments received on the FEIS will be 
considered during preparation of the ROD.

    Dated: September 22, 2006.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-20045 Filed 11-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
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