Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Wyoming, 28063-28064 [2011-11654]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2011 / Notices
• Hays County Precinct 3 Office,
14306 Ranch Rd 12, Wimberley, TX;
78676, and
• Hays County Precinct 4 Office, 101
Old Fitzhugh Rd, Dripping Springs, TX,
78620.
Persons wishing to review the
application or draft ROD may obtain a
copy by writing to the Regional Director,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
1306, Room 4012, Albuquerque, NM
87103.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become
part of the public record associated with
this action. Before including your
address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that the 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, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22) and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4371
et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
December 7, 2010.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2011–11761 Filed 5–12–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWY922000–L13200000–EL0000;
WYW161248]
Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale,
Wyoming
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
certain coal resources in the Belle Ayr
North Coal Tract described below in
Campbell County, Wyoming, will be
offered for competitive lease by sealed
bid in accordance with the provisions of
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as
amended.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
The lease sale will be held at 10
a.m., on Wednesday, July 13, 2011.
DATES:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:22 May 12, 2011
Jkt 223001
Sealed bids must be submitted on or
before 4 p.m., on Tuesday, July 12,
2011.
ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held
in the First Floor Conference Room
(Room 107), of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, P.O.
Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
Sealed bids must be submitted to the
Cashier, BLM Wyoming State Office, at
the address given above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mavis Love, Land Law Examiner, or
Tyson Sackett, Acting Coal Coordinator,
at 307–775–6258, and 307–775–6487,
respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal
lease sale is being held in response to
a lease by application (LBA) filed by
Alpha Coal West, Inc. (formerly RAG
Coal West, Inc.), Gillette, Wyoming. The
coal resource to be offered consists of all
reserves recoverable by surface mining
methods in the following described
lands located approximately 10 miles
south-southeast of Gillette, Wyoming
and east of State Highway 59.
T. 48 N., R. 71 W., 6th Principal Meridian
Sec. 17, lots 13 and 14;
Sec. 18, lots 17 through 19 inclusive;
Sec. 19, lots 5 through 19 inclusive;
Sec. 20, lots 3 through 7 inclusive and lots
9 through 16 inclusive;
Sec. 21, lots 13 and 14;
Sec. 28, lots 3 through 6 inclusive; and
Sec. 29, lots 1 and 6.
Containing 1,671.03 acres, more or less, in
Campbell County, Wyoming.
The tract is adjacent to Federal and
private leases along the northern lease
boundary of the Belle Ayr mine, and to
Federal leases along the southwestern
lease boundary of the Caballo mine, and
to the Caballo West LBA along the
north. It is also adjacent to additional
unleased Federal coal to the west and
north. The tract is crossed by Bishop
Road along its northeastern boundary.
All of the acreage offered has been
determined to be suitable for mining.
Features such as Bishop Road, utilities,
and pipelines can be moved to permit
coal recovery. In addition, numerous
producing coal bed natural gas wells
have been drilled on the tract. The
estimate of the bonus value of the coal
lease will include consideration of the
future production from these wells. An
economic analysis of the future income
stream from the coal lease will consider
reasonable compensation to the gas
lessee for lost production of natural gas
when the wells are bought out but by
the coal lessee. The surface estate of the
tract is owned by Alpha Coal West, Inc.
The tract contains surface mineable
coal reserves in the Wyodak-Anderson
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
28063
coal zone currently being recovered in
the adjacent, existing mines. On the
LBA tract, there is one recoverable
seam, the Wyodak, which ranges from
about 72 to 78 feet thick. The Wyodak
seam is continuous over the entire tract
with no outcrops or subcrops.
Overburden depths to this seam range
from 278 to 317 feet thick on the LBA
tract. The tract contains an estimated
221,734,800 tons of mineable coal. This
estimate of mineable reserves includes
the main seam mentioned above but
does not include any tonnage from
localized seams or splits containing coal
less than 5 feet thick. Also, it does not
include the adjacent private leases
although these are expected to be mined
in conjunction with the LBA tract. The
total mineable stripping ratio of the coal
in bank cubic yards per ton is about
4.2:1. Potential bidders for the LBA tract
should consider the recovery rate
expected from thick seam mining.
The Belle Ayr North LBA coal is
ranked as subbituminous C. The overall
average quality on an as-received basis
is 8,542 British Thermal Units per
pound containing about 0.34 percent
sulfur. These quality averages place the
coal reserves in the lower part of the
range of coal quality currently being
mined in the Wyoming portion of the
Powder River Basin.
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 of the tract. The
minimum bid for the tract is $100 per
acre or fraction thereof. No bid that is
less than $100 per acre, or fraction
thereof, will be considered. The bids
should be sent by certified mail, return
receipt requested, or be hand delivered.
The BLM Wyoming State Office Cashier
will issue a receipt for each handdelivered bid. Bids received after 4 p.m.
local time, on Tuesday, July 12, 2011,
will not be considered. The minimum
bid is not intended to represent fair
market value. The fair market value of
the tract will be determined by the
Authorized Officer after the sale. The
lease that may be issued as a result of
this coal lease sale will provide for
payment of an annual rental of $3 per
acre, or fraction thereof, and a royalty
payment to the United States of 12.5
percent of the value of coal produced by
surface mining methods and 8 percent
of the value of the coal produced by
underground mining methods. The
value of the coal will be determined in
accordance with 30 CFR 206.250.
Bidding instructions for the tract
offered and the terms and conditions of
the proposed coal lease are available
from the BLM Wyoming State Office at
E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM
13MYN1
28064
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 93 / Friday, May 13, 2011 / Notices
the address above. Case file documents
for case WYW161248 are available for
inspection at the BLM Wyoming State
Office.
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–11654 Filed 5–12–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA 048810, LLCAD06000,
L51010000.FX0000, LVRWB09B2600]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
Palen Solar I, LLC’s Palen Solar Power
Plant (PSPP) and Proposed California
Desert Conservation Area Plan
Amendment
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Proposed California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan
Amendment/Final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Palen
Solar Power Plant project and by this
notice is announcing its availability.
DATES: The publication of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA) Notice of Availability (NOA) of
this Final EIS in the Federal Register
initiates a 30-day public comment
period. In addition, the BLM planning
regulations state that any person who
meets the conditions as described in the
regulations at 43 CFR 1610.52 may
protest the BLM’s Proposed CDCA Plan
Amendment. A person who meets the
conditions and files a protest must file
the protest within 30 days of the date
that the EPA publishes its notice in the
Federal Register. The protest
procedures are described in the ‘‘Dear
Reader’’ letter accompanying the
Proposed Plan Amendment/Final EIS.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Palen
Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment/Final
EIS have been sent to affected Federal,
state, and local government agencies
and to other stakeholders. You may
send your comments to the Palm
Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201
Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs,
California 92262. Copies are also
available for public inspection at this
address. Interested persons may also
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:22 May 12, 2011
Jkt 223001
review the document at the following
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/
fo/palmsprings/Solar_Projects/
Palen_Solar_Power_Project.html. All
protests must be in writing and mailed
to one of the following addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M
Street, SE., Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC 20003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information contact Allison
Shaffer, BLM Project Manager,
telephone (760) 833–7100; 1201 Bird
Center Drive, Palm Springs, California
92262 or e-mail
CAPSSolarPalen@blm.gov. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Palen
Solar I, LLC (Palen), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Solar Millennium, Inc.,
has submitted a right-of-way (ROW)
application to the BLM for development
of the proposed Palen project, consisting
of two parabolic-trough solar thermal
power plants, each of which has a ‘‘solar
field’’ comprised of rows of parabolic
mirrors focusing solar energy on
collector tubes. The tubes would carry
heated oil to a boiler that sends live
steam to a steam turbine. The project
would be built in 2 phases which are
designed to generate in total
approximately 500 megawatts (MW) of
electricity at full development. The
proposed ROW would encompass
approximately 5,200 acres; the
disturbed area would encompass
approximately 3,107 acres. The project
is in Riverside County, California, 10
miles east of Desert Center along
Interstate 10 halfway between the cities
of Indio and Blythe.
The major components and features of
the proposed Palen project include the
two power plants, an access road,
operations facilities (office, warehouse,
etc.), a switchyard, an electrical
transmission line (which will connect to
Southern California Edison’s planned
Red Bluff substation, 10 miles west of
the Palen project site), and two water
wells. This dry-cooled power plant
would use approximately 300 acre-feet
of water per year for feed water makeup,
dust control, domestic uses, and mirror
PO 00000
Frm 00079
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
washing obtained from on-site water
wells.
The BLM’s purpose and need for the
Final EIS is to respond to Palen’s
application for a ROW grant to
construct, operate, and decommission a
solar thermal facility on public lands in
compliance with FLPMA, the BLM
ROW regulations, and other applicable
Federal laws. The BLM will decide
whether to grant, grant with
modification, or deny a ROW to Palen
for the proposed project. The CDCA
Plan (1980, as amended), while
recognizing the potential compatibility
of solar generation facilities with other
uses on public lands, requires that all
sites proposed for power generation or
transmission not already identified in
the plan be considered through the plan
amendment process. If the BLM decides
to grant a ROW for this project, the
CDCA Plan would be amended as
required. In response to the application
received from Palen, the BLM’s
proposed action is to authorize the
Palen project and amend the CDCA Plan
to identify the project area as suitable
for solar energy production.
In addition to the proposed action, the
BLM is analyzing the following action
alternatives: Two reconfigured 500–MW
alternatives designed to reduce impacts
to desert washes, dune habitat, and the
Mojave fringe-toed lizard, and a smaller
375–MW alternative. The reconfigured
500–MW alternative that has as an
option to use 240 acres of private land,
if available, is the preferred alternative.
The Final EIS also analyzes a no action
alternative that would not approve a
CDCA Plan amendment and two no
project alternatives that reject the
project, but amend the CDCA Plan to:
(1) Designate the project area as
available to future solar energy power
generation projects; or (2) designate the
project area as unavailable to future
solar energy power generation projects.
The BLM will take into consideration
the provisions of the Energy Policy Act
of 2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283—
‘‘Enhancing Renewable Energy Development
on the Public Lands’’, and 3285A1—
‘‘Renewable Energy Development by the
Department of the Interior’’ in responding to
the PSPP application.
The Final EIS evaluates the potential
impacts of the proposed PSPP and
CDCA Plan Amendment on air quality,
biological resources, cultural resources,
water resources, geological resources
and hazards, land use, noise,
paleontological resources, public health,
socioeconomics, soils, traffic and
transportation, visual resources,
wilderness characteristics, impacts to
Joshua Tree National Park, and other
resources.
E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM
13MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28063-28064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11654]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWY922000-L13200000-EL0000; WYW161248]
Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that certain coal resources in the
Belle Ayr North Coal Tract described below in Campbell County, Wyoming,
will be offered for competitive lease by sealed bid in accordance with
the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended.
DATES: The lease sale will be held at 10 a.m., on Wednesday, July 13,
2011. Sealed bids must be submitted on or before 4 p.m., on Tuesday,
July 12, 2011.
ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the First Floor Conference
Room (Room 107), of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming State
Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, P.O. Box 1828, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
Sealed bids must be submitted to the Cashier, BLM Wyoming State Office,
at the address given above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mavis Love, Land Law Examiner, or
Tyson Sackett, Acting Coal Coordinator, at 307-775-6258, and 307-775-
6487, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal lease sale is being held in
response to a lease by application (LBA) filed by Alpha Coal West, Inc.
(formerly RAG Coal West, Inc.), Gillette, Wyoming. The coal resource to
be offered consists of all reserves recoverable by surface mining
methods in the following described lands located approximately 10 miles
south-southeast of Gillette, Wyoming and east of State Highway 59.
T. 48 N., R. 71 W., 6th Principal Meridian
Sec. 17, lots 13 and 14;
Sec. 18, lots 17 through 19 inclusive;
Sec. 19, lots 5 through 19 inclusive;
Sec. 20, lots 3 through 7 inclusive and lots 9 through 16 inclusive;
Sec. 21, lots 13 and 14;
Sec. 28, lots 3 through 6 inclusive; and
Sec. 29, lots 1 and 6.
Containing 1,671.03 acres, more or less, in Campbell County,
Wyoming.
The tract is adjacent to Federal and private leases along the
northern lease boundary of the Belle Ayr mine, and to Federal leases
along the southwestern lease boundary of the Caballo mine, and to the
Caballo West LBA along the north. It is also adjacent to additional
unleased Federal coal to the west and north. The tract is crossed by
Bishop Road along its northeastern boundary.
All of the acreage offered has been determined to be suitable for
mining. Features such as Bishop Road, utilities, and pipelines can be
moved to permit coal recovery. In addition, numerous producing coal bed
natural gas wells have been drilled on the tract. The estimate of the
bonus value of the coal lease will include consideration of the future
production from these wells. An economic analysis of the future income
stream from the coal lease will consider reasonable compensation to the
gas lessee for lost production of natural gas when the wells are bought
out but by the coal lessee. The surface estate of the tract is owned by
Alpha Coal West, Inc.
The tract contains surface mineable coal reserves in the Wyodak-
Anderson coal zone currently being recovered in the adjacent, existing
mines. On the LBA tract, there is one recoverable seam, the Wyodak,
which ranges from about 72 to 78 feet thick. The Wyodak seam is
continuous over the entire tract with no outcrops or subcrops.
Overburden depths to this seam range from 278 to 317 feet thick on the
LBA tract. The tract contains an estimated 221,734,800 tons of mineable
coal. This estimate of mineable reserves includes the main seam
mentioned above but does not include any tonnage from localized seams
or splits containing coal less than 5 feet thick. Also, it does not
include the adjacent private leases although these are expected to be
mined in conjunction with the LBA tract. The total mineable stripping
ratio of the coal in bank cubic yards per ton is about 4.2:1. Potential
bidders for the LBA tract should consider the recovery rate expected
from thick seam mining.
The Belle Ayr North LBA coal is ranked as subbituminous C. The
overall average quality on an as-received basis is 8,542 British
Thermal Units per pound containing about 0.34 percent sulfur. These
quality averages place the coal reserves in the lower part of the range
of coal quality currently being mined in the Wyoming portion of the
Powder River Basin.
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 of the tract. The minimum bid for the
tract is $100 per acre or fraction thereof. No bid that is less than
$100 per acre, or fraction thereof, will be considered. The bids should
be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, or be hand
delivered. The BLM Wyoming State Office Cashier will issue a receipt
for each hand-delivered bid. Bids received after 4 p.m. local time, on
Tuesday, July 12, 2011, will not be considered. The minimum bid is not
intended to represent fair market value. The fair market value of the
tract will be determined by the Authorized Officer after the sale. The
lease that may be issued as a result of this coal lease sale will
provide for payment of an annual rental of $3 per acre, or fraction
thereof, and a royalty payment to the United States of 12.5 percent of
the value of coal produced by surface mining methods and 8 percent of
the value of the coal produced by underground mining methods. The value
of the coal will be determined in accordance with 30 CFR 206.250.
Bidding instructions for the tract offered and the terms and
conditions of the proposed coal lease are available from the BLM
Wyoming State Office at
[[Page 28064]]
the address above. Case file documents for case WYW161248 are available
for inspection at the BLM Wyoming State Office.
Donald A. Simpson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-11654 Filed 5-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
