Notice of Availability of the Final Land Use Analysis and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the East Lynn Lake Coal Lease by Applications WVES-50556 and WVES-50560, Wayne County, West Virginia, 34402-34404 [2012-14180]
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34402
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 112 / Monday, June 11, 2012 / Notices
filing pending our consideration of the
protest. We will not officially file this
plat, in one sheet, until the day after we
have accepted or dismissed all protests
and they have become final, including
decisions or appeals.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT926000–L14200000–BJ0000]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey;
Montana
AGENCY:
Authority: 43 U.S.C. Chap. 3.
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of filing of plats of
survey.
[FR Doc. 2012–14044 Filed 6–8–12; 8:45 am]
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will file the plat of
survey of the lands described below in
the BLM Montana State Office, Billings,
Montana, on July 11, 2012.
DATES: Protests of the survey must be
filed before July 11, 2012 to be
considered.
SUMMARY:
Protests of the survey
should be sent to the Branch of
Cadastral Survey, Bureau of Land
Management, 5001 Southgate Drive,
Billings, Montana 59101–4669.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marvin Montoya, Cadastral Surveyor,
Branch of Cadastral Survey, Bureau of
Land Management, 5001 Southgate
Drive, Billings, Montana 59101–4669,
telephone (406) 896–5124 or (406) 896–
5009, Marvin_Montoya@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: This
survey was executed at the request of
the Bureau of Land Management,
Billings Field Office, Billings, Montana,
and was necessary to determine Federal
interest lands.
The lands we surveyed are:
ADDRESSES:
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Principal Meridian, Montana
T. 9 S., R. 21 E.
The plat, in one sheet, representing
the dependent resurvey of a portion of
the West Boundary of the Crow Indian
Reservation, Diminished, Township 9
South, Range 21 East, Principal
Meridian, Montana, was accepted May
31, 2012.
We will place a copy of the plat, in
one sheet, and related field notes we
described in the open files. They will be
available to the public as a matter of
information. If the BLM receives a
protest against this survey, as shown on
this plat, in one sheet, prior to the date
of the official filing, we will stay the
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20:21 Jun 08, 2012
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Steve L. Toth,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor, Division of
Resources.
BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT926000–L19100000–BJ0000–
LRCME1R03155]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey;
Montana
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of filing of plats of
survey.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will file the plat of
survey of the lands described below in
the BLM Montana State Office, Billings,
Montana, on July 11, 2012.
DATES: Protests of the survey must be
filed before July 11, 2012 to be
considered.
SUMMARY:
Protests of the survey
should be sent to the Branch of
Cadastral Survey, Bureau of Land
Management, 5001 Southgate Drive,
Billings, Montana 59101–4669.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Blaise Lodermeier, Cadastral Surveyor,
Branch of Cadastral Survey, Bureau of
Land Management, 5001 Southgate
Drive, Billings, Montana 59101–4669,
telephone (406) 896–5128 or (406) 896–
5009, bloderme@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: This
survey was executed at the request of
the Regional Director, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Rocky Mountain Region,
Billings, Montana, and was necessary to
determine boundaries of trust or tribal
interest lands.
The lands we surveyed are:
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
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Principal Meridian, Montana
T. 31 N., R. 14 E.
The plat, in two sheets, representing
the dependent resurvey of a portion of
the west boundary of the Fort
Assiniboine Military Reservation
(abandoned), a portion of the south
boundary, and a portion of the
subdivisional lines, the subdivision of
sections 22, 23, 27, 34, and 35, and the
survey of Parcel A in section 22,
Township 31 North, Range 14 East,
Principal Meridian, Montana, was
accepted May 31, 2012.
We will place a copy of the plat, in
two sheets, and related field notes we
described in the open files. They will be
available to the public as a matter of
information. If the BLM receives a
protest against this survey, as shown on
this plat, in two sheets, prior to the date
of the official filing, we will stay the
filing pending our consideration of the
protest. We will not officially file this
plat, in two sheets, until the day after
we have accepted or dismissed all
protests and they have become final,
including decisions or appeals.
Authority: 43 U.S.C. Chap. 3.
Steve L. Toth,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor, Division of
Resources.
[FR Doc. 2012–14041 Filed 6–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLES003420.L13200000.EL0000; WVES–
50556; WVES–50560]
Notice of Availability of the Final Land
Use Analysis and Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the East Lynn
Lake Coal Lease by Applications
WVES–50556 and WVES–50560, Wayne
County, West Virginia
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Final Land Use Analysis
(LUA) and Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential
impacts of two Federal Coal Lease By
Applications (LBA) WVES–50556 and
WVES–50560, totaling 13,089.55 acres
at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’
(USACE) East Lynn Lake Project in
Wayne County, West Virginia.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 112 / Monday, June 11, 2012 / Notices
The BLM planning regulations
(43 CFR 1610.5–2 and 43 CFR 3420.1–
4) state that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the
regulations may protest the BLM’s
Proposed Land Use Analysis. A person
who meets the conditions and files a
protest must file the protest within 30
days of the date that the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its
notice in the Federal Register.
The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days following the EPA’s
publication of its Notice of Availability
DATES:
(NOA) of this document in the Federal
Register.
Copies of the East Lynn
Lake Project Final LUA/Final EIS have
been sent to affected Federal, State, and
local government agencies and to
interested parties. Copies of the East
Lynn lake Final LUA/Final EIS are
available for public inspection at the
following locations:
• Bureau of Land Management,
Northeastern States Field Office, 626
East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
ADDRESSES:
Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383..
Kurt
Wadzinski, BLM Project Manager, at
414–297–4408, (kwadzins@blm.gov),
Bureau of Land Management, 626 East
Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200,
Milwaukee, WI 53202. 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The BLM
is considering issuing coal leases as a
result of applications made by Argus
Energy WV LLC (Argus) and Rockspring
Development Inc. (Rockspring) to lease
the Federal coal in the East Lynn Lake
Project area in Wayne County, West
Virginia. Argus submitted a coal LBA
(WVES–50556) to BLM for 7,639.63
acres bordering a portion of the
southern shore of East Lynn Lake.
Rockspring also submitted a coal LBA
(WVES–50560) to BLM for 5,449.92
acres that border a portion of the north
shore of the lake. The two applicants are
proposing to use private existing
underground mines to access the
adjacent Federal coal. No mining would
occur directly beneath the lake itself
and no surface mining would take place.
East Lynn Lake is located approximately
25 miles south of Huntington, West
Virginia, and is managed by the USACE
for flood control, recreation, and
wildlife. The Final LUA/Final EIS
analyzes and discloses to the public
direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of issuing
Federal coal leases in the East Lynn
Lake Project area.
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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20:21 Jun 08, 2012
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Argus, LBA WVES–50556
Mineral Tract Numbers: 77M–14;
177M–12; 177M–11; 177M–1; 745M;
746M; 808; 840M; 843M; 846M; 1140M;
1140; 1301; 1313M; 1717M; 1718M;
1810M; 1811M; 1813M; 2020M; 2321M;
2430M; 2431M; and 2737.
Approximately 7,639.63 in Wayne
County, West Virginia.
Rockspring, LBA WVES–50560
Mineral Tract Numbers: 174M; 177M–
2p; 177M–1; 184M; 376ME–2; 375M;
376ME–1; 377M; 378M; 380M; 381M;
382M; 384M; 386M; 390ME–1; 395M;
427M; 430M; 517A; 517B; 545M; 547M;
548M; 550M; 553M; 554M; 556M;
745M; 847M; 1450M; 1451M; 1452M;
1453M; 1717M and 1718M.
Approximately 5,449.92 in Wayne
County, West Virginia.
Argus proposes to mine the Federal
coal in the lease application area by
underground methods extending from
two of their existing underground mines
located on private land to the south of
Frm 00067
Fmt 4703
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 502
Eight St., Huntington, West Virginia
25701
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, East
Lynn Lake Visitor Center, HC85, East
Lynn, West Virginia 25512
• Wayne County Library, 325 Keyser
St., Wayne, West Virginia 25570
Interested persons may also review
the Final LUA/Final EIS on the
following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/
es/st/en/prog/east_lynn_lake_coal.html.
All protests must be in writing and
mailed to the following addresses:
Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 20 M. Street
SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.
The State of West Virginia does not
use the Public Land Rectangular Survey
system to legally describe land tracts
within the State. The State of West
Virginia uses Metes and Bounds
property descriptions. Consequently, to
avoid numerous pages of lengthy legal
descriptions, the Federal coal reserves
encompassed by the LBAs are described
below by referencing the USACE
mineral-tract number the reserves fall
within. It should be pointed out that
referencing a mineral-tract number in
the listing below does not necessarily
mean the entire mineral tract is under
application. More detailed property
descriptions are available in the case
files located in the BLM Northeastern
States Field Office, see ADDRESSES
above.
PO 00000
34403
Sfmt 4703
the application area. Rockspring would
similarly access their application area
from their existing underground mine
located on private lands north of their
application area. The existing mines for
Argus and Rockspring have approved
mining and reclamation plans from the
West Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) and an
approved air quality permit from the Air
Quality Division of the West Virginia
DEQ.
It is reasonable to expect that
Rockspring may wish to conduct
exploratory drilling on their area of
interest. It is also reasonable to expect
that both companies may need to drill
additional holes for mine plan purposes
if leases were to be issued and mine
plans approved.
The Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM),
the USACE, and the West Virginia
Division of Natural Resources (DNR) are
cooperating agencies in the preparation
of the Final LUA/Final EIS. The BLM is
authorized to lease Federal coal under
the Mineral Leasing Act as defined
under 43 CFR 3480.0–5(a)(25) for
federally owned coal at East Lynn Lake.
The OSM, in cooperation with the State
of West Virginia, issues mine permits
under the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act.
The Final LUA/Final EIS analyzes
leasing of the East Lynn Lake Federal
coal tracts as the Proposed Action, and
it is the agency’s Preferred Alternative.
Under the Proposed Action, a
competitive sale would be held and two
leases issued for Federal coal in the
tracts as applied for by Argus and
Rockspring. The Final LUA/Final EIS
also analyzes the rejection of the
applications to lease Federal coal as the
No Action Alternative. These
alternatives were developed through
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srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
34404
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 112 / Monday, June 11, 2012 / Notices
issue identification during the scoping
process. Such issues include: direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts, protection of the East Lynn
Lake including surface and groundwater
water quality, integrity of the dam,
cultural, social science, and economic
impacts associated with commercial
leasing of the Federal coal.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
a LUA/EIS for Federal coal leasing
administered by the BLM in Wayne
County, West Virginia was published in
the Federal Register on July 14, 2005
(70 FR 40723). As originally stated in
the NOI, the LUA/EIS is to evaluate the
potential impacts associated with the
commercial leasing of Federal coal in
the East Lynn Lake Project area. A
notice announcing the availability of the
Draft LUA and Draft EIS and Notice of
Public Hearing was published in the
Federal Register by the EPA on June 27,
2008. A 90-day comment period on the
Draft LUA/Draft EIS commenced with
publication of the EPA’s notice of
availability, which would have ended
on September 24, 2008. On September
9, 2008, a Notice of Extension was
published in the Federal Register to
extend the comment period an
additional 45 days and this period
ended on November 10, 2008. The
BLM’s Federal Register notice
announced the date and time of the
public hearing, which was held on July
31, 2008, in Wayne, West Virginia. The
purpose of the hearing was to solicit
comments on the Draft LUA/Draft EIS,
the fair market value, and the maximum
economic recovery of the Federal coal.
Seven statements were given as
testimony at the public hearing; they are
summarized in an appendix in the Final
LUA/Final EIS. During the Draft LUA/
Draft EIS comment period, the BLM
received 48 comment letters, included
in an appendix to the Final LUA/Final
EIS with BLM’s responses to the
comments. Comments on the Draft
LUA/Draft EIS received from the public
and internal BLM review were
considered and incorporated as
appropriate into the document. Public
comments resulted in the addition of
clarification text, but did not
significantly change the Final LUA/
Final EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
Final LUA/Final EIS may be found in
the Dear Reader Letter of the East Lynn
Lake Project Final LUA/Final EIS and at
43 CFR 1610.5–2. Emailed and faxed
protests will not be accepted as valid
protests unless the protesting party also
provides the original letter by either
regular or overnight mail postmarked by
the close of the protest period. Under
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20:21 Jun 08, 2012
Jkt 226001
these conditions, the BLM will consider
the emailed or faxed protest as an
advance copy and the comment will
receive full consideration. If you wish to
provide the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests
to the attention of the BLM protest
coordinator at (202) 912–7212, and
emails to bhudgens@blm.gov.
All protests, including the follow-up
letter (if emailing or faxing) must be in
writing and mailed to the appropriate
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section above.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest,
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Mike Pool,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 2012–14180 Filed 6–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P
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.
Dated: May 22, 2012.
J. Paul Loether,
Chief, National Register of Historic Places/
National Historic Landmarks Program.
ARKANSAS
Pulaski County
Donaghey Building, 103 E. 7th St, 703 S.
Main St., Little Rock, 12000355
CONNECTICUT
Fairfield County
Kellogg, Enos, House, 210 Ponus Ave. Ext.,
Norwalk, 12000356
LeRoy Shirt Company Factory, 11 Chestnut
St., Norwalk, 12000357
Hartford County
Congregational Church of Plainville, 130 W.
Main St., Plainville, 12000358
Hotel America, 5 Constitution Ave., Hartford,
12000359
Kensington Grammar School—Jean E. Hooker
High School, 462 Alling St., Berlin,
12000360
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Litchfield County
National Park Service
Anderson, Leroy, House, 33 Grassy Hill Rd.,
Woodbury, 12000361
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–0512–10390; 2200–
3200–665]
FLORIDA
National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
African Cemetery at Higgs Beach, 1001
Atlantic Blvd., Key West, 12000362
Nominations for the following
properties being considered for listing
or related actions in the National
Register were received by the National
Park Service before May 12, 2012.
Pursuant to section 60.13 of 36 CFR Part
60, written comments are being
accepted concerning the significance of
the nominated properties under the
National Register criteria for evaluation.
Comments may be forwarded by United
States Postal Service, to the National
Register of Historic Places, National
Park Service, 1849 C St. NW., MS 2280,
Washington, DC 20240; by all other
carriers, National Register of Historic
Places, National Park Service,1201 Eye
St. NW., 8th floor, Washington, DC
20005; or by fax, 202–371–6447. Written
or faxed comments should be submitted
by June 26, 2012. 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
Bay Pines Veterans Administration Home
and Hospital Historic District, (United
States Second Generation Veterans
Hospitals MPS) 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay
Pines, 12000363
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Monroe County
Pinellas County
Sarasota County
Rudolph, Paul, Sarasota High School
Addition, (Sarasota School of Architecture
MPS) 1000 School Ave., S., Sarasota,
12000365
St. Johns County
Constitution Obelisk, Plaza de la
Constitution, St. Augustine, 12000364
NEW YORK
Columbia County
Baldwin, Daniel and Clarissa, House, 1018
Dugway Rd., Spencertown, 12000366
Niagara County
First Presbyterian Manse, 162 Buffalo Ave.,
Niagara Falls, 12000367
Washington County
Maxwell Farm, 311 Cty. Rd. 61, Jackson,
12000368
E:\FR\FM\11JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 112 (Monday, June 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34402-34404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14180]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLES003420.L13200000.EL0000; WVES-50556; WVES-50560]
Notice of Availability of the Final Land Use Analysis and Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the East Lynn Lake Coal Lease by
Applications WVES-50556 and WVES-50560, Wayne County, West Virginia
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA),
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Land Use
Analysis (LUA) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
analyze the potential impacts of two Federal Coal Lease By Applications
(LBA) WVES-50556 and WVES-50560, totaling 13,089.55 acres at the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) East Lynn Lake Project in Wayne
County, West Virginia.
[[Page 34403]]
DATES: The BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2 and 43 CFR 3420.1-
4) state that any person who meets the conditions as described in the
regulations may protest the BLM's Proposed Land Use Analysis. A person
who meets the conditions and files a protest must file the protest
within 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) publishes its notice in the Federal Register.
The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days following the EPA's publication of its Notice of
Availability (NOA) of this document in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the East Lynn Lake Project Final LUA/Final EIS
have been sent to affected Federal, State, and local government
agencies and to interested parties. Copies of the East Lynn lake Final
LUA/Final EIS are available for public inspection at the following
locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Northeastern States Field
Office, 626 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 502 Eight St., Huntington,
West Virginia 25701
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, East Lynn Lake Visitor
Center, HC85, East Lynn, West Virginia 25512
Wayne County Library, 325 Keyser St., Wayne, West Virginia
25570
Interested persons may also review the Final LUA/Final EIS on the
following Web site: https://www.blm.gov/es/st/en/prog/east_lynn_lake_coal.html. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the following
addresses:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regular Mail: Director (210), Overnight Mail: Director (210),
Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box Attention: Brenda Williams, 20
71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.. M. Street SE., Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC 20003.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Wadzinski, BLM Project Manager,
at 414-297-4408, (kwadzins@blm.gov), Bureau of Land Management, 626
East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200, Milwaukee, WI 53202. 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: The BLM is considering issuing coal leases
as a result of applications made by Argus Energy WV LLC (Argus) and
Rockspring Development Inc. (Rockspring) to lease the Federal coal in
the East Lynn Lake Project area in Wayne County, West Virginia. Argus
submitted a coal LBA (WVES-50556) to BLM for 7,639.63 acres bordering a
portion of the southern shore of East Lynn Lake. Rockspring also
submitted a coal LBA (WVES-50560) to BLM for 5,449.92 acres that border
a portion of the north shore of the lake. The two applicants are
proposing to use private existing underground mines to access the
adjacent Federal coal. No mining would occur directly beneath the lake
itself and no surface mining would take place. East Lynn Lake is
located approximately 25 miles south of Huntington, West Virginia, and
is managed by the USACE for flood control, recreation, and wildlife.
The Final LUA/Final EIS analyzes and discloses to the public direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of issuing Federal coal
leases in the East Lynn Lake Project area.
The State of West Virginia does not use the Public Land Rectangular
Survey system to legally describe land tracts within the State. The
State of West Virginia uses Metes and Bounds property descriptions.
Consequently, to avoid numerous pages of lengthy legal descriptions,
the Federal coal reserves encompassed by the LBAs are described below
by referencing the USACE mineral-tract number the reserves fall within.
It should be pointed out that referencing a mineral-tract number in the
listing below does not necessarily mean the entire mineral tract is
under application. More detailed property descriptions are available in
the case files located in the BLM Northeastern States Field Office, see
ADDRESSES above.
Argus, LBA WVES-50556
Mineral Tract Numbers: 77M-14; 177M-12; 177M-11; 177M-1; 745M;
746M; 808; 840M; 843M; 846M; 1140M; 1140; 1301; 1313M; 1717M; 1718M;
1810M; 1811M; 1813M; 2020M; 2321M; 2430M; 2431M; and 2737.
Approximately 7,639.63 in Wayne County, West Virginia.
Rockspring, LBA WVES-50560
Mineral Tract Numbers: 174M; 177M-2p; 177M-1; 184M; 376ME-2; 375M;
376ME-1; 377M; 378M; 380M; 381M; 382M; 384M; 386M; 390ME-1; 395M; 427M;
430M; 517A; 517B; 545M; 547M; 548M; 550M; 553M; 554M; 556M; 745M; 847M;
1450M; 1451M; 1452M; 1453M; 1717M and 1718M.
Approximately 5,449.92 in Wayne County, West Virginia.
Argus proposes to mine the Federal coal in the lease application
area by underground methods extending from two of their existing
underground mines located on private land to the south of the
application area. Rockspring would similarly access their application
area from their existing underground mine located on private lands
north of their application area. The existing mines for Argus and
Rockspring have approved mining and reclamation plans from the West
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and an approved air
quality permit from the Air Quality Division of the West Virginia DEQ.
It is reasonable to expect that Rockspring may wish to conduct
exploratory drilling on their area of interest. It is also reasonable
to expect that both companies may need to drill additional holes for
mine plan purposes if leases were to be issued and mine plans approved.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the
USACE, and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) are
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the Final LUA/Final EIS. The
BLM is authorized to lease Federal coal under the Mineral Leasing Act
as defined under 43 CFR 3480.0-5(a)(25) for federally owned coal at
East Lynn Lake. The OSM, in cooperation with the State of West
Virginia, issues mine permits under the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act.
The Final LUA/Final EIS analyzes leasing of the East Lynn Lake
Federal coal tracts as the Proposed Action, and it is the agency's
Preferred Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, a competitive sale
would be held and two leases issued for Federal coal in the tracts as
applied for by Argus and Rockspring. The Final LUA/Final EIS also
analyzes the rejection of the applications to lease Federal coal as the
No Action Alternative. These alternatives were developed through
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issue identification during the scoping process. Such issues include:
direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts, protection of
the East Lynn Lake including surface and groundwater water quality,
integrity of the dam, cultural, social science, and economic impacts
associated with commercial leasing of the Federal coal.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a LUA/EIS for Federal coal
leasing administered by the BLM in Wayne County, West Virginia was
published in the Federal Register on July 14, 2005 (70 FR 40723). As
originally stated in the NOI, the LUA/EIS is to evaluate the potential
impacts associated with the commercial leasing of Federal coal in the
East Lynn Lake Project area. A notice announcing the availability of
the Draft LUA and Draft EIS and Notice of Public Hearing was published
in the Federal Register by the EPA on June 27, 2008. A 90-day comment
period on the Draft LUA/Draft EIS commenced with publication of the
EPA's notice of availability, which would have ended on September 24,
2008. On September 9, 2008, a Notice of Extension was published in the
Federal Register to extend the comment period an additional 45 days and
this period ended on November 10, 2008. The BLM's Federal Register
notice announced the date and time of the public hearing, which was
held on July 31, 2008, in Wayne, West Virginia. The purpose of the
hearing was to solicit comments on the Draft LUA/Draft EIS, the fair
market value, and the maximum economic recovery of the Federal coal.
Seven statements were given as testimony at the public hearing; they
are summarized in an appendix in the Final LUA/Final EIS. During the
Draft LUA/Draft EIS comment period, the BLM received 48 comment
letters, included in an appendix to the Final LUA/Final EIS with BLM's
responses to the comments. Comments on the Draft LUA/Draft EIS received
from the public and internal BLM review were considered and
incorporated as appropriate into the document. Public comments resulted
in the addition of clarification text, but did not significantly change
the Final LUA/Final EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the Final LUA/Final EIS may be found in the Dear Reader
Letter of the East Lynn Lake Project Final LUA/Final EIS and at 43 CFR
1610.5-2. Emailed and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid
protests unless the protesting party also provides the original letter
by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the
protest period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the
emailed or faxed protest as an advance copy and the comment will
receive full consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such
advance notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of
the BLM protest coordinator at (202) 912-7212, and emails to
bhudgens@blm.gov.
All protests, including the follow-up letter (if emailing or
faxing) must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate address, as
set forth in the ADDRESSES section above.
Before including your phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Mike Pool,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-14180 Filed 6-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GJ-P
