Notice of Intent for the Potential Amendment to the Approved Resource Management Plan for the Miles City Field Office, Montana, and To Prepare an Associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, 61167-61168 [2018-25847]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 28, 2018 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT930000 L16100000 DS0000
LXSS036E0000 19X]
Notice of Intent for the Potential
Amendment to the Approved Resource
Management Plan for the Miles City
Field Office, Montana, and To Prepare
an Associated Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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),
Miles City Field Office, Miles City,
Montana, intends to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and potential
amendment for the 2015 Miles City
Field Office Approved Resource
Management Plan (RMP). The
Supplemental EIS is in response to a
United States District Court, District of
Montana, opinion and order (Western
Organization of Resource Councils, et al
vs BLM). This notice announces the
beginning of the scoping process to
solicit public comments and identify
issues presented in the opinion and
order.
SUMMARY:
To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments by December 28,
2018. The BLM will announce a public
scoping meeting through local news
media, newsletters, e-Planning, and the
BLM website https://www.blm.gov/
montana-dakotas at least 15 days prior
to the meeting. The BLM will provide
additional opportunities for public
participation upon publication of the
Draft Supplemental EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on issues, planning criteria, and
resource information by any of the
following methods:
• Website: https://go.usa.gov/xPv49.
• Mail: Miles City RMP Draft
Supplemental EIS; Amy Waring,
Supplemental EIS Project Manager;
Montana/Dakotas State Office, 5001
Southgate Dr., Billings, MT 59101.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Waring, Supplemental EIS Project
Manager; telephone (406) 896–5095;
email awaring@blm.gov; or at the
mailing address or website listed earlier
(see ADDRESSES). Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:19 Nov 27, 2018
Jkt 247001
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individuals during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with the
above individuals. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Supplemental EIS is in response to a
United States Montana District court
opinion and order (Western
Organization of Resource Councils, et
al. vs BLM; CV 16–21–GF–BMM; 3/26/
2018 and 7/31/2018).
In September 2015, the BLM
approved the Record of Decision for the
Approved RMPs and Amendments in
the Rocky Mountain Region, which
included the Montana Miles City Field
Office. The 2015 Miles City Approved
RMP provides a single, comprehensive
land use plan that guides management
of BLM-administered surface and
mineral estate in the Miles City Field
Office. The plan provides goals,
objectives, land use allocations, and
management direction for the BLMadministered surface and mineral estate
based on multiple use and sustained
yield, unless otherwise specified by law
(FLPMA Sec. 102(c), 43 U.S.C. 1701 et
seq.). The Miles City Field Office
manages approximately 2.7 million
surface acres and 10.6 million acres of
Federal mineral estate across 17
counties in eastern Montana.
On March 26, 2018, the U.S. District
Court concluded: (1) NEPA requires the
BLM to consider an alternative that
would decrease the amount of coal
potentially available for leasing, which
requires conducting new coal screening
that considers climate change impacts to
assess the amount of recoverable coal
available in the Approved RMP, (2) The
BLM must supplement the Miles City
Final EIS with an analysis of the
environmental consequences of
downstream combustion of coal, oil,
and gas open to development under the
Approved RMP; and (3) The BLM must
provide additional justification and
analysis of global warming potential
over an appropriate planning period
consistent with evolving science.
The purpose of this public scoping
process is to solicit public input that
will influence the scope of the
environmental analysis with respect to
the three conclusions by the U.S.
District Court.
There are currently five active coal
mining operations in or adjacent to the
planning area, four of which operate on
Federal coal leases, and are
administered by the BLM (Decker,
Rosebud, Savage, and Spring Creek),
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
61167
and one mine (Absaloka) that operates
entirely on two Indian coal leases. In
addition, two additional mines are
proposed, the Big Metal Mine (Indian
reserves) and Otter Creek Mine
(currently private reserves). The Miles
City Field Office also authorizes a
domestic coal license to a private
individual in Fallon County for home
heating.
The 2015 Approved RMP relied upon
coal screening completed during two
previous RMP revisions: Big Dry (1996)
and Powder River (1985). These
planning efforts identified
approximately 68.38 billion tons of coal
that are available for further
consideration for coal leasing across the
Miles City Field Office (62.20 billion
tons in the Power River RMP and 6.18
billion tons of coal in the Big Dry RMP).
A reasonable foreseeable development
scenario (RFD) was developed for the
Final EIS based upon the U.S. Energy
Information Administration projections
in order for specialists to analyze the
potential effects related to Federal coal
leasing. The RFD was based upon
continued operations of the five existing
mines, with no new mines being
developed over the 20-year planning
timeframe. The RFD did not consider
leasing of the entire 68.38 billion tons
of coal that may be available. The air
quality analysis estimated annual
emissions from the RFD estimate of 56.2
million tons of Federal and 26.8 million
tons of non-Federal coal produced per
year, based upon coal production limits
prescribed in each associated Montana
Air Quality Permit issued by the
Montana Department of Environmental
Quality for the five operating mines.
As defined in 43 CFR 3420.1–4, the
four principal factors the BLM must
consider for coal resource development
during land use planning include:
1. Estimate coal development
potential, and consider only those areas
that have development potential for
further consideration for leasing.
2. Apply the unsuitability criteria set
out in 43 CFR subpart 3461 to the BLMadministered coal mineral estate to
identify areas unsuitable for all, or
certain stipulated methods of mining.
3. Consider multiple land use
management conflicts which may
eliminate coal deposits from further
consideration for leasing to protect other
resource values and land uses that are
locally, regionally or nationally
important or unique, that are not
included in the unsuitability criteria.
4. Consult with qualified surface
owners, as defined in 43 CFR 3400.0–5,
whose lands overlie BLM-administered
coal mineral estate to determine
preference for or against mining by
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
28NON1
61168
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 28, 2018 / Notices
other than underground mining
techniques.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Call for Coal and Other Resource
Information
[NPS–WASO–D–COS–POL–26833;
PPWODIREP0][PPMPSAS1Y.YP0000]
The BLM requests that industry, State
and local governments, and the public
interested in coal management in the
planning area provide the BLM relevant
coal resource data that can help inform
this project. Specifically, the BLM
requests information on the
development potential (e.g., location,
quality, and quantity) of BLMadministered coal mineral estate, and on
surface resource values related to
multiple use conflicts.
The purpose of this request is to
assure that the planning effort has
sufficient information and data to
consider a reasonable range of resource
uses, management options, and
alternatives for management of the
BLM-administered Federal coal mineral
estate. The BLM will use this
information to complete the
Supplemental EIS and formulate
alternatives that identify areas
acceptable for further consideration for
leasing.
Proprietary data marked as
‘‘Confidential’’ may be submitted in
response to this request for coal and
other resource information. Please
submit all proprietary information
submissions to the Montana/Dakotas
State Director at the address listed
above. The BLM will treat submissions
marked as ‘‘Confidential’’ in accordance
with the laws and regulations governing
the confidentiality of such information.
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 identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can request us to withhold
your personal identifying information
from public review, BLM cannot
guarantee that it will be able to do so.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2(c) and 3420.1–2)
Jon K. Raby,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018–25847 Filed 11–27–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:19 Nov 27, 2018
Jkt 247001
Notice of the December 5, 2018,
Meeting of the National Park System
Advisory Board
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act of
1972, the National Park Service is
hereby giving notice that the National
Park System Advisory Board (Board)
will meet as noted below. This notice is
being published less than 15 days prior
to the meeting date due to unexpected
administrative delays.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Wednesday, December 5, 2018, from
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EASTERN).
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be
conducted in the Jefferson Room of the
Courtyard Marriott Washington, DC/
Foggy Bottom, 515 20th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202)
263–7435.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shirley Sears, Office of Policy, National
Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Mail
Stop 2659, Washington, DC 20240,
telephone (202) 354–3955, or email
shirley_sears@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board
has been established by authority of the
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary)
under 54 U.S.C. 100906, and is
regulated by the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.
The Board will convene at 9:30 a.m.
and adjourn at 5:00 p.m. The board will
have briefings on the priorities and
programs of the National Park Service,
including the National Historic
Landmarks and National Natural
Landmarks programs. The meeting will
be open to the public. There will also
be a public comment period. The final
agenda will be posted to the Board’s
website prior to the meeting at https://
www.nps.gov/advisoryboard.htm. The
order of the agenda may be changed, if
necessary.
The Board also will permit attendees
to address the Board, but may restrict
the length of the presentations, as
necessary, to allow the Board to
complete its agenda within the allotted
time.
Anyone may file with the Board a
written statement concerning matters to
be discussed.
Statements should be sent to shirley_
sears@nps.gov.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Public Disclosure of Information:
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 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: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Alma Ripps,
Chief, Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018–25934 Filed 11–27–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 337–TA–1121]
Certain Earpiece Devices and
Components Thereof: Notice of a
Commission Determination Not To
Review an Initial Determination
Granting a Motion for Leave To Amend
the Complaint and Notice of
Investigation
U.S. International Trade
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
the U.S. International Trade
Commission has determined not to
review an initial determination (‘‘ID’’)
(Order No. 10) of the presiding
administrative law judge (‘‘ALJ’’),
granting complainant’s motion for leave
to amend the complaint and Notice of
Investigation to correct the name and/or
address of two existing respondents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cathy Chen, Esq., Office of the General
Counsel, U.S. International Trade
Commission, 500 E Street SW,
Washington, DC 20436, telephone (202)
205–2392. Copies of non-confidential
documents filed in connection with this
investigation are or will be available for
inspection during official business
hours (8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the
Office of the Secretary, U.S.
International Trade Commission, 500 E
Street SW, Washington, DC 20436,
telephone (202) 205–2000. General
information concerning the Commission
may also be obtained by accessing its
internet server at https://www.usitc.gov.
The public record for this investigation
may be viewed on the Commission’s
electronic docket (EDIS) at https://
edis.usitc.gov. Hearing-impaired
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61167-61168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25847]
[[Page 61167]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT930000 L16100000 DS0000 LXSS036E0000 19X]
Notice of Intent for the Potential Amendment to the Approved
Resource Management Plan for the Miles City Field Office, Montana, and
To Prepare an Associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: 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), Miles
City Field Office, Miles City, Montana, intends to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and potential
amendment for the 2015 Miles City Field Office Approved Resource
Management Plan (RMP). The Supplemental EIS is in response to a United
States District Court, District of Montana, opinion and order (Western
Organization of Resource Councils, et al vs BLM). This notice announces
the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and
identify issues presented in the opinion and order.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments by December 28, 2018. The BLM will announce a public
scoping meeting through local news media, newsletters, e-Planning, and
the BLM website https://www.blm.gov/montana-dakotas at least 15 days
prior to the meeting. The BLM will provide additional opportunities for
public participation upon publication of the Draft Supplemental EIS.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues, planning criteria, and
resource information by any of the following methods:
Website: https://go.usa.gov/xPv49.
Mail: Miles City RMP Draft Supplemental EIS; Amy Waring,
Supplemental EIS Project Manager; Montana/Dakotas State Office, 5001
Southgate Dr., Billings, MT 59101.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Waring, Supplemental EIS Project
Manager; telephone (406) 896-5095; email [email protected]; or at the
mailing address or website listed earlier (see ADDRESSES). Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individuals
during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individuals.
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Supplemental EIS is in response to a
United States Montana District court opinion and order (Western
Organization of Resource Councils, et al. vs BLM; CV 16-21-GF-BMM; 3/
26/2018 and 7/31/2018).
In September 2015, the BLM approved the Record of Decision for the
Approved RMPs and Amendments in the Rocky Mountain Region, which
included the Montana Miles City Field Office. The 2015 Miles City
Approved RMP provides a single, comprehensive land use plan that guides
management of BLM-administered surface and mineral estate in the Miles
City Field Office. The plan provides goals, objectives, land use
allocations, and management direction for the BLM-administered surface
and mineral estate based on multiple use and sustained yield, unless
otherwise specified by law (FLPMA Sec. 102(c), 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).
The Miles City Field Office manages approximately 2.7 million surface
acres and 10.6 million acres of Federal mineral estate across 17
counties in eastern Montana.
On March 26, 2018, the U.S. District Court concluded: (1) NEPA
requires the BLM to consider an alternative that would decrease the
amount of coal potentially available for leasing, which requires
conducting new coal screening that considers climate change impacts to
assess the amount of recoverable coal available in the Approved RMP,
(2) The BLM must supplement the Miles City Final EIS with an analysis
of the environmental consequences of downstream combustion of coal,
oil, and gas open to development under the Approved RMP; and (3) The
BLM must provide additional justification and analysis of global
warming potential over an appropriate planning period consistent with
evolving science.
The purpose of this public scoping process is to solicit public
input that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis with
respect to the three conclusions by the U.S. District Court.
There are currently five active coal mining operations in or
adjacent to the planning area, four of which operate on Federal coal
leases, and are administered by the BLM (Decker, Rosebud, Savage, and
Spring Creek), and one mine (Absaloka) that operates entirely on two
Indian coal leases. In addition, two additional mines are proposed, the
Big Metal Mine (Indian reserves) and Otter Creek Mine (currently
private reserves). The Miles City Field Office also authorizes a
domestic coal license to a private individual in Fallon County for home
heating.
The 2015 Approved RMP relied upon coal screening completed during
two previous RMP revisions: Big Dry (1996) and Powder River (1985).
These planning efforts identified approximately 68.38 billion tons of
coal that are available for further consideration for coal leasing
across the Miles City Field Office (62.20 billion tons in the Power
River RMP and 6.18 billion tons of coal in the Big Dry RMP). A
reasonable foreseeable development scenario (RFD) was developed for the
Final EIS based upon the U.S. Energy Information Administration
projections in order for specialists to analyze the potential effects
related to Federal coal leasing. The RFD was based upon continued
operations of the five existing mines, with no new mines being
developed over the 20-year planning timeframe. The RFD did not consider
leasing of the entire 68.38 billion tons of coal that may be available.
The air quality analysis estimated annual emissions from the RFD
estimate of 56.2 million tons of Federal and 26.8 million tons of non-
Federal coal produced per year, based upon coal production limits
prescribed in each associated Montana Air Quality Permit issued by the
Montana Department of Environmental Quality for the five operating
mines.
As defined in 43 CFR 3420.1-4, the four principal factors the BLM
must consider for coal resource development during land use planning
include:
1. Estimate coal development potential, and consider only those
areas that have development potential for further consideration for
leasing.
2. Apply the unsuitability criteria set out in 43 CFR subpart 3461
to the BLM-administered coal mineral estate to identify areas
unsuitable for all, or certain stipulated methods of mining.
3. Consider multiple land use management conflicts which may
eliminate coal deposits from further consideration for leasing to
protect other resource values and land uses that are locally,
regionally or nationally important or unique, that are not included in
the unsuitability criteria.
4. Consult with qualified surface owners, as defined in 43 CFR
3400.0-5, whose lands overlie BLM-administered coal mineral estate to
determine preference for or against mining by
[[Page 61168]]
other than underground mining techniques.
Call for Coal and Other Resource Information
The BLM requests that industry, State and local governments, and
the public interested in coal management in the planning area provide
the BLM relevant coal resource data that can help inform this project.
Specifically, the BLM requests information on the development potential
(e.g., location, quality, and quantity) of BLM-administered coal
mineral estate, and on surface resource values related to multiple use
conflicts.
The purpose of this request is to assure that the planning effort
has sufficient information and data to consider a reasonable range of
resource uses, management options, and alternatives for management of
the BLM-administered Federal coal mineral estate. The BLM will use this
information to complete the Supplemental EIS and formulate alternatives
that identify areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing.
Proprietary data marked as ``Confidential'' may be submitted in
response to this request for coal and other resource information.
Please submit all proprietary information submissions to the Montana/
Dakotas State Director at the address listed above. The BLM will treat
submissions marked as ``Confidential'' in accordance with the laws and
regulations governing the confidentiality of such information.
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 identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
request us to withhold your personal identifying information from
public review, BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
(Authority: 43 CFR 1610.2(c) and 3420.1-2)
Jon K. Raby,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-25847 Filed 11-27-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P
