Notice of Availability of the Western Energy Company's Rosebud Mine Area F Final Environmental Impact Statement; S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 190S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 19XS501520, 61671-61672 [2018-26042]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 231 / Friday, November 30, 2018 / Notices
Authorities: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR
1500 through 1508; 43 CFR 46; 43 U.S.C.
1701; 43 CFR 3590.
Peter J. Ditton,
BLM Idaho State Director, Acting.
[FR Doc. 2018–26093 Filed 11–29–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement
Notice of Availability of the Western
Energy Company’s Rosebud Mine Area
F Final Environmental Impact
Statement; S1D1S SS08011000
SX064A000 190S180110; S2D2S
SS08011000 SX064A000 19XS501520
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S.
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Office
of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (OSMRE) has prepared a
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Western Energy Company’s
Rosebud Mine Area F (Project) in
southeastern Montana. This notice is
announcing its availability. The
Montana Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) is a co-lead on this EIS
process.
DATES: The OSMRE will not issue a final
decision on the Proposed Action and
Alternatives for a minimum of 30 days
from the date that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) publishes this notice in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is available
for review at: https://
www.wrcc.osmre.gov/initiatives/
westernEnergy/documentLibrary.shtm.
Paper and computer compact disk (CD)
copies of the Final EIS are available for
review at the OSMRE Western Region
Office, 1999 Broadway Street, Suite
3320, Denver, Colorado 80202. In
addition, a paper and CD copy of the
Final EIS are available for review at
each of the following locations:
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
Rosebud County Library, 201 North 9th
Avenue, Forsyth, MT 59327, Between the
hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday
through Thursday; 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday; 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday
(Closed Sunday).
Montana DEQ Headquarters (Lee Metcalf
Building), 1520 East 6th Avenue, Helena, MT
59620, Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (Closed
Saturday and Sunday).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:00 Nov 29, 2018
Jkt 247001
BLM Miles City Field Office, 111
Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301,
Between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday (Closed Saturday
and Sunday).
BLM State Office, Billings, MT, 5001
Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101,
Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday (Closed Saturday
and Sunday).
Logan Sholar, OSMRE Project
Coordinator; Telephone: 303–293–5036;
Address: 1999 Broadway Street, Suite
3320, Denver, Colorado 80202–3050;
email: lsholar@osmre.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Project Purpose
The purpose of the Project is to
consider continued operations at the
Rosebud Mine by permitting and
developing a new surface mine permit
area, known as permit Area F. Western
Energy submitted a permit application
package to DEQ for the proposed 6,746acre permit Area F (also referred to as
the project area) at the Rosebud Mine,
which is an existing 25,455-acre surface
coal mine annually producing 8.0 to
10.25 million tons of low-sulfur
subbituminous coal. DEQ is the
regulatory authority for permitting
actions involving federal coal in
Montana. 30 CFR 926.10. If DEQ
approves the permit and a Federal
mining plan for the Project is approved
as proposed, at the current rate of
production, the operational life of the
Rosebud Mine would be extended by 8
years. Mining operations in the project
area, which would commence after all
permits and approvals have been
secured and a reclamation and
performance bond has been posted,
would last 19 years. Western Energy
estimates that 70.8 million tons of
recoverable coal reserves exist in the
project area and would be removed
during the 19-year operations period. As
with other permit areas of the Rosebud
Mine, all coal would be combusted
locally at the Colstrip and Rosebud
Power Plants.
Western Energy is required to obtain
a surface coal mine operating permit
from DEQ (pursuant to the Montana
Strip and Underground Mine
Reclamation Act (MSUMRA), Section
82–4–221 et seq., Montana Code
Annotated) and federal approval of the
mining plan to mine leased federal coal
in accordance with the Mineral Leasing
Act of 1920 as Amended for the
proposed project area to access
additional coal reserves in Federal coal
lease M82186 and in privately held
leases G–002 and G–002–A.The
OSMRE’s purpose for the Project is to
PO 00000
Frm 00073
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
61671
review the mining plan and make a
recommendation to the Assistant
Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management (ASLM) in the form of a
mining plan decision document to
approve, disapprove, or approve with
conditions, the proposed mining plan
for the Project (30 CFR 746) . The ASLM
will decide whether the mining plan is
approved, disapproved, or approved
with conditions.
The DEQ’s purpose for the Project is
to review and make a decision on
Western Energy’s surface mine
operating permit application under
MSUMRA and to review and make
decisions on the following related
permits: (1) An application for a new
Montana Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (MPDES) permit,
and (2) an application to modify
Montana Air Quality Permit #1570*07
to include the project area. The Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) is a
cooperating agency on the Final EIS.
The Final EIS considers three
alternatives and evaluates the direct,
indirect, and cumulative effects of the
Proposed Action and the other two
alternatives on the environment.
OSMRE is complying with Section
106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA Section 106)
(16 U.S.C. 470f), as provided in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3), concurrently with the NEPA
process, including public involvement
requirements and consultation with the
State Historic Preservation Officer and
Historic Preservation Officers with
Tribal nations. Native American Tribal
consultations are ongoing and have been
conducted in accordance with
applicable laws, regulations, and U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) policy.
Federal, Tribal, State, and local
agencies, along with other stakeholders
that may be interested in or affected by
the Federal agencies’ decisions on the
Project, are invited to submit comments
on the Final EIS.
As part of its consideration of the
proposed Project’s impacts on
threatened and endangered species,
OSMRE conducted informal
consultation as well as streamlined
consultation per the final 4(d) rule for
the northern long-eared bat with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant
to Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1536), and its
implementing regulations, as provided
in 50 CFR 400. The Section 7
consultation considered direct and
indirect impacts from the proposed
Project, including mining and related
operations in the project area and
continued operation of the Colstrip and
Rosebud Power Plants.
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
61672
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 231 / Friday, November 30, 2018 / Notices
In addition to compliance with NEPA,
NHPA Section 106, and ESA Section 7,
all Federal actions will be in
compliance with applicable
requirements of the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
(30 U.S.C. 1021–1328), the Clean Water
Act (33 U.S.C. 1251–1387), the Clean
Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401–7671q), and
Executive Orders relating to
environmental justice, tribal
consultation, and other applicable laws
and regulations.
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
II. Background on the Rosebud Mine
Coal has been mined at Colstrip, MT
for more than 90 years. The Norther
Pacific Railway established the city of
Colstrip and its associated mine in the
1920s to access coal from the Fort Union
Formation. Coal mining began in 1924,
providing fuel for the railway’s steam
locomotive trains. During the initial 34
years of mining, 44 million tons of coal
were mined. By 1958, diesel-powered
locomotives replaced steam engines and
mining ceased in the Colstrip area.
In 1959, the Montana Power Company
purchased rights to the Rosebud Mine in
the city of Colstrip with plans to build
power generation facilities. The
Rosebud Mine operation began
production in 1968. In 2001,
Westmoreland purchased the Rosebud
Mine; its subsidiary, Western Energy,
continues to operate the mine today.
Although the Rosebud Mine has
shipped coal by rail as recently as 2010,
all coal currently produced by the mine
is consumed locally at the Colstrip and
Rosebud Power Plants.
III. Background on the Western Energy
Proposed Permit Area F
Western Energy proposes to conduct
surface coal mining and reclamation
operations within the 6,746-acre
proposed permit Area F of the Rosebud
Mine. The project area would be
adjacent to the western boundary of
Area C, 12 miles west of Colstrip.
Western Energy proposes to conduct
surface coal mining operations on an
approximately 2,159-acre portion of the
project area, with a total disturbance
footprint, including soil storage, scoria
pits, and haul roads, of approximately
4,260 acres. The project area would, in
conjunction with the mining of any
reserves remaining within existing
permit areas A, B, and C of the Rosebud
Mine, supply low-sulfur coal to the
Colstrip Power Plant (Units 3 and 4) at
a rate of between 7.7 and 9.95 million
tons annually. In addition, coal from the
Rosebud Mine with higher sulfur
content would be supplied to the
Rosebud Power Plant at a rate of
approximately 300,000 tons annually.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:00 Nov 29, 2018
Jkt 247001
Approval of the proposed permit Area
F is expected to require several other
agency actions, including:
• Findings and recommendations by
BLM with respect to Western Energy’s
Resource Recovery and Protection Plan
and other requirements of Western
Energy’s lease.
• Approval by DEQ of Western
Energy’s Montana Air Quality Permit
#1570–07 to allow expansion of the
geographic extent of the mine to include
the proposed permit Area F; and
• Approval by DEQ of a new MPDES
permit.
IV. Alternatives
Alternatives carried forward in the
Final EIS include the No Action
Alternative (Alternative 1), the Proposed
Action Alternative (Alternative 2), and
the Proposed Action Plus Additional
Environmental Protection Measures
Alternative (Alternative 3). Several
other alternatives were considered but
dismissed from further consideration.
V. Revisions to the Draft EIS
In accordance with the CEQ’s
regulations for implementing NEPA and
the DOI’s NEPA regulations, OSMRE
solicited public comments on the Draft
EIS. OSMRE responses to comments are
included in Appendix F of the FEIS.
The agencies considered comments
received from the public on the Draft
EIS and incorporated them, as
appropriate, into the FEIS. The changes
between the Draft EIS and Final EIS are
a result of responding to comments
received during the public comment
period and generally consist of revisions
to the text to clarify the analysis of
resource-specific potential impacts
under each alternative. No new analyses
were completed and no new or
additional data were used to support the
existing analyses.
In addition, the FEIS includes updates
based on evolving regulatory guidance
and completion of the NHPA Section
106 and ESA Section 7 consultation
processes.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.1
Dated: November 16, 2018.
David Berry,
Regional Director, Western Region.
[FR Doc. 2018–26042 Filed 11–29–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–05–P
PO 00000
Frm 00074
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[Investigation Nos. 701–TA–602 and 731–
TA–1412 (Final)]
Steel Wheels From China; Scheduling
of the Final Phase of Countervailing
Duty and Antidumping Duty
Investigations
United States International
Trade Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Commission hereby gives
notice of the scheduling of the final
phase of antidumping and
countervailing duty investigation Nos.
701–TA–602 and 731–TA–1412 (Final)
pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘the
Act’’) to determine whether an industry
in the United States is materially
injured or threatened with material
injury, or the establishment of an
industry in the United States is
materially retarded, by reason of
imports of steel wheels from China,
provided for in subheadings 8708.70.45,
8708.70.60, and 8716.90.50 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States, preliminarily determined
by the Department of Commerce
(‘‘Commerce’’) to be subsidized and sold
at less-than-fair-value.
DATES: October 23, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jordan Harriman (202–205–2610), Office
of Investigations, U.S. International
Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW,
Washington, DC 20436. Hearingimpaired persons can obtain
information on this matter by contacting
the Commission’s TDD terminal on 202–
205–1810. Persons with mobility
impairments who will need special
assistance in gaining access to the
Commission should contact the Office
of the Secretary at 202–205–2000.
General information concerning the
Commission may also be obtained by
accessing its internet server (https://
www.usitc.gov). The public record for
these investigations may be viewed on
the Commission’s electronic docket
(EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scope.— For purposes of these
investigations, Commerce has defined
the subject merchandise as ‘‘. . .certain
on-the-road steel wheels, discs, and
rims for tubeless tires, with a nominal
rim diameter of 22.5 inches and 24.5
inches, regardless of width. Certain onthe-road steel wheels with a nominal
wheel diameter of 22.5 inches and 24.5
inches are generally for Class 6, 7, and
8 commercial vehicles (as classified by
the Federal Highway Administration
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\30NON1.SGM
30NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61671-61672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26042]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Notice of Availability of the Western Energy Company's Rosebud
Mine Area F Final Environmental Impact Statement; S1D1S SS08011000
SX064A000 190S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 19XS501520
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S.
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement (OSMRE) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Western Energy Company's Rosebud Mine Area F
(Project) in southeastern Montana. This notice is announcing its
availability. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is
a co-lead on this EIS process.
DATES: The OSMRE will not issue a final decision on the Proposed Action
and Alternatives for a minimum of 30 days from the date that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) publishes this notice in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is available for review at: https://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/initiatives/westernEnergy/documentLibrary.shtm.
Paper and computer compact disk (CD) copies of the Final EIS are
available for review at the OSMRE Western Region Office, 1999 Broadway
Street, Suite 3320, Denver, Colorado 80202. In addition, a paper and CD
copy of the Final EIS are available for review at each of the following
locations:
Rosebud County Library, 201 North 9th Avenue, Forsyth, MT 59327,
Between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through
Thursday; 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday; 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saturday (Closed Sunday).
Montana DEQ Headquarters (Lee Metcalf Building), 1520 East 6th
Avenue, Helena, MT 59620, Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00
p.m. Monday through Friday (Closed Saturday and Sunday).
BLM Miles City Field Office, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT
59301, Between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday (Closed Saturday and Sunday).
BLM State Office, Billings, MT, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings,
MT 59101, Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday (Closed Saturday and Sunday).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Logan Sholar, OSMRE Project
Coordinator; Telephone: 303-293-5036; Address: 1999 Broadway Street,
Suite 3320, Denver, Colorado 80202-3050; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Project Purpose
The purpose of the Project is to consider continued operations at
the Rosebud Mine by permitting and developing a new surface mine permit
area, known as permit Area F. Western Energy submitted a permit
application package to DEQ for the proposed 6,746-acre permit Area F
(also referred to as the project area) at the Rosebud Mine, which is an
existing 25,455-acre surface coal mine annually producing 8.0 to 10.25
million tons of low-sulfur subbituminous coal. DEQ is the regulatory
authority for permitting actions involving federal coal in Montana. 30
CFR 926.10. If DEQ approves the permit and a Federal mining plan for
the Project is approved as proposed, at the current rate of production,
the operational life of the Rosebud Mine would be extended by 8 years.
Mining operations in the project area, which would commence after all
permits and approvals have been secured and a reclamation and
performance bond has been posted, would last 19 years. Western Energy
estimates that 70.8 million tons of recoverable coal reserves exist in
the project area and would be removed during the 19-year operations
period. As with other permit areas of the Rosebud Mine, all coal would
be combusted locally at the Colstrip and Rosebud Power Plants.
Western Energy is required to obtain a surface coal mine operating
permit from DEQ (pursuant to the Montana Strip and Underground Mine
Reclamation Act (MSUMRA), Section 82-4-221 et seq., Montana Code
Annotated) and federal approval of the mining plan to mine leased
federal coal in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 as
Amended for the proposed project area to access additional coal
reserves in Federal coal lease M82186 and in privately held leases G-
002 and G-002-A.The OSMRE's purpose for the Project is to review the
mining plan and make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for
Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) in the form of a mining plan
decision document to approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions,
the proposed mining plan for the Project (30 CFR 746) . The ASLM will
decide whether the mining plan is approved, disapproved, or approved
with conditions.
The DEQ's purpose for the Project is to review and make a decision
on Western Energy's surface mine operating permit application under
MSUMRA and to review and make decisions on the following related
permits: (1) An application for a new Montana Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (MPDES) permit, and (2) an application to modify
Montana Air Quality Permit #1570*07 to include the project area. The
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a cooperating agency on the Final
EIS.
The Final EIS considers three alternatives and evaluates the
direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the Proposed Action and the
other two alternatives on the environment.
OSMRE is complying with Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA Section 106) (16 U.S.C. 470f), as provided in 36
CFR 800.2(d)(3), concurrently with the NEPA process, including public
involvement requirements and consultation with the State Historic
Preservation Officer and Historic Preservation Officers with Tribal
nations. Native American Tribal consultations are ongoing and have been
conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) policy. Federal, Tribal, State, and
local agencies, along with other stakeholders that may be interested in
or affected by the Federal agencies' decisions on the Project, are
invited to submit comments on the Final EIS.
As part of its consideration of the proposed Project's impacts on
threatened and endangered species, OSMRE conducted informal
consultation as well as streamlined consultation per the final 4(d)
rule for the northern long-eared bat with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16
U.S.C. 1536), and its implementing regulations, as provided in 50 CFR
400. The Section 7 consultation considered direct and indirect impacts
from the proposed Project, including mining and related operations in
the project area and continued operation of the Colstrip and Rosebud
Power Plants.
[[Page 61672]]
In addition to compliance with NEPA, NHPA Section 106, and ESA
Section 7, all Federal actions will be in compliance with applicable
requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
(30 U.S.C. 1021-1328), the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251-1387), the
Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q), and Executive Orders relating to
environmental justice, tribal consultation, and other applicable laws
and regulations.
II. Background on the Rosebud Mine
Coal has been mined at Colstrip, MT for more than 90 years. The
Norther Pacific Railway established the city of Colstrip and its
associated mine in the 1920s to access coal from the Fort Union
Formation. Coal mining began in 1924, providing fuel for the railway's
steam locomotive trains. During the initial 34 years of mining, 44
million tons of coal were mined. By 1958, diesel-powered locomotives
replaced steam engines and mining ceased in the Colstrip area.
In 1959, the Montana Power Company purchased rights to the Rosebud
Mine in the city of Colstrip with plans to build power generation
facilities. The Rosebud Mine operation began production in 1968. In
2001, Westmoreland purchased the Rosebud Mine; its subsidiary, Western
Energy, continues to operate the mine today. Although the Rosebud Mine
has shipped coal by rail as recently as 2010, all coal currently
produced by the mine is consumed locally at the Colstrip and Rosebud
Power Plants.
III. Background on the Western Energy Proposed Permit Area F
Western Energy proposes to conduct surface coal mining and
reclamation operations within the 6,746-acre proposed permit Area F of
the Rosebud Mine. The project area would be adjacent to the western
boundary of Area C, 12 miles west of Colstrip. Western Energy proposes
to conduct surface coal mining operations on an approximately 2,159-
acre portion of the project area, with a total disturbance footprint,
including soil storage, scoria pits, and haul roads, of approximately
4,260 acres. The project area would, in conjunction with the mining of
any reserves remaining within existing permit areas A, B, and C of the
Rosebud Mine, supply low-sulfur coal to the Colstrip Power Plant (Units
3 and 4) at a rate of between 7.7 and 9.95 million tons annually. In
addition, coal from the Rosebud Mine with higher sulfur content would
be supplied to the Rosebud Power Plant at a rate of approximately
300,000 tons annually.
Approval of the proposed permit Area F is expected to require
several other agency actions, including:
Findings and recommendations by BLM with respect to
Western Energy's Resource Recovery and Protection Plan and other
requirements of Western Energy's lease.
Approval by DEQ of Western Energy's Montana Air Quality
Permit #1570-07 to allow expansion of the geographic extent of the mine
to include the proposed permit Area F; and
Approval by DEQ of a new MPDES permit.
IV. Alternatives
Alternatives carried forward in the Final EIS include the No Action
Alternative (Alternative 1), the Proposed Action Alternative
(Alternative 2), and the Proposed Action Plus Additional Environmental
Protection Measures Alternative (Alternative 3). Several other
alternatives were considered but dismissed from further consideration.
V. Revisions to the Draft EIS
In accordance with the CEQ's regulations for implementing NEPA and
the DOI's NEPA regulations, OSMRE solicited public comments on the
Draft EIS. OSMRE responses to comments are included in Appendix F of
the FEIS. The agencies considered comments received from the public on
the Draft EIS and incorporated them, as appropriate, into the FEIS. The
changes between the Draft EIS and Final EIS are a result of responding
to comments received during the public comment period and generally
consist of revisions to the text to clarify the analysis of resource-
specific potential impacts under each alternative. No new analyses were
completed and no new or additional data were used to support the
existing analyses.
In addition, the FEIS includes updates based on evolving regulatory
guidance and completion of the NHPA Section 106 and ESA Section 7
consultation processes.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.1
Dated: November 16, 2018.
David Berry,
Regional Director, Western Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-26042 Filed 11-29-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P
