Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Navajo Transitional Energy Company's Spring Creek Mine Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM-94378, 15265-15267 [2022-05623]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 52 / Thursday, March 17, 2022 / Notices
to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribes,
or Native Hawaiian organizations stated
in this notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian Tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
claim these cultural items should
submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
Tuzigoot National Monument at the
address in this notice by April 18, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lloyd Masayumptewa, Superintendent,
Tuzigoot National Monument, P.O. Box
219, Camp Verde, AZ 86322, telephone
(928) 567–5276, email Lloyd_
Masayumptewa@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3005, of the intent to repatriate cultural
items under the control of the U.S.
Department of the Interior, National
Park Service, Tuzigoot National
Monument, Clarkdale, AZ, that meet the
definition of unassociated funerary
objects under 25 U.S.C. 3001.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the Superintendent, Tuzigoot National
Monument.
This notice corrects the number of
unassociated funerary objects published
in a Notice of Intent to Repatriate in the
Federal Register on June 25, 2021 (86
FR 33736–33737, June 25, 2021). During
preparation for repatriation, it was
discovered that two objects had been
inadvertently omitted from the
published notice. Transfer of control of
the items in this correction notice has
not occurred.
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Correction
In the Federal Register (86 FR 33736,
June 25, 2021), column 3, paragraph 6
under the heading ‘‘History and
Description of the Cultural Items,’’ is
corrected by substituting the following
paragraph:
Between 1933–1934, 18 cultural items
were removed from Hatalacva Pueblo in
Yavapai County, AZ. The 18
unassociated funerary objects are 14
bowls, one pendant, one cup, one
necklace, and one awl.
In the Federal Register (86 FR 33737,
June 25, 2021), column 1, paragraph 1
is corrected by substituting the
following paragraph:
Between 1933–1934, 7,172 cultural
items were removed from Tuzigoot
Pueblo in Yavapai County, AZ. The
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17:38 Mar 16, 2022
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7,172 unassociated funerary objects are
one bow, two basketry fragments, one
spindle whorl, two axes, one crystal,
one prayer stick, 19 dendrochronology
samples, 14 jars, 84 bowls, four
miniature bowls, four pitchers, four
ladles, one miniature jar, 6,969 beads,
12 pendants, 19 bracelets, three
unworked shells, eight projectile points,
six necklaces, five rings, four worked
shells, one worked sherd, two worked
bones, two drills, two unworked bones,
and one pigment.
In the Federal Register (86 FR 33737,
June 25, 2021), column 2, paragraphs 1
and 2 are corrected by substituting the
following paragraphs:
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(B), the
8,086 cultural items described above are
reasonably believed to have been placed
with or near individual human remains
at the time of death or later as part of
the death rite or ceremony and are
believed, by a preponderance of the
evidence, to have been removed from a
specific burial site of a Native American
individual.
Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is
a relationship of shared group identity
that can be reasonably traced between
the 8,086 unassociated funerary objects
and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives
of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to claim these cultural items
should submit a written request with
information in support of the claim to
Lloyd Masayumptewa, Superintendent,
Tuzigoot National Monument, P.O. Box
219, Camp Verde, AZ 86322, telephone
(928) 567–5276, email Lloyd_
Masayumptewa@nps.gov, by April 18,
2022. After that date, if no additional
claimants have come forward, transfer
of control of the unassociated funerary
objects to the Hopi Tribe of Arizona may
proceed.
The U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service, Tuzigoot
National Monument is responsible for
notifying the Ak-Chin Indian
Community [previously listed as the Ak
Chin Indian Community of the
Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation,
Arizona]; Fort McDowell Yavapai
Nation, Arizona; Gila River Indian
Community of the Gila River Indian
Reservation, Arizona; Hopi Tribe of
Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa
Indian Community of the Salt River
Reservation, Arizona; Tohono O’odham
Nation of Arizona; Yavapai-Apache
Nation of the Camp Verde Indian
Reservation, Arizona; Yavapai-Prescott
Indian Tribe [previously listed as
Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai
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15265
Reservation, Arizona]; and the Zuni
Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New
Mexico that this notice has been
published.
Dated: March 9, 2022.
Melanie O’Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2022–05628 Filed 3–16–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000
222S180110; S2D2S SS08011000
SX064A000 22XS501520]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s
Spring Creek Mine Federal Mining Plan
Modification for Federal Coal Lease
MTM–94378
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
The Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)
is publishing this notice to announce
that, consistent with direction from the
U.S. District Court of Montana, it will
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for Navajo Transitional
Energy Company’s (NTEC) Federal
mining plan modification for Federal
Coal Lease MTM–94378 (the Project).
With this notice, OSMRE also
announces that it will hold a public
scoping meeting, including a 30-day
public scoping period to receive
comments on the environmental issues
that OSMRE should analyze in this EIS.
The Spring Creek Mine (SCM) is located
in Big Horn County, Montana,
approximately 32 miles from Sheridan,
Wyoming. The SCM started operation in
1974 and is expected to continue to
operate until at least 2025 under the
current approved mining plan. The
proposed Project would allow 184.1
acres of additional surface disturbance
and recovery of an additional 51.5
million tons (Mt) of Federal coal. Under
the proposed Project, SCM would
continue to mine approximately 13–18
million tons per year (Mtpy) and the
production would extend for an
additional 3–4 years, depending on
production rates. OSMRE plans to
analyze the environmental effects of an
annual production rate of 18 Mtpy for
4 additional years of production, which
is the maximum estimated future annual
production rate. This rate is below the
SUMMARY:
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15266
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 52 / Thursday, March 17, 2022 / Notices
maximum permitted production rate of
30 Mtpy established by the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ)-Air Quality Division (AQD) Air
Quality Permit MAQP #1120–12.
DATES: OSMRE requests comments
concerning the scope of the analysis in
the EIS, and identification of relevant
information, studies, and analyses. All
comments must be received April 18,
2022. The public scoping meeting will
be held via Zoom from 4:00–6:00 p.m.
MST on March 31, 2022. Please register
to attend and provide verbal comments
during the Zoom public scoping
meeting at the following address:
(https://www.osmre.gov/laws-andregulations/nepa/projects). There will
also be a telephone number provided
upon registration.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments related to
the Project by any of the following
methods:
• Email: SCM_LBA1_EIS@
wwcengineering.com.
• Mail: ATTN: Spring Creek Mining
Plan Modification EIS, C/O: Logan
Sholar, OSMRE Western Regions 5, 7–
11, P.O. Box 25065, Lakewood, CO
80225–0065.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Logan Sholar, NEPA Project Manager;
telephone (303) 236–6038; email:
lsholar@osmre.gov or at the address and
email provided in the ADDRESSES
section.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSMRE
Regions 5, 7–11 will prepare an EIS for
SCM’s mining plan modification to
address issues identified by the U.S.
District Court for the District of Montana
(the Court) in a 2021 ruling related to
the environmental analysis previously
prepared by OSMRE for Federal Coal
Lease MTM 94378. In accordance with
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the
Department of the Interior Assistant
Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management (ASLM) must approve,
disapprove, or approve the Project with
conditions because the Project contains
leased Federal coal. The SCM is
operated by NTEC under State Mine
Permit C1979012, issued by MDEQ, in
accordance with its regulatory authority.
On February 3, 2021, the Court held
that OSMRE failed to adequately
examine the impacts of coal
transportation, non-greenhouse gas
emissions, and greenhouse gas
emissions in preparing their 2012
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17:38 Mar 16, 2022
Jkt 256001
Environmental Assessment and
recommending approval of the mining
plan modification for Federal Coal Lease
MTM–94378. The Court deferred
vacatur of the mining plan modification
decision for 240 days and is allowing
OSMRE to conduct remedial NEPA
analysis. On August 5, 2021, OSMRE
notified the Court that it would prepare
an EIS and requested an extension of the
deferred vacatur until April 1, 2023,
which the Court granted.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action:
The purpose of this EIS is to respond
to the Court’s ruling and analyze the
effects of coal transportation and
greenhouse and non-greenhouse gas
emissions resulting from the proposed
Project. The EIS will also consider any
new information available in analyzing
potential impacts to other resources in
the environment that could result from
the Project.
The Project is needed to allow NTEC,
the current mine operator, the
opportunity to exercise its valid existing
rights for Federal Coal Lease MTM–
94378 granted by the Bureau of Land
Management.
Preliminary Proposed Project
The proposed Project would allow
184.1 acres of additional surface
disturbance and recovery of an
additional 51.5 Mt of federal coal. SCM
started operation in 1974 and is
expected to continue to operate until
approximately 2025 under the current,
approved mining plan. The proposed
Project would extend the life of the
mine for 3–4 years, allowing an
additional 13–18 Mtpy, depending on
production rates.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The Agency has completed internal
scoping and identified preliminary
analysis issues that will be evaluated in
the EIS. Reasonably foreseeable effects
of mining Federal coal will be evaluated
for the following resources:
• Air Quality (measured as
concentration of criteria air pollutants
regulated under the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards, Hazardous Air
Pollutants, and Air Quality Related
Values such as visibility (haze) and
atmospheric deposition)
• Combustion of greenhouse gases as it
relates to climate change measured in
terms of carbon dioxide equivalent for
both 20-year and 100-year global
warming potentials
• Surface water and groundwater
quality and quantity
• Socio-economic effects, including
changes to state and local taxes,
royalties, fees, lease bids and bonuses,
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•
•
•
•
•
•
as well as payroll benefits as well as
effects to Environmental Justice
populations
Federally listed threatened/
endangered species
Geology
Soils
Cultural Resources
Visual Resources
Wildlife
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
None at this time.
Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
The Department plans to issue the
Record of Decision on or before April 1,
2023.
Public Scoping Process
All public scoping comments must be
submitted by email or by mail to the
addresses listed under ADDRESSES.
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 public at any time. While you
may request in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, OSMRE
cannot guarantee that this will occur.
The Project web page located at
(https://www.osmre.gov/laws-andregulations/nepa/projects) will include
the description of the Project as
submitted by NTEC, a map of the
proposed mining plan modification, and
information about how to submit public
comment on issues or concerns related
to the Project.
OSMRE will review and consider all
public scoping comments received and
prepare a Scoping Summary Report. The
Scoping Summary Report will be used
by OSMRE to identify issues to be
included in the EIS analysis, resources
and issues that can be dismissed from
detailed analysis because they are not
present or not affected by the Project,
and potential alternatives to be
analyzed.
Request for Identification of Potential
Alternatives, Information, and
Analyses Relevant to the Proposed
Action
In addition to comments concerning
the scope of the EIS analysis,
commenters are encouraged to identify
relevant information, studies, and
analyses that would assist the
Department in making its decision and
identify potential alternatives to the
Project.
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 52 / Thursday, March 17, 2022 / Notices
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE is the lead agency for this
EIS. The BLM and MDEQ have been
invited to be cooperating agencies on
the OSMRE EIS. Other federal agencies,
state, tribal, and local governments with
jurisdiction by law or special expertise
that are interested in participating in the
preparation of this EIS should contact
the above mentioned NEPA Project
Manager.
Decision Maker
Assistant Secretary for Lands and
Minerals Management.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
Informed by the EIS analysis, OSMRE
will make a recommendation to the
ASLM to approve, disapprove, or
approve with conditions the mining
plan modification for Federal Coal Lease
MTM–94378. The ASLM will consider
OSMRE’s recommendation when
deciding to approve, disapprove, or
approve with conditions the mining
plan modification for Federal Coal Lease
MTM–94378. OSMRE’s
recommendation to the ASLM is based,
at a minimum, on the documentation
specified at 30 CFR 746.13.
David Berry,
Regional Director, Interior Regions 5, 7–11.
[FR Doc. 2022–05623 Filed 3–16–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–05–P
also seeks injunctive relief. The United
States, the State, and NIPSCO signed the
consent decree to resolve the claims in
the complaint. NIPSCO agrees to pay
$619,632.16 of the United States’
response costs already incurred, to pay
for the United States’ and the State’s
costs to be incurred, and to perform the
remedial action that EPA selected for
the Operable Unit 2 portion of the Site
at an estimated cost of $11.8 million. In
return, the United States and the State
of Indiana agree not to sue the
defendant under sections 106 and 107 of
CERCLA for work done under the
consent decree and for Past Response
Costs and Future Response Costs as
defined by the decree.
The publication of this notice opens
a period for public comment on the
consent decree. Comments should be
addressed to the Assistant Attorney
General, Environment and Natural
Resources Division, and should refer to
United States and State of Indiana v.
Northern Indiana Public Service
Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90–11–3–12060.
All comments must be submitted no
later than thirty (30) days after the
publication date of this notice.
Comments may be submitted either by
email or by mail:
To submit
comments:
Send them to:
By email .......
pubcomment-ees.enrd@
usdoj.gov.
Assistant Attorney General,
U.S. DOJ—ENRD, P.O.
Box 7611, Washington, DC
20044–7611.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
By mail .........
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Notice of Lodging of Proposed
Consent Decree Under the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act
On March 3, 2022, the Department of
Justice lodged a proposed consent
decree with the United States District
Court for the Northern District of
Indiana in the lawsuit entitled United
States and State of Indiana v. Northern
Indiana Public Service Company, LLC,
Civil Action No. 2:22–cv–48.
The United States and the State of
Indiana (the ‘‘State’’) filed a complaint
in this lawsuit under the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA). The United States and
the State’s complaint names Northern
Indiana Public Service Company, LLC
(‘‘NIPSCO’’), as the defendant. The
complaint requests recovery of costs
that the United States and the State
incurred responding to releases of
hazardous substances at the Town of
Pines Superfund Site (‘‘the ‘‘Site’’) in
Porter County, Indiana. The complaint
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17:38 Mar 16, 2022
Jkt 256001
During the public comment period,
the consent decree may be examined
and downloaded at this Justice
Department website: https://
www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
We will provide a paper copy of the
consent decree upon written request
and payment of reproduction costs.
Please mail your request and payment
to: Consent Decree Library, U.S. DOJ—
ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC
20044–7611.
Please enclose a check or money order
for $53 (25 cents per page reproduction
cost) payable to the United States
Treasury. For a paper copy without the
appendices, the cost is $13.
Patricia Mckenna,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental
Enforcement Section, Environment and
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2022–05579 Filed 3–16–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–15–P
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15267
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employee Benefits Security
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Request for Public
Comment
Employee Benefits Security
Administration (EBSA), Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Labor (the
Department), in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act, provides the
general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on
proposed and continuing collections of
information. This helps the Department
assess the impact of its information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand the
Department’s information collection
requirements and provide the requested
data in the desired format. The
Employee Benefits Security
Administration (EBSA) is soliciting
comments on the proposed extension of
the information collection requests
(ICRs) contained in the documents
described below. A copy of the ICRs
may be obtained by contacting the office
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice. ICRs also are available at
reginfo.gov (https://www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain).
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office shown in the
ADDRESSES section on or before May 16,
2022.
ADDRESSES: James Butikofer,
Department of Labor, Employee Benefits
Security Administration, 200
Constitution Avenue NW, Room N–
5718, Washington, DC 20210, or
ebsa.opr@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
I. Current Actions
This notice requests public comment
on the Department’s request for
extension of the Office of Management
and Budget’s (OMB) approval of ICRs
contained in the rules and prohibited
transaction exemptions described
below. The Department is not proposing
any changes to the existing ICRs at this
time. An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, an information collection
unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. A summary of the ICRs and the
current burden estimates follows:
Agency: Employee Benefits Security
Administration, Department of Labor.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 52 (Thursday, March 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15265-15267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05623]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 222S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000
22XS501520]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Navajo Transitional Energy Company's Spring Creek Mine Federal Mining
Plan Modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM-94378
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSMRE) is publishing this notice to announce that, consistent with
direction from the U.S. District Court of Montana, it will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Navajo Transitional Energy
Company's (NTEC) Federal mining plan modification for Federal Coal
Lease MTM-94378 (the Project). With this notice, OSMRE also announces
that it will hold a public scoping meeting, including a 30-day public
scoping period to receive comments on the environmental issues that
OSMRE should analyze in this EIS. The Spring Creek Mine (SCM) is
located in Big Horn County, Montana, approximately 32 miles from
Sheridan, Wyoming. The SCM started operation in 1974 and is expected to
continue to operate until at least 2025 under the current approved
mining plan. The proposed Project would allow 184.1 acres of additional
surface disturbance and recovery of an additional 51.5 million tons
(Mt) of Federal coal. Under the proposed Project, SCM would continue to
mine approximately 13-18 million tons per year (Mtpy) and the
production would extend for an additional 3-4 years, depending on
production rates. OSMRE plans to analyze the environmental effects of
an annual production rate of 18 Mtpy for 4 additional years of
production, which is the maximum estimated future annual production
rate. This rate is below the
[[Page 15266]]
maximum permitted production rate of 30 Mtpy established by the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)-Air Quality Division (AQD)
Air Quality Permit MAQP #1120-12.
DATES: OSMRE requests comments concerning the scope of the analysis in
the EIS, and identification of relevant information, studies, and
analyses. All comments must be received April 18, 2022. The public
scoping meeting will be held via Zoom from 4:00-6:00 p.m. MST on March
31, 2022. Please register to attend and provide verbal comments during
the Zoom public scoping meeting at the following address: (https://www.osmre.gov/laws-and-regulations/nepa/projects). There will also be a
telephone number provided upon registration.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments related to the Project by any of the
following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Mail: ATTN: Spring Creek Mining Plan Modification EIS, C/
O: Logan Sholar, OSMRE Western Regions 5, 7-11, P.O. Box 25065,
Lakewood, CO 80225-0065.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Logan Sholar, NEPA Project Manager;
telephone (303) 236-6038; email: [email protected] or at the address
and email provided in the ADDRESSES section.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSMRE Regions 5, 7-11 will prepare an EIS
for SCM's mining plan modification to address issues identified by the
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana (the Court) in a 2021
ruling related to the environmental analysis previously prepared by
OSMRE for Federal Coal Lease MTM 94378. In accordance with the Mineral
Leasing Act of 1920, the Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary
for Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) must approve, disapprove, or
approve the Project with conditions because the Project contains leased
Federal coal. The SCM is operated by NTEC under State Mine Permit
C1979012, issued by MDEQ, in accordance with its regulatory authority.
On February 3, 2021, the Court held that OSMRE failed to adequately
examine the impacts of coal transportation, non-greenhouse gas
emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions in preparing their 2012
Environmental Assessment and recommending approval of the mining plan
modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM-94378. The Court deferred
vacatur of the mining plan modification decision for 240 days and is
allowing OSMRE to conduct remedial NEPA analysis. On August 5, 2021,
OSMRE notified the Court that it would prepare an EIS and requested an
extension of the deferred vacatur until April 1, 2023, which the Court
granted.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action:
The purpose of this EIS is to respond to the Court's ruling and
analyze the effects of coal transportation and greenhouse and non-
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the proposed Project. The EIS
will also consider any new information available in analyzing potential
impacts to other resources in the environment that could result from
the Project.
The Project is needed to allow NTEC, the current mine operator, the
opportunity to exercise its valid existing rights for Federal Coal
Lease MTM-94378 granted by the Bureau of Land Management.
Preliminary Proposed Project
The proposed Project would allow 184.1 acres of additional surface
disturbance and recovery of an additional 51.5 Mt of federal coal. SCM
started operation in 1974 and is expected to continue to operate until
approximately 2025 under the current, approved mining plan. The
proposed Project would extend the life of the mine for 3-4 years,
allowing an additional 13-18 Mtpy, depending on production rates.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The Agency has completed internal scoping and identified
preliminary analysis issues that will be evaluated in the EIS.
Reasonably foreseeable effects of mining Federal coal will be evaluated
for the following resources:
Air Quality (measured as concentration of criteria air
pollutants regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards,
Hazardous Air Pollutants, and Air Quality Related Values such as
visibility (haze) and atmospheric deposition)
Combustion of greenhouse gases as it relates to climate change
measured in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent for both 20-year and
100-year global warming potentials
Surface water and groundwater quality and quantity
Socio-economic effects, including changes to state and local
taxes, royalties, fees, lease bids and bonuses, as well as payroll
benefits as well as effects to Environmental Justice populations
Federally listed threatened/endangered species
Geology
Soils
Cultural Resources
Visual Resources
Wildlife
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
None at this time.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The Department plans to issue the Record of Decision on or before
April 1, 2023.
Public Scoping Process
All public scoping comments must be submitted by email or by mail
to the addresses listed under ADDRESSES. 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 public at
any time. While you may request in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, OSMRE cannot
guarantee that this will occur.
The Project web page located at (https://www.osmre.gov/laws-and-regulations/nepa/projects) will include the description of the Project
as submitted by NTEC, a map of the proposed mining plan modification,
and information about how to submit public comment on issues or
concerns related to the Project.
OSMRE will review and consider all public scoping comments received
and prepare a Scoping Summary Report. The Scoping Summary Report will
be used by OSMRE to identify issues to be included in the EIS analysis,
resources and issues that can be dismissed from detailed analysis
because they are not present or not affected by the Project, and
potential alternatives to be analyzed.
Request for Identification of Potential Alternatives, Information, and
Analyses Relevant to the Proposed Action
In addition to comments concerning the scope of the EIS analysis,
commenters are encouraged to identify relevant information, studies,
and analyses that would assist the Department in making its decision
and identify potential alternatives to the Project.
[[Page 15267]]
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE is the lead agency for this EIS. The BLM and MDEQ have been
invited to be cooperating agencies on the OSMRE EIS. Other federal
agencies, state, tribal, and local governments with jurisdiction by law
or special expertise that are interested in participating in the
preparation of this EIS should contact the above mentioned NEPA Project
Manager.
Decision Maker
Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
Informed by the EIS analysis, OSMRE will make a recommendation to
the ASLM to approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions the mining
plan modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM-94378. The ASLM will
consider OSMRE's recommendation when deciding to approve, disapprove,
or approve with conditions the mining plan modification for Federal
Coal Lease MTM-94378. OSMRE's recommendation to the ASLM is based, at a
minimum, on the documentation specified at 30 CFR 746.13.
David Berry,
Regional Director, Interior Regions 5, 7-11.
[FR Doc. 2022-05623 Filed 3-16-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P
