Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Navajo Transitional Energy Company's Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal Lease MTM 94378, 2744-2745 [2025-00410]
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 7 / Monday, January 13, 2025 / Notices
OKLAHOMA
available for review on OSMRE’s
website at: https://www.osmre.gov/lawsand-regulations/nepa/projects.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marcelo Calle, Program Support
Division Chief, OSMRE Western
Regions 5, 7–11, P.O. Box 25065,
Lakewood, CO 80225–0065; (303) 236–
2929 or mcalle@osmre.gov.
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:
Blaine County
Dusbabek Filling Station (Additional
Documentation), 101 N Main Street,
Okeene, AD100010776
PENNSYLVANIA
Clearfield County
Old Town Historic District (Additional
Documentation), Irregular pattern along
Front St., Clearfield, AD79002212
Authority: Section 60.13 of 36 CFR
part 60.
Sherry A. Frear,
Chief, National Register of Historic Places/
National Historic Landmarks Program.
[FR Doc. 2025–00442 Filed 1–10–25; 8:45 am]
Project Background
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
OSMRE has prepared a Final EIS for
SCM’s LBA1 mining plan modification
for inclusion in its decision document
recommending approval, disapproval,
or conditional approval of the mining
plan modification to the Secretary of the
Department of the Interior (Secretary).
30 CFR 746.13. In accordance with the
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA), the
Secretary must approve, disapprove, or
conditionally approve the mining plan
modification because it contains lands
with leased Federal coal associated with
MTM–94378 and MTM 110693. The
Secretary has delegated this authority to
the Assistant Secretary for Land and
Minerals Management (ASLM).
OSMRE initially published an
environmental assessment (EA) for
LBA1 on October 3, 2016. This EA was
challenged, and the United States
District Court for the District of Montana
held, in WildEarth Guardians v.
Haaland, No. CV 17–80–BLG–SPW (D.
Mont. 2021), that the EA failed to take
a hard look at: indirect and cumulative
effects of diesel emissions, noise,
vibrations, and coal dust emissions;
indirect effects of non-greenhouse gas
from downstream combustion
emissions; and effects related to the
social costs of greenhouse gases. This
Final EIS updates and expands on the
environmental analysis in the 2016 EA
and provides the additional impacts
analysis identified as deficient by the
district court.
The SCM is operated by NTEC under
Permit SMP C1979012, which was
issued by the Montana Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ). As
proposed, the Project includes 162.5
acres of additional surface disturbance
and recovery of an additional 39.9 Mt of
Federal coal.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000
256S180110; S2D2S SS08011000
SX064A000 25XS501520]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s
Federal Mining Plan Modification for
Federal Lease MTM 94378
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the final
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
The Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)
announces the availability of the final
environmental impact statement (EIS)
for Navajo Transitional Energy
Company’s (NTEC) Lease by
Application 1 (LBA1) Federal Mining
Plan Modification for Federal Lease
MTM–94378 and MTM 110693 (the
Project). Spring Creek Mine (SCM) is in
Big Horn County, Montana,
approximately 32 miles from Sheridan,
Wyoming. The Project, as proposed,
includes 162.5 acres of additional
surface disturbance and recovery of an
additional 39.9 million tons (Mt) of
Federal coal.
DATES: The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) will also
publish a notice of availability (NOA) in
the Federal Register. The Final EIS
waiting period begins with the
publication of EPA’s NOA in the
Federal Register and will last for 30
days. After the waiting period, OSMRE
will select an alternative and issue the
Record of Decision (ROD).
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and
documents pertinent to this proposal are
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:48 Jan 09, 2025
Jkt 265001
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
OSMRE’s purpose in preparing this
Final EIS is to fully analyze the
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
potential environmental impacts of the
proposed Federal mining plan
modification, with particular attention
to addressing the deficiencies identified
by the district court, so that OSMRE can
make a recommendation to the ASLM to
approve, disapprove, or conditionally
approve the proposed Federal mining
plan modification for LBA1. NTEC, the
current operator, will not be able to
access or recover the remaining Federal
coal in the LBA1 tracts unless OSMRE
completes its analysis under the
National Environmental Policy Act and
the ASLM approves the Federal mining
plan modification.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Under the Proposed Action, OSMRE
would recommend to the ASLM to
approve the mining plan modification
as proposed. If approved by the ASLM,
the Proposed Action would allow 162.5
acres of additional surface disturbance
and the recovery of an additional 39.9
Mt of Federal coal in the LBA1 tracts
over a period of approximately 16 years.
The Final EIS analyzes three
additional alternatives:
• No Action: Under the No Action
alternative, the Federal mining plan
modification for the LBA1 tracts would
not be approved, and SCM would no
longer be authorized to mine Federal
coal in the LBA1 tracts.
• Partial Mining Alternative: Under
the Partial Mining alternative, ASLMapproval of the mining plan
modification for the LBA1 tracts would
end after a five-year term. As analyzed
in this EIS, during this 5-year approval
term, approximately 78.5 acres of
surface disturbance and the recovery of
19.3 Mt of Federal coal from the LBA1
tracts are anticipated. Under the Partial
Mining alternative, if the operator
would like to continue mining beyond
the initial 5-year term, the operator can
apply for an additional mining plan
modification.
• Accelerated Mining Rate
Alternative: Under the Accelerated
Mining Rate alternative, it is assumed
that the remaining 39.9 Mt of coal
would be mined from LBA1 tracts at a
rate of 18 Mt per year, which reflects the
rate of mining that was expected to
occur in 2016 but is unlikely to occur
under current market conditions. If
approved by the ASLM, the Accelerated
Mining Rate alternative would allow
162.5 acres of additional surface
disturbance and the recovery of an
additional 39.9 Mt of Federal coal from
the LBA1 tracts, over a 2.2-year period.
Based on the analyses contained in
the Final EIS, and, after carefully
considering input received during
scoping and the public comment period
E:\FR\FM\13JAN1.SGM
13JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 7 / Monday, January 13, 2025 / Notices
of the Draft EIS, OSMRE selected the
Partial Mining alternative as the
preferred alternative.
Decision Maker
Department of the Interior Assistant
Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Reasonably foreseeable effects of
mining Federal coal were evaluated for
the following resources in the Final EIS:
• 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)
• Emissions of greenhouse gases as
they relate 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.
The OSMRE anticipates releasing a
ROD in February 2025.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Public Participation
In addition to making the Draft EIS
available for public comment, OSMRE
hosted one public meeting during the
comment period. OSMRE received 452
written comments, including comments
from Federal and State agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and
members of the public. OSMRE
addressed these comments in the Final
EIS. OSMRE considered the public
comments received on the Draft EIS and
during internal OSMRE review and
incorporated them as appropriate into
the Final EIS. Public comments and
internal OSMRE review resulted in the
addition of clarifying text. The revisions
and edits have not significantly changed
the impact analyses.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE is the lead agency for this
EIS. No agencies indicated an interest in
being a cooperating agency on the EIS.
18:48 Jan 09, 2025
Jkt 265001
OSMRE will take the analysis in the
Final EIS into consideration as it makes
a recommendation to the ASLM about
the Federal mining plan modification
associated with development of the
LBA1 Federal coal tracts. The ASLM
will consider OSMRE’s
recommendation to decide whether the
mining plan modification is approved,
disapproved, or approved with
conditions. OSMRE’s recommendation
to the ASLM is based, at a minimum, on
the documentation specified at 30 CFR
746.13.
David A. Berry,
Regional Director, Unified Regions, 5, 7–11.
[FR Doc. 2025–00410 Filed 1–10–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–05–P
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[Inv. No. 337–TA–1430]
Certain Urine Splash Guards and
Components Thereof; Institution of
Investigation
U.S. International Trade
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that a
complaint was filed with the U.S.
International Trade Commission on
December 6, 2024, under section 337 of
the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, on
behalf of For Kids By Parents, Inc. of
Potomac, Maryland. The complaint
alleges violations of section 337 based
upon the importation into the United
States, the sale for importation, and the
sale within the United States after
importation of certain urine splash
guards and components thereof by
reason of the infringement of certain
claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,619
(‘‘the ’619 patent’’) and U.S. Patent No.
11,812,901 (‘‘the ’901 patent’’). The
complaint further alleges that an
industry in the United States exists as
required by the applicable Federal
Statute. The complainant requests that
the Commission institute an
investigation and, after the
investigation, issue a general exclusion
order, or in the alternative a limited
exclusion order, and cease and desist
orders.
SUMMARY:
Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The complaint, except for
any confidential information contained
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2745
therein, may be viewed on the
Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS)
at https://edis.usitc.gov. For help
accessing EDIS, please email
EDIS3Help@usitc.gov. Hearing impaired
individuals are advised that information
on this matter can be obtained 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 at
https://www.usitc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pathenia M. Proctor, The Office of
Unfair Import Investigations, U.S.
International Trade Commission,
telephone (202) 205–2560.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: The authority for
institution of this investigation is
contained in section 337 of the Tariff
Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C.
1337, and in section 210.10 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10 (2024).
Scope of Investigation: Having
considered the complaint, the U.S.
International Trade Commission, on
January 6, 2025, ordered that—
(1) Pursuant to subsection (b) of
section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended, an investigation be instituted
to determine whether there is a
violation of subsection (a)(1)(B) of
section 337 in the importation into the
United States, the sale for importation,
or the sale within the United States after
importation of certain products
identified in paragraph (2) by reason of
infringement of one or more of claims 1
and 2 of the ’619 patent and claims 1–
3 of the ’901 patent, and whether an
industry in the United States exists as
required by subsection (a)(2) of section
337;
(2) Pursuant to section 210.10(b)(1) of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10(b)(1), the
plain language description of the
accused products or category of accused
products, which defines the scope of the
investigation, is ‘‘a flat sheet of flexible
material, a portion of which is divided
into a plurality of attachment tabs, to be
fashioned and, with the aid of an
adhesive compound applied to the
attachment tabs, affixed to the
underside of a toilet seat to prevent
urine egress through a gap between the
toilet seat and toilet bowl;’’
(3) For the purpose of the
investigation so instituted, the following
are hereby named as parties upon which
E:\FR\FM\13JAN1.SGM
13JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2744-2745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00410]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 256S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000
25XS501520]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for Navajo Transitional Energy Company's Federal Mining Plan
Modification for Federal Lease MTM 94378
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the final environmental impact
statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSMRE) announces the availability of the final environmental impact
statement (EIS) for Navajo Transitional Energy Company's (NTEC) Lease
by Application 1 (LBA1) Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal
Lease MTM-94378 and MTM 110693 (the Project). Spring Creek Mine (SCM)
is in Big Horn County, Montana, approximately 32 miles from Sheridan,
Wyoming. The Project, as proposed, includes 162.5 acres of additional
surface disturbance and recovery of an additional 39.9 million tons
(Mt) of Federal coal.
DATES: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also publish
a notice of availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. The Final EIS
waiting period begins with the publication of EPA's NOA in the Federal
Register and will last for 30 days. After the waiting period, OSMRE
will select an alternative and issue the Record of Decision (ROD).
ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and documents pertinent to this proposal are
available for review on OSMRE's website at: https://www.osmre.gov/laws-and-regulations/nepa/projects.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marcelo Calle, Program Support
Division Chief, OSMRE Western Regions 5, 7-11, P.O. Box 25065,
Lakewood, CO 80225-0065; (303) 236-2929 or [email protected].
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:
Project Background
OSMRE has prepared a Final EIS for SCM's LBA1 mining plan
modification for inclusion in its decision document recommending
approval, disapproval, or conditional approval of the mining plan
modification to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior
(Secretary). 30 CFR 746.13. In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act
of 1920 (MLA), the Secretary must approve, disapprove, or conditionally
approve the mining plan modification because it contains lands with
leased Federal coal associated with MTM-94378 and MTM 110693. The
Secretary has delegated this authority to the Assistant Secretary for
Land and Minerals Management (ASLM).
OSMRE initially published an environmental assessment (EA) for LBA1
on October 3, 2016. This EA was challenged, and the United States
District Court for the District of Montana held, in WildEarth Guardians
v. Haaland, No. CV 17-80-BLG-SPW (D. Mont. 2021), that the EA failed to
take a hard look at: indirect and cumulative effects of diesel
emissions, noise, vibrations, and coal dust emissions; indirect effects
of non-greenhouse gas from downstream combustion emissions; and effects
related to the social costs of greenhouse gases. This Final EIS updates
and expands on the environmental analysis in the 2016 EA and provides
the additional impacts analysis identified as deficient by the district
court.
The SCM is operated by NTEC under Permit SMP C1979012, which was
issued by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). As
proposed, the Project includes 162.5 acres of additional surface
disturbance and recovery of an additional 39.9 Mt of Federal coal.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
OSMRE's purpose in preparing this Final EIS is to fully analyze the
potential environmental impacts of the proposed Federal mining plan
modification, with particular attention to addressing the deficiencies
identified by the district court, so that OSMRE can make a
recommendation to the ASLM to approve, disapprove, or conditionally
approve the proposed Federal mining plan modification for LBA1. NTEC,
the current operator, will not be able to access or recover the
remaining Federal coal in the LBA1 tracts unless OSMRE completes its
analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and the ASLM
approves the Federal mining plan modification.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
Under the Proposed Action, OSMRE would recommend to the ASLM to
approve the mining plan modification as proposed. If approved by the
ASLM, the Proposed Action would allow 162.5 acres of additional surface
disturbance and the recovery of an additional 39.9 Mt of Federal coal
in the LBA1 tracts over a period of approximately 16 years.
The Final EIS analyzes three additional alternatives:
No Action: Under the No Action alternative, the Federal
mining plan modification for the LBA1 tracts would not be approved, and
SCM would no longer be authorized to mine Federal coal in the LBA1
tracts.
Partial Mining Alternative: Under the Partial Mining
alternative, ASLM-approval of the mining plan modification for the LBA1
tracts would end after a five-year term. As analyzed in this EIS,
during this 5-year approval term, approximately 78.5 acres of surface
disturbance and the recovery of 19.3 Mt of Federal coal from the LBA1
tracts are anticipated. Under the Partial Mining alternative, if the
operator would like to continue mining beyond the initial 5-year term,
the operator can apply for an additional mining plan modification.
Accelerated Mining Rate Alternative: Under the Accelerated
Mining Rate alternative, it is assumed that the remaining 39.9 Mt of
coal would be mined from LBA1 tracts at a rate of 18 Mt per year, which
reflects the rate of mining that was expected to occur in 2016 but is
unlikely to occur under current market conditions. If approved by the
ASLM, the Accelerated Mining Rate alternative would allow 162.5 acres
of additional surface disturbance and the recovery of an additional
39.9 Mt of Federal coal from the LBA1 tracts, over a 2.2-year period.
Based on the analyses contained in the Final EIS, and, after
carefully considering input received during scoping and the public
comment period
[[Page 2745]]
of the Draft EIS, OSMRE selected the Partial Mining alternative as the
preferred alternative.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Reasonably foreseeable effects of mining Federal coal were
evaluated for the following resources in the Final EIS:
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)
Emissions of greenhouse gases as they relate 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.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The OSMRE anticipates releasing a ROD in February 2025.
Public Participation
In addition to making the Draft EIS available for public comment,
OSMRE hosted one public meeting during the comment period. OSMRE
received 452 written comments, including comments from Federal and
State agencies, non-governmental organizations, and members of the
public. OSMRE addressed these comments in the Final EIS. OSMRE
considered the public comments received on the Draft EIS and during
internal OSMRE review and incorporated them as appropriate into the
Final EIS. Public comments and internal OSMRE review resulted in the
addition of clarifying text. The revisions and edits have not
significantly changed the impact analyses.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE is the lead agency for this EIS. No agencies indicated an
interest in being a cooperating agency on the EIS.
Decision Maker
Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Land and
Minerals Management.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
OSMRE will take the analysis in the Final EIS into consideration as
it makes a recommendation to the ASLM about the Federal mining plan
modification associated with development of the LBA1 Federal coal
tracts. The ASLM will consider OSMRE's recommendation to decide whether
the mining plan modification is approved, disapproved, or approved with
conditions. OSMRE's recommendation to the ASLM is based, at a minimum,
on the documentation specified at 30 CFR 746.13.
David A. Berry,
Regional Director, Unified Regions, 5, 7-11.
[FR Doc. 2025-00410 Filed 1-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P
