From: Subject: FR Doc E7-17332 Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 01:33:52 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-17332.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3138 FR Doc E7-17332 
[Federal Register: August 31, 2007 (Volume 72, Number =
169)]
[Notice]              =20
[Page 50380-50381]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31au07-120]                        =20

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-060-1320-EL, WYW155132]

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Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Eagle Butte West Coal Lease-
by-Application Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA) of a final environmental impact=20
statement. (FEIS) for coal lease by application (LBA) WYW155132 in the=20
decertified Powder River Federal Coal Production Region, Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act=20
(NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability=20
of the Eagle Butte West Coal Lease Application FEIS. The tract is being=20
considered for sale as a result of a coal lease application received=20
from the operator of the adjacent Eagle Butte Mine in Campbell County,=20
Wyoming.

DATES: The FEIS will be available for a 30 calendar-day review period=20
effective the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)=20
publishes their NOA of the FEIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS is available on the internet at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3D=
leavingFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/inf=
o/NEPA/cfodocs/Eagle Butte West.html. Copies are available=20
at the following BLM offices:
     BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne,=20
Wyoming 82009.
     BLM Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper,=20
Wyoming 82604.
    Written comments may be submitted to: Bureau of Land Management,=20
Casper Field Office, Attn: Nancy Doelger at the address listed above.=20
The public may submit comments electronically to the attention of Nancy=20
Doelger at casper--wymail@blm.gov or fax =
comments to (307) 261-7587.=20
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other=20
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware=20
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying=20
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can=20
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying=20
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be=20
able to do so.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the BLM=20
Casper Field Office address above or telephone (307) 361-7600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS analyzes and discloses to the=20
public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of=20
issuing a Federal coal lease in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River=20
Basin. The BLM is considering a coal lease issuance as a result of a=20
December 28, 2001, application submitted by RAG Coal West, Inc. (RAG)=20
to lease Federal coal near the Eagle Butte Mine, approximately 3 miles=20
north of Gillette, Wyoming. RAG sold the Eagle Butte Mine to Foundation=20
Coal West, Inc. in August 2004.
    The applicant proposes to lease the tract as a maintenance tract to=20
extend the life of their existing mining operations at the Eagle Butte=20
Mine under the provisions of the Leasing on Application regulations at=20
43 CFR 3425. This tract, case number WYW155132, is referred to as the=20
Eagle Butte West Coal Tract.
    The following lands in Campbell County, Wyoming are included in the=20
tract as applied for:

T. 51 N., R. 72 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming.
    Section 19: lots 13, 14, 19, and 20;
    Section 20: lots 10 (S\1/2\), 11 (S\1/2\), and 12 through 15;
    Section 29: lots 1 (W\1/2\), 2 through 7, 8 (W\1/2\ and SE\1/
4\), and 9 through 16;
    Section 30: lots 5, 6, 11 through 14, 19 and 20.

    Containing 1,397.64 acres more or less.

    Foundation estimates that approximately 238 million tons of Federal=20
coal are included in the tract as applied for.
    The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the=20
Land Quality and Air Quality Divisions of the Wyoming Department of=20
Environmental Quality (WDEQ), the Wyoming Department of Transportation=20
(WDOT), the Wyoming State Planning Office (WSPO), and the Campbell=20
County Board of Commissioners are cooperating agencies in the=20
preparation of the FEIS. If the tract is leased as a maintenance tract,=20
the new lease will be incorporated into the existing mining and=20
reclamation plan for the adjacent mine. The Secretary of the Interior=20
(Secretary) must approve the revision to the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA)=20
mining plan before the Federal coal can be mined. If the tract is=20
leased, OSM is the Federal agency that would be responsible for=20
recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the=20
revised MLA mining plan to the Office of the Secretary. WDEQ has=20
entered into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary to regulate

[[Page 50381]]

surface coal mining operations on Federal and non-Federal lands within=20
the State of Wyoming. WSPO coordinates planning within state agencies=20
and facilitates collaboration among the agencies, the Federal=20
government, other states, the private sector, and the general public.
    On May 2, 2005, the BLM published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to=20
prepare an EIS for the Eagle Butte West coal lease application in the=20
Federal Register. A notice announcing the availability of the Draft EIS=20
was published in the Federal Register by the EPA on October 20, 2006. A=20
60-day comment period on the Draft EIS commenced with publication of=20
the EPA's notice of availability and ended on December 19, 2006. The=20
BLM published a Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Hearing in=20
the Federal Register on October 20, 2006. The BLM's Federal Register=20
notice announced the date and time of a public hearing, which was held=20
on November 14, 2006, in Gillette, Wyoming. The purpose of the hearing=20
was to solicit comments on the DEIS, fair market value, and the maximum=20
economic recovery of the Federal coal. During the DEIS comment period,=20
the BLM received eight written comments, which are included, with BLM's=20
responses, in an appendix to the FEIS.
    The FEIS analyzes leasing the above-described tract as applied for=20
as a separate Proposed Action. Under this alternative, a competitive=20
sale would be held and a lease issued for Federal coal in the tract as=20
it was applied for. As part of the coal leasing process, the BLM=20
identified a different tract configuration that would potentially avoid=20
bypassing coal or prompt competitive interest in the unleased Federal=20
coal in this area. The tract configuration that the BLM has identified=20
is described and analyzed as a separate alternative in the FEIS. Under=20
this alternative, a competitive sale would be held and a lease issued=20
for Federal coal lands included in a tract modified by the BLM. The=20
FEIS also analyzes the alternative of rejecting the application to=20
lease Federal coal as the No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action=20
and Alternatives being considered in the FEIS are in conformance with=20
the ``Approved Resource Management Plan for Public Lands Administered=20
by the Bureau of Land Management Buffalo Field Office.'' (April 2001).
    A Record of Decision (ROD) will be prepared after the close of the=20
30-day review period for the FEIS. Comments received on the FEIS will=20
be considered during preparation of the ROD.

Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-17332 Filed 8-30-07; 8:45 am]