[Federal Register: March 12, 2010 (Volume 75, Number =
48)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 11906-11907]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12mr10-100] =20
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYP00000-L51100000-GA0000-LVEMK09CK380, WYW172684]
=20
Notice of Availability and Notice of Hearing for the Buckskin=20
Mine Hay Creek II Coal Lease by Application Draft Environmental Impact=20
Statement, WY
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of=20
1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976=20
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft=20
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Buckskin Mine Hay Creek II=20
Coal Lease by Application (LBA) and by this Notice is announcing a=20
public hearing requesting comments on the Draft EIS, the Maximum=20
Economic Recovery (MER), and the Fair Market Value (FMV) of the Federal=20
coal resources.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive=20
written comments on the Hay Creek II Coal LBA Draft EIS, MER, and FMV=20
within 60 days following the date that the Environmental Protection=20
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.=20
The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, on=20
April 22, 2010, at the Campbell County George Amos Memorial Building,=20
412 South Gillette Avenue, Gillette, Wyoming.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: Hay_Creek_II_WYMail@blm.gov. Please include=20
``Hay Creek II Draft EIS--Teresa Johnson'' in the subject line.
Fax: 307-261-7587, Attn: Teresa Johnson.
Mail: Wyoming High Plains District Office, Bureau of Land=20
Management, Attn: Teresa Johnson, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper,=20
Wyoming 82604.
Written comments may also be hand-delivered to the BLM=20
Wyoming High Plains District Office in Casper.
Copies of the Draft EIS are available at the following BLM office=20
locations: BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne,=20
Wyoming 82009; and BLM Wyoming High Plains District Office in Casper,=20
2987 Prospector Lane, Casper, Wyoming 82604. The Draft EIS is available=20
electronically at the following Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving=
.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/=
wy/st/en/info/NEPA/cfodocs/HayCreekII.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teresa Johnson or Mike Karbs, BLM=20
Wyoming High Plains District Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper,=20
Wyoming 82604. Ms. Johnson or Mr. Karbs may also be reached at (307)=20
261-7600 or by e-mail at casper_wymail@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS analyzes the potential impacts=20
of issuing a lease for the Hay Creek II Federal maintenance tract,=20
serial number WYW172684.
The BLM is considering issuing a coal lease as a result of a March=20
24, 2006, application made by Kiewit Mining Properties, Inc. to lease=20
the Federal coal in the Hay Creek II Tract. The Hay Creek II LBA is=20
located in Campbell County, Wyoming, northwest of the Buckskin Mine,=20
approximately 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming.
Kiewit Mining Properties, Inc. applied for the tract to extend the=20
life of the existing Buckskin Mine in accordance with 43 CFR part 3425.=20
On two occasions, May 19, 2008, and November 28, 2008, Kiewit Mining=20
Properties, Inc. modified the LBA. As a result of the second=20
modification, the Hay Creek II Tract now contains 419.04 acres. The=20
applicant estimates that the current tract includes approximately 54.1=20
million tons of recoverable coal underlying the following lands in=20
Campbell County, Wyoming:
T. 52 N., R. 72 W., 6th PM, Wyoming
Section 19: Lots 5 (W \1/2\), 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 (W \1/2\), 13(W=20
\1/2\), 14, 15, 18, 19, 20 (W \1/2\).
Containing 419.04 acres more or less.
Consistent with Federal regulations under NEPA and the Mineral=20
Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA), as amended, the BLM must prepare an=20
environmental analysis prior to holding a competitive Federal coal=20
lease sale. The Powder River Regional Coal Team recommended that the=20
BLM process the Hay Creek II LBA after it reviewed the tract at a=20
public meeting held on April 19, 2006, in Casper, Wyoming.
Lands in the Hay Creek II Tract contain all private surface estate=20
which overlies the Federal coal.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) and the=20
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) are=20
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the Draft EIS.
The Buckskin Mine is adjacent to the LBA and is operating under an=20
approved mining and reclamation plan from the WDEQ Land Quality=20
Division and an approved air quality permit from the WDEQ Air Quality=20
Division that
[[Page 11907]]
allows Kiewit Mining Properties, Inc., to mine up to 42 million tons of=20
coal per year.
If the tract is leased to the existing Buckskin Mine, the new lease=20
must be incorporated into the existing mining and reclamation plan for=20
the mine. Before the Federal coal in the tract can be mined, the=20
Secretary of the Interior must approve the revised MLA mining plan for=20
the Buckskin Mine. The OSM is the Federal agency that is responsible=20
for recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of=20
the revised MLA mining plan to the Office of the Secretary of the=20
Interior.
The Draft EIS analyzes and discloses to the public direct,=20
indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts associated with issuing=20
a Federal coal lease in the decertified Powder River Federal Coal=20
Production Region, Wyoming. A copy of the Draft EIS has been sent to=20
affected Federal, state, and local government agencies; persons and=20
entities identified as potentially being affected by a decision to=20
lease the Federal coal in this tract; and persons who indicated to the=20
BLM that they wished to receive a copy of the Draft EIS. The purpose of=20
the public hearing is to solicit comments on the Draft EIS, on the=20
proposed competitive sale of the Federal coal lease maintenance tract,=20
and on the FMV and MER of the Federal coal.
The Draft EIS analyzes leasing the tract as the Proposed Action.=20
Under the Proposed Action, a competitive sale would be held and a lease=20
issued for Federal coal contained in the tract as applied for by Kiewit=20
Mining Properties, Inc. As part of the coal leasing process, the BLM is=20
evaluating adding Federal coal to the tract to avoid bypassing coal or=20
to prompt competitive interest in unleased Federal coal in this area.=20
An alternate tract configuration that BLM is evaluating is described=20
and analyzed as a separate alternative in the Draft EIS. Under the BLM=20
Preferred Alternative, a competitive sale would be held and a lease=20
issued for Federal coal resources contained in a tract configured by=20
the BLM from the lands included within the study area. The tract could=20
be larger or smaller than the Proposed Action. The Draft EIS also=20
analyzes the alternative of rejecting the application to lease Federal=20
coal as the No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action and alternatives=20
being considered in the Draft EIS are in conformance with the approved=20
Resource Management Plan for Public Lands Administered by the BLM=20
Buffalo Field Office (2001).
Requests to be included on the mailing list for this project, for=20
copies of the Draft EIS, or to be notified of the dates of the comment=20
period and public hearing, may be sent in writing, by facsimile, or=20
electronically to the addresses listed in the ADDRESSES section above.=20
For those submitting comments on the Draft EIS, please make the=20
comments as specific as possible with reference to page numbers and=20
sections of the document. Comments that contain only opinions or=20
preferences will not receive a formal response; however, they will be=20
considered and included as part of the BLM decision-making process.
Please note that public comments and information submitted to the=20
BLM --including the commenter's name, street address, and e-mail=20
address--will be available for public review and disclosure at the=20
above address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),=20
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or=20
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be=20
aware 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.
Ruth Welch,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-5257 Filed 3-10-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P