[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 237 (Monday, December 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64919-64920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31224]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-060-1620-01, WYW136142, WYW136458]
Powder River Federal Coal Production Region, WY; Coal Lease
Application
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on two separate lease applications received from Powder River
Coal Company and Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation for Federal coal in the
decertified Powder River Federal Coal Production Region, Wyoming.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a competitive
coal lease application from Powder River Coal Company on March 23,
1995, for approximately 4,020 acres (approximately 550 million tons of
coal) in an area adjacent to the company's North Antelope and Rochelle
Mines in
[[Page 64920]]
Campbell County, Wyoming (WYW136142). On April 14, 1995, BLM received a
second coal lease application from Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation for
approximately 4,000 acres (approximately 432 million tons of coal) in
an area adjacent to the company's Jacobs Ranch Mine in Campbell County,
Wyoming (WYW136458). The two application areas are about 9 miles apart.
Both applications were filed as maintenance tract lease-by-applications
(LBAs) under the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
3425.1. The Powder River Regional Coal Team (RCT) reviewed both
competitive lease applications at their meeting on April 23, 1996, in
Cheyenne, Wyoming, and recommended that both be processed.
BLM conducted scoping on the two lease applications in June and
July of 1996, including a public scoping meeting held at the Holiday
Inn in Gillette, Wyoming, on June 27, at 7 p.m. As part of the scoping
process, BLM requested comments on several options to satisfy the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in
processing these two lease applications: preparing separate NEPA
documents for each lease application or preparing one NEPA document to
analyze the impacts of both lease applications. The RCT had recommended
that BLM include such a request for comments from the public on which
of these options would best satisfy NEPA during scoping.
After consideration of the comments received during the scoping
period, the BLM Wyoming State Director determined that the requirements
of NEPA and the parties concerned would be best served by preparing one
EIS for both of these lease applications. The U.S. Forest Service and
Office of Surface Mining will be cooperating agencies on the EIS.
DATES: As part of the public scoping process, the public had the
opportunity to comment verbally on concerns or issues the BLM should
address in processing these two applications at the public scoping
meeting on June 27, and to submit written comments to BLM by July 31,
1996. Although the scoping comment period has expired, BLM will
continue to accept comments on these two lease applications at the
address given below. Comments should be submitted by December 31, 1996
to be considered in the draft EIS.
ADDRESSES: Please address questions, comments or concerns to the Casper
District Office, Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 1701
East E Street, Casper, Wyoming 82601, or fax them to 307-234-1525.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the above address, or phone: 307-261-
7600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 23, 1995, Powder River Coal Company
filed a coal lease application with the BLM for a maintenance tract LBA
for the following lands, which contain an estimated 550 million tons of
coal:
Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming
T. 41 N., R. 70 W.,
Sec. 6, lots 10 thru 13, and 18 thru 21;
Sec. 7, lots 6, 11, 14, and 19.
Sec. 18, lots 5, 12, 13, and 20.
T. 42 N., R. 70 W.,
Sec. 31, lots 5 thru 20;
Sec. 32, lots 1 thru 16;
Sec. 33, lots 1 thru 16;
Sec. 34, lots 1 thru 16;
Sec. 35, lots 1 thru 16.
T. 41 N., R. 71 W.,
Sec. 1, lots 5, 6, 11, and 12.
The area described contains 4,022.96 acres more or less.
The North Antelope and Rochelle Mines are contiguous mines which
are both adjacent to the lease application area. Both mines have
approved mining and reclamation plans. The Rochelle Mine has an air
quality permit approved by the Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality, Air Quality Division (WDEQ/AQD), to mine up to 30 million tons
of coal per year. The North Antelope Mine has an air quality permit
approved by the WDEQ/AQD to mine up to 35 million tons of coal per
year. According to the application, Powder River Coal Company plans no
production increase at either mine solely from the acquisition of the
proposed lease; the additional tonnage would extend the life of both
mines.
Powder River Coal Company previously acquired a maintenance coal
lease (WYW122586, issued effective 10/1/92) containing approximately
3,493 acres adjacent to the North Antelope and Rochelle Mines using the
LBA process.
On April 14, 1995, Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation filed a coal lease
application with the BLM for a maintenance tract LBA for the following
lands, which contain an estimated 432 million tons of coal:
Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming
T. 43 N., R. 70 W.,
Sec. 4, lots 8, 9, and 15 thru 18;
Sec. 5, lots 5 thru 20;
Sec. 6, lots 8 thru 23;
Sec. 7, lots 5 thru 7;
Lot 8 (N\1/2\), lots 9 thru 12, lot 13 (N\1/2\ and SE\1/4\), lot
19 (NE\1/4\);
Sec. 8, lots 1 thru 16;
Sec. 9, lots 3 thru 6 and 11 thru 13;
T. 43 N., R. 71 W.,
Sec. 1, lots 5 thru 15, 19, and SE\1/4\NE\1/4\.
The area described contains 3,354.265 acres more or less.
The acreage applied for in Kerr McGee's application is known as the
Thundercloud tract. It is described in a 1983 BLM document entitled
``Powder River Coal Region Tract Summaries,'' which was prepared in
anticipation of a Federal coal sale proposed for 1984 that did not take
place.
The Jacobs Ranch Mine has an air quality permit approved by the
WDEQ/AQD to mine up to 35 million tons of coal per year. According to
Kerr-McGee, the additional coal reserves would extend the life of the
current mining operations at the Jacobs Ranch Mine.
Kerr-McGee previously acquired a maintenance coal lease (WYW117924,
issued effective 10/1/92) containing approximately 1,709 acres adjacent
to the Jacobs Ranch Mine under the LBA process.
There are six surface coal mines (Jacobs Ranch, Black Thunder,
North Rochelle, Rochelle, North Antelope, and Antelope) located
southeast of Wright, Wyoming, in southern Campbell County and northern
Converse County. Since decertification of the Federal coal region in
1990, these mines have leased approximately 8,300 acres of Federal
coal, and have applied for an additional 10,000 acres of Federal coal.
The BLM has determined that the EIS will include an updated analysis of
the cumulative impacts of coal mining in the southern group of mines in
the Wyoming Powder River Basin, so that the cumulative impacts of
mining the previously issued leases and the applied-for tracts in this
area can be fully disclosed as required by NEPA.
The major issues related to these two competitive lease
applications having been identified to date include the potential
cumulative impacts to air quality, groundwater, and wildlife that may
occur if these tracts are leased and mined. If you have specific
concerns about these issues, or have other concerns or issues that BLM
should consider in processing these lease applications, please address
them to the individuals listed above. Comments should be submitted by
December 31, 1996 to be considered in the draft EIS. Comments will
again be requested following issuance of the draft and final EIS
documents.
Dated: December 2, 1996.
Robert A. Bennett,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 96-31224 Filed 12-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-M
