Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-060-1620-01, WYW136142, WYW136458]

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

[[Page 31544]]

ACTION: Notice of Scoping on two coal lease applications in the

decertified Powder River Basin Federal Coal Production Region, Wyoming.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting a public scoping

period to identify issues and concerns related to two separate coal

lease applications received from Powder River Coal Company (PRCC) and

Kerr-McGee (K-M) Coal Corporation.

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SUMMARY: BLM received a coal lease application (LBA) from PRCC on March

23, 1995, for approximately 4,020 acres (and an estimated 500 million

tons of coal, in an area adjacent to the company's North Antelope and

Rochelle Mines in Campbell County, Wyoming (WYW136142). BLM received a

coal lease application (LBA) from K-M Coal Corporation on April 14,

1995, for approximately 4,000 acres and an estimated 432 millions tons

of coal, in an area adjacent to the company's Jacobs Ranch Mine in

Campbell County, Wyoming (WYW136458). 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 lease applications at their April 23,

1996, meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming and recommended that both be

processed.

BLM is considering several options to satisfy the requirements of

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in processing these two

leases: preparing separate NEPA documents for each lease application or

preparing one NEPA document to analyze the impacts of both lease

applications. The RCT recommended that BLM include a request for

comments from the public on which of these options would best satisfy

NEPA as part of the scoping process. An updated cumulative impact

analysis for the southern group of mines in the Wyoming Powder River

Basin will be included under either NEPA option. Under the LBA process,

most of the Federal coal leased in the Wyoming portion of the Powder

River Basin Federal Coal Region has been leased by the southern

grouping of mines, which consists of the Jacobs Ranch, Black Thunder,

North Rochelle, Rochelle, North Antelope, and Antelope mines.

After reviewing the comments received during the scoping period,

BLM will make a decision on how to address NEPA for these two

applications, and inform the public of what that decision is. The U.S.

Forest Service and Office of Surface Mining will be cooperating

agencies on the document or documents. DATES: As part of the public

scoping process, a public scoping meeting is scheduled on June 27,

1996, at 7:00 PM, at the Holiday Inn, 2009 South Douglas Highway, in

Gillette, Wyoming. If you have concerns or issues that the BLM should

address in processing these two leases, you can express them verbally

at the scoping meeting in Gillette or send them in writing to BLM by

July 31, 1996, at the address given below.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy Doelger or Mike Karbs at the above address, or phone: 307-261-

7600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 23, 1995, PRCC filed a coal lease

application WYW136142 with the BLM for a maintenance tract LBA for the

following lands, which contain an estimated 550 million tons of coal:

T. 41 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 6: Lots 10 thru 13, and 18 thru 21;

Section 7: Lots 6, 11, 14, and 19;

Section 18: Lots 5, 12, 13, and 20;

T. 42 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 31: Lots 5 thru 20;

Section 32: Lots 1 thru 16;

Section 33: Lots 1 thru 16;

Section 34: Lots 1 thru 16;

Section 35: Lots 1 thru 16;

T. 41 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 1: Lots 5, 6, 11, and 12;

Containing 4,022.960 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 PRCC, no increase in planned production would occur

at either mine solely from the acquisition of the proposed lease; the

additional tonnage would extend the life of both mines.

PRCC previously acquired Federal coal lease WYW122586, containing

approximately 3,493 acres adjacent to the North Antelope and Rochelle

Mines, using the competitive LBA process, effective 10/1/92.

On April 14, 1995, K-M Coal Corporation filed an LBA WYW136458 with

the BLM for a maintenance tract for the following lands, which contain

an estimated 432 million tons of coal:

T. 43 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 4: Lots 8, 9, and 15 thru 18;

Section 5: Lots 5 thru 20;

Section 6: Lots 8 thru 23;

Section 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\);

Section 8: Lots 1 thru 16;

Section 9: Lots 3 thru 6 and Lots 11 thru 13;

T. 43 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 1: Lots 5 thru 15, 19, and SE\1/4\NE\1/4\;

Containing 3,354.265 acres more or less.

The acreage applied for in K-M'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 a air quality permit approved by the

WDEQ/AQD to mine up to 35 million tons of coal per year. According to

K-M, the additional coal reserves would extend the life of the current

mining operations at the Jacobs Ranch Mine.

K-M previously acquired Federal coal lease WYW117924, containing

approximately 1,079 acres adjacent to the Jacobs Ranch Mine, under the

competitive LBA process, effective 10/1/92.

The major issues related to these to leases applications that have

been identified to date include the potential increases in impacts to

air quality, groundwater, and wildlife that may occur if these leases

are issued. If you have specific concerns about these issues, or have

other concerns or issues that BLM should consider in processing these

leases, or if you have comments on whether BLM should prepare one NEPA

document or two, please address them in writing to the above

individuals or state them verbally at the public scoping meeting

scheduled for June 27, 1996, in Gillette, Wyoming. BLM will accept

written comments at the address should above through July 31, 1996.

Dated: June 10, 1996.

Robert A. Bennett,

Deputy State Director, Minerals & Lands.

[FR Doc. 96-15377 Filed 6-19-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-22-M