Draft Petition Evaluation Document/Environmental Impact Statement; Tennessee

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Draft Petition Evaluation Document/Environmental Impact

Statement; Tennessee

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Reopening of the pubic comment period for the draft petition

evaluation document/environmental impact statement (PED/EIS) for Fall

Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM)

is reopening the public comment period for the draft PED/EIS on the

Fall Creek Falls State Park Unsuitability Petition. Substantial public

comments received during the previous comment periods expressed serious

concerns regarding potential environmental and economics impacts to

Fall Creek Falls State Park and Natural Area resulting from surface

coal mining operations if conducted within the petition area.

Consequently, OSM has decided to reopen the comment period to provide

the public an additional opportunity to submit information to OSM for

consideration in the evaluation of the Fall Creek Falls State Park

Unsuitability Petition.

DATES: Comments: OSM will accept written comments until 5:00 p.m.

Eastern time on April 29, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Electronic or written comments: Submit electronic comments

to [email protected]. Written comments may be hand-delivered or mailed

to Beverly Brock, Supervisor, Technical Group, Office of Surface

Mining, 530 Gay Street, SW, Suite 500, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly Brock, Supervisor, Technical

Group, Office of Surface Mining, 530 Gay Street, SW, Suite 500,

Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Telephone: (423) 545-4103, ext. 146.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSM has been petitioned by Save Our

Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, and

forty-nine citizens to designate the watershed and viewshed of Fall

Creek Falls State Park and Natural Area, Tennessee, as unsuitable for

all types of surface coal mining operations. OSM prepared and

distributed a draft PED/EIS as required by Section 522(d) of the

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The draft PED/EIS evaluates the

potential coal resources of the area, the demand for coal resources,

and the impacts of alternative unsuitability decisions on the human

environment, the economy, and the supply of coal.

On May 1, 1998, OSM announced, via Federal Register notice (63 FR

24192), the availability of the draft PED/EIS and that written comments

on the draft PED/EIS would be accepted until July 30, 1998.

Subsequently, OSM reopened the comment period from August 21 to

September 16, 1998 (63 FR 44925), because of the public's continuing

interest and concerns regarding the environmental and economic issues

addressed in the PED/EIS. As a result of

[[Page 4702]]

OSM receiving substantial public comments on the potential

environmental impacts to Fall Creek Falls State Park and Natural Area

from surface coal mining operations, OSM is reopening the public

comment period until 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 1999.

Dated: January 25, 1999.

Allen D. Klein,

Regional Director, Appalachian Regional Coordinating Center.

[FR Doc. 99-2215 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-05-M