[Federal Register: March 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 53)]
[Notices]
[Page 14523-14524]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17mr00-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Manti-La Sal National Forest and Utah State Office/Price Field
Office; Flat Canyon Coal Lease Track, UTU-77114 Sanpete County, UT;
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA and Bureau of Land Management, USDI.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will
jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document the
analysis and disclose the environmental and human effects of proposed
actions to offer the Flat Canyon Coal Lease Tract (UTU-77114) for
competitive leasing in accordance with 43 CFR 3425. The Office of
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement will participate as a
cooperating agency.
The coal lease tract to be considered for leasing, as delineated by
the Interagency Tract Delineation Team, encompasses 2,692.16 areas of
Federal coal lands on the Manti-La Sal National Forest as follows:
T. 13 S., R. 6 E., SLM
Section 21, lots 1-4, E\1/2\E\1/2\,
Section 28, lots 1-8, S\1/2\NW\1/4\,SW\1/4\;
Section 33, E\1/2\, E\1/2\W\1/2\, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\SW\1/
4\.
T. 14 S., R. 6 E., SLM
Section 4, lots 1-4, S\1/2\N\1/2\,S\1/2\;
Section 5, lots 1-4, S\1/2\N\1/2\,S\1/2\.
Additions and/or deletions to the delineated tract may be
considered as alternatives to the proposed action, to be developed and
analyzed based on issues and management needs.
Canyon Fuel Company, LLC (Canyon Fuel) submitted an application for
leasing of the Tract to the Bureau of Land Management on March 18,
1998. The purpose of the application is to obtain the right to mine the
remaining Federal coal reserves to the west of the permit area for
Canyon Fuel's Skyline Mine. If Canyon Fuel is successful in obtaining
the tract, they intend to extend the existing underground workings of
the Skyline Mine to the west into the Flat Canyon Tract to extend the
mine life an estimated 7-9 years at the current production rate.
Pursuant to Canyon Fuel's application, the Bureau of Land
Management, with participation from the Forest Service and State of
Utah, completed a tract delineation report that set the boundaries of
the tract to be evaluated for leasing (Uinta-Southwestern Utah Coal
Region, Bureau of Land Management, Tract Delineation Report, Lease by
Application UTU-77114, Canyon Fuel, 1999).
The Forest Service determined that the proposed lands are available
for further consideration for coal leasing under the Land and Resource
Management Plan (Forest Plan), Final EIS, and Record of Decision (ROD)
for the MManti-La National Forest, 1986. The Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) and Forest Service (FS) have determined that coal and
environmental data are available to meet Uinta-Southwestern Utah Coal
region Data Adequate Standards.
Agency Decisions
In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the
BLM Utah State Director must decide whether or not to offer the tract
for competitive leasing and under what terms, conditions,and
stipulations.
In accordance with the Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1975 that
amended the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the Forest Supervisor, Manti-
La Sal National Forest must decide whether or not to consent to leasing
by BLM and under what conditions for the protection of non-mineral
resources. Forest Service conditions would be included into the lease
document as stipulations.
DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described
in this notice should be received on or before April 18, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal
National Forest, 599 West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the proposed
action and EIS should be addressed to carter Reed or Aaron Howe, Manti-
LA Sal National Forest, phone (435) 637-2817.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) will
tier to the final EIS and ROD for the Mani-La Sal National Forest Land
and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The Forest Plan provides
the overall guidance (Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area
Direction) to achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being
analyzed, and contains specific management area prescriptions for the
entire Forest.
Issues and alternatives to be evaluated in the analysis will be
determined through scoping. The primary issues are expected to include
the socioeconomic benefits of leasing and mining, the potential impacts
of underground mining and mining-induced subsidence to surface and
ground water, vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources, range
improvements, recreation, and other land uses.
The Forest Service and BLM are seeking information and comments
from Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed
action. The agencies invite written comments and suggestions on the
issues related to the proposed action and the area being analyzed.
Information received will be used to
[[Page 14524]]
prepare the Draft and Final EIS and to make the respective agency
decisions. For most effective use, comments would be submitted to the
Forest Service within 30 days from the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register. Preparation of the EIS will include the
following steps:
1. Define the proposed action and purpose and need for action.
2. Identify potential issues.
3. Eliminate issues of minor importance or those that have been
covered by previous and relevant environmental analyses.
4. Select issues to be analyzed in depth.
5. Identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
6. Describe the affected environment.
7. Identify the potential environmental effects of the
alternatives.
Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed through the scoping process.
Step 5 will consider a range of alternatives developed from the key
issues and management needs. At a minimum, the ``No Action'' and
``Proposed Action'' alternatives will be analyzed. Other alternatives
could involve modified tract boundaries (additions) and/or reductions)
and different sets of lease stipulations for the protection of natural
resources. Alternatives may also be developed to include analysis of
mining and the existing adjacent lease area and additions to adjacent
leases needed to prevent bypassing coal reserves.
Step 6 will describe the physical attributes of the area to be
affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental
factors that could be adversely affected.
Step 7 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative.
This analysis will be consistent with management direction outlined in
the Forest Plan. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each
alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, the site-
specific mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified
and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.
Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to
visit with Forest Service and BLM officials at any time during the EIS
process. Two specific time periods are identified for the receipt of
formal comments on the analysis. The two comment period are, (1) during
the scoping process, the next 30 days following publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register, and (2) during the formal review period
of the Draft EIS.
The Draft EIS is estimated to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in November,
2000. At that time the EPA will publish an availability notice in the
Federal Register.
The comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date
that EPA's notice of availability appears in the Federal Register. It
is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate at that time. To be the most helpful, comments on the Draft
EIS should be as specific as possible and may address the adequacy of
the statement or the merits of the alternatives discussed (See the
Council of Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40
CFR 1503.3).
In addition, Federal court decisions have established that
reviewers of draft environmental statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the
draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the
final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (19th
Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334, 1338, (E.D. Wis. 1980). The reason for this is to ensure that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at the time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond
to them in the final document.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns related to the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS
should be specific as possible. Referring to specific pages or chapters
of the Draft EIS is most helpful. Comments may also address the
adequacy of the Draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated
and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer to the
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 40 CFR
1503.3, in addressing these points. The Final EIS is expected to be
released in March, 2001.
The Forest Supervisor of the Manti-La Sal National Forest and Utah
State Director of the Bureau of Land Management, who are the
responsible officials for the EIS, will then make their respective
decisions regarding this proposal, after considering the comments,
Environmental Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and
policies. The rationale for the respective agency decisions will be
documented in the Records of Decision.
Authority: (Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920 (P.L. 66-
146, 41 Stat. 437, as amended; 30 U.S.C. 181-287))
Dated: March 7, 2000.
Jeff Walter,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
Dated: March 8, 2000.
Richard L. Manus,
Field Office Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Price Field Office.
[FR Doc. 00-6150 Filed 3-16-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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