Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 185 / Friday, September 24, 2004 / Notices 57359

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mavis Love, Land Law Examiner, or 

Robert Janssen, Coal Coordinator, at 

307–775–6258, and 307–775–6206, 

respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal 

lease sale is being held in response to 

a lease by application (LBA) filed by 

Triton Coal Company, LLC, of Gillette, 

WY. The coal resources to be offered 

consist of all reserves recoverable by 

surface mining methods in the 

following-described lands located 

southeast of Wright, Wyoming, in 

southeastern Campbell County 

approximately 7 miles east of State 

Highway 59 and 5 miles south of State 

Highway 450:

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

Sec. 4: Lots 17, 18; 

Sec. 5: Lots 17–20; 

Sec. 6: Lots 8–23; 

Sec. 7: Lots 5–14; 

Sec. 8: Lots 1–12; 

Sec. 9: Lots 1–8, 11–14; 

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

Sec. 31: Lots 13–20; 

T. 42 N., R. 71 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming 

Sec. 1: Lots 5, 6, 11–14, 19, 20.

Containing 2,812.51 acres, more or less.

The tract is crossed by the Reno 

County Road and by the rail spur to the 

North Rochelle Mine and is adjacent to 

Federal coal leases held by the North 

Rochelle Mine to the east and the Black 

Thunder Mine to the north, and to State 

of Wyoming coal leases to the northwest 

and southeast. The northwest State lease 

is controlled by the Black Thunder Mine 

while the southeast State lease is 

controlled by the North Antelope/

Rochelle Mine. The tract is also adjacent 

to additional unleased Federal coal to 

the south and west. 

All of the acreage offered has been 

determined to be suitable for mining 

except lands under the existing rail loop 

and plant facilities serving the North 

Rochelle Mine. These areas are 

protected from premature development 

by a USDA-Forest Service special use 

permit, which has determined that these 

areas are unsuitable for mining. 

However, these areas can be made 

suitable for mining by removing these 

features and using temporary loadout 

facilities farther west at the end of mine 

life. Other features, such as the county 

road, can be moved to permit coal 

recovery. In addition, numerous oil and/

or gas wells have been drilled on the 

tract. The estimate of the bonus value of 

the coal lease will include consideration 

of the future production from these 

wells. An economic analysis of this 

future income stream will determine 

whether a well is bought out and 

plugged prior to mining or reestablished after mining is completed. A 

small portion of the surface estate of the 

tract is controlled by the North Rochelle 

Mine but most of the surface estate is 

controlled by the United States and the 

Black Thunder Mine. 

The tract contains surface mineable 

coal reserves in the Wyodak seam 

currently being recovered in the 

adjacent, existing mines. On the tract, 

the Wyodak is generally a thick seam 

with one thin upper split and two thin 

lower splits. The lower splits are not 

continuous over the LBA tract but are 

often merged into the main seam. The 

upper split is generally present but is 

often too thin to recover. The main seam 

ranges from about 53–79 feet thick 

while the splits range from about 0–16 

feet thick for the upper one and from 

about 0–8 and 0–5 feet thick for each of 

the lower two, respectively, where they 

occur. The overburden depths range 

from about 185–465 feet thick on the 

LBA. The interburden between the 

upper split and the main seam is from 

0–30 feet while the lower splits are from 

0–13 feet from the main seam and from 

0–7 feet from each other. 

The tract contains an estimated 

327,186,000 tons of mineable coal. This 

estimate of mineable reserves includes 

the main seam and splits mentioned 

above, but does not include any tonnage 

from localized seams or splits 

containing less than 5 feet of coal. The 

tract includes approximately 76,355,000 

tons of mineable coal under the rail spur 

and plant facilities serving the North 

Rochelle Mine, which can be mined at 

the end of mine life. It does not include 

either the State of Wyoming coal in the 

northwest, which is expected to be 

recovered by the Black Thunder Mine, 

or the State of Wyoming coal in the 

southeast, which is not expected to be 

recovered at this time. The total 

mineable stripping ratio (BCY/Ton) of 

the coal is about 4.3:1. Potential bidders 

for the LBA should consider the 

recovery rate expected from thick seam 

and multiple seam mining. 

The West Roundup LBA coal is 

ranked as subbituminous C. The overall 

average quality on an as-received basis 

is 8790 BTU/lb with about 0.2% sulfur 

and 1.6% sodium in the ash. These 

quality averages place the coal reserves 

near the high end of the range of coal 

quality currently being mined in the 

Wyoming portion of the Powder River 

Basin. 

The tract will be leased to the 

qualified bidder of the highest cash 

amount provided that the high bid 

meets or exceeds the BLM’s estimate of 

the fair market value of the tract. The 

minimum bid for the tract is $100 per 

acre or fraction thereof. No bid that is 

less than $100 per acre, or fraction 

thereof, will be considered. The bids 

should be sent by certified mail, return 

receipt requested, or be hand delivered. 

The Cashier will issue a receipt for each 

hand-delivered bid. Bids received after 

4 p.m., on Tuesday, October 26, 2004, 

will not be considered. The minimum 

bid is not intended to represent fair 

market value. The fair market value of 

the tract will be determined by the 

Authorized Officer after the sale. The 

lease issued as a result of this offering 

will provide for payment of an annual 

rental of $3.00 per acre, or fraction 

thereof, and of a royalty payment to the 

United States of 12.5 percent of the 

value of coal produced by strip or auger 

mining methods and 8 percent of the 

value of the coal produced by 

underground mining methods. The 

value of the coal will be determined in 

accordance with 30 CFR 206.250. 

Bidding instructions for the tract 

offered and the terms and conditions of 

the proposed coal lease are available 

from the BLM Wyoming State Office at 

the addresses above. Case file 

documents, WYW151134, are available 

for inspection at the BLM Wyoming 

State Office.

Dated: June 16, 2004. 

Alan Rabinoff, 

Deputy State Director, Minerals and Lands.

[FR Doc. 04–21403 Filed 9–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management 

[ID–087–5420–PN–D031, D032; GPO–04–

0005; IDI–34724, IDI 34725] 

Disclaimers of Interest in Lands, Idaho

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Two applications have been 

filed by Ann Nilsson for recordable 

disclaimers of interest in certain lands 

by the United States.

DATES: Comments or protests to this 

action should be received by December 

23, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Comments or protests must 

be filed with: State Director (ID933), 

Bureau of Land Management, 1387 S. 

Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cathie Foster, BLM, Idaho State Office, 

1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, Idaho 

83709, (208) 373–3863 or Ron Grant, 

BLM, Cottonwood Field Office, House 1, 

Butte Drive Route 3, Box 181, 

57360 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 185 / Friday, September 24, 2004 / Notices 

Cottonwood, Idaho 83522, (208) 962–

3680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 315 of the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

U.S.C. 1745), Ann Nilsson has filed two 

applications requesting the United 

States issue recordable disclaimers of 

interest. 

One disclaimer of interest has been 

requested by Ann Nilsson for the 

following described property, to wit: 

The 50.6 acres fronting government 

lot 8 in section 6 shown on a Record of 

Survey in T. 34 N., R. 5 W., sections 5, 

6, and 8, Boise Meridian, Idaho, 

executed by Terry Golding, PLS 7379, 

plat signed August 29, 2003 and on file 

in the BLM, Idaho State Office in case 

file IDI 34724. 

Another disclaimer of interest has 

been requested by Ann Nilsson for the 

following described property: 

The 88.6 acres fronting government 

lots 4, 5, 6, and 7, in section 6 shown 

on a Record of Survey in T. 34 N., R. 

5 W., sections 5, 6, and 8, Boise 

Meridian, Idaho, executed by Terry 

Golding, PLS 7379, plat signed August 

29, 2003, and on file in the BLM, Idaho 

State Office in case file IDI 34725. 

Ann Nilsson has filed two 

applications for Recordable Disclaimers 

of Interest to lands fronting her property 

along the Snake River approximately 

four miles southerly of Lewiston, Idaho. 

Because of property descriptions 

differences uncovered during probate, 

Terry Golding, Idaho PLS 7379, was 

retained by Ms. Nilsson and others to 

conduct a private survey of conditions 

in this township. Mr. Golding followed 

the record of the 1870 original GLO 

survey by John B. David since the 

patents for the lands fronting the 

possible omitted lands were based on 

that survey. Based on the applications 

and Record of Survey by Terry Golding, 

plat signed August 29, 2003 and on file 

in the BLM, Idaho State Office in case 

file IDI 34724 and case file IDI 24725, 

the original 1871 survey by John B. 

David erroneously reported the location 

of the line of ordinary high water for the 

Snake River. We consider this erroneous 

location to be nonsubstantial and thus 

eligible for a disclaimer of interest 

according to the case law elements 

required for omitted lands. Therefore, 

the applications by Ann Nilsson for 

disclaimers from the United States will 

be approved if no valid objection is 

received. This action will clear a cloud 

on the title of the applicant’s land. 

Comments, including names and 

street addresses of respondents will be 

available for public review at the Idaho 

State Office, Bureau of Land 

Management, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, 

Boise, Idaho during regular business 

hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through 

Friday, except holidays. Individual 

respondents may request 

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold 

your name or address from public 

review or from disclosure under the 

Freedom of Information Act, you must 

state this prominently at the beginning 

of your comments. Such requests will be 

honored to the extent allowed by law. 

All submissions from organizations or 

businesses and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses will be 

made available for public inspection in 

their entirety.

Dated: July 23, 2004. 

Jimmie Buxton, 

Branch Chief, Lands and Minerals, Resource 

Services Division.

[FR Doc. 04–21461 Filed 9–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service 

Environmental Documents Prepared 

for Proposed Oil and Gas Operations 

on the Gulf of Mexico Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of the availability of 

environmental document; prepared for 

OCS Mineral Proposals on the Gulf of 

Mexico OCS. 

SUMMARY: Minerals Management Service 

(MMS), in accordance with Federal 

Regulations that implement the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 

announces the availability of NEPArelated Site-Specific Environmental 

Assessments (SEA) and Findings of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI), prepared by 

MMS for the following oil and gas 

activities proposed on the Gulf of 

Mexico OCS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Public Information Unit, Information 

Services Section at the number below. 

Minerals Management Service, Gulf of 

Mexico OCS Region, Attention: Public 

Information Office (MS 5034), 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 114, 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394, or 

by calling 1–800–200–GULF.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MMS 

prepares SEAs and FONSIs for 

proposals that relate to exploration for 

and the development/production of oil 

and gas resources on the Gulf of Mexico 

OCS. These SEAs examine the potential 

environmental effects of activities 

described in the proposals and present 

MMS conclusions regarding the 

significance of those effects. 

Environmental Assessments are used as 

a basis for determining whether or not 

approval of the proposals constitutes 

major Federal actions that significantly 

affect the quality of the human 

environment in the sense of NEPA 

section 102(2)(C). A FONSI is prepared 

in those instances where MMS finds 

that approval will not result in 

significant effects on the quality of the 

human environment. The FONSI briefly 

presents the basis for that finding and 

includes a summary or copy of the SEA. 

This notice constitutes the public 

notice of availability of environmental 

documents required under the NEPA 

Regulations. 

This listing includes all proposals for 

which the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region 

prepared a FONSI in the period 

subsequent to publication of the 

preceding notice.

Activity/operator Location Date 

Western Geco, Geological & Geophysical Exploration Plan for 

Chevron Texaco SEA L04–08.

Located in the central Gulf of Mexico east of Galveston, 

Texas.

01–Apr–04. 

Texaco Energy Technology, Inc., Geological & Geophysical 

Exploration Plan SEA L04–09.

Located in the western Gulf of Mexico east of Galveston, 

Texas.

07–Apr–04. 

Helis Oil & Gas Company, LLC, Structure Removal SEA ES/

SR 04–051.

South Timbalier, Block 211, Lease OCS–G 16435, located 42 

miles from the nearest Louisiana shoreline.

13–Apr–04. 

Petrobras America, Inc., Initial Exploration Plan SEA N–8009 

& N–8011.

Lloyd Ridge, Blocks 45, 46 & 48, Leases OCS–G 23453, 

OCS–G 23454 & OCS–G 23456, located 105 miles from 

the nearest Louisiana shoreline, 162 miles from the nearest 

Mississippi shoreline, 163 miles from the nearest Alabama 

shoreline, and 159 miles from the nearest Florida shoreline.

15–Apr–04.