Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 14, 2004 / Notices 74533

economic recovery (MER) of the tracts 

included in the lease application to be 

offered for competitive lease sale. The 

coal in the tracts would be mined by 

conventional underground methods. 

The tracts, designated 3094Az, 3094Bb, 

and 3094Be in the National Forest 

System, are located in southern Leslie 

County on the Daniel Boone National 

Forest, Kentucky and encompass 

1,210.4 acres. Estimated recoverable 

federal reserves of bituminous coal from 

the Hazard No. 4 and Hazard No. 4A 

seams are 2.832 million tons. The 

proximate analysis of the coal on a 

received basis averages 12,757 BTU/lb. 

with 6.3% moisture, 1.1% sulfur, 9.4% 

ash, 50.6% fixed carbon, and 32.6% 

volatile matter. 

The public is invited to comment on 

the FMV and MER of the tracts 

proposed to be offered for lease and on 

factors that may affect FMV and MER.

DATES: Written comments must be postmarked by January 13, 2005, and 

provided to the below address.

ADDRESSES: Written comments must be 

provided to the Bureau of Land 

Management, Jackson Field Office, 411 

Briarwood, Suite 404; Jackson, MS 

39206.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stuart Grange, Bureau of Land 

Management, Jackson, Mississippi at 

(601) 977–5400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Procedures for leasing Federal coal are 

provided by 43 CFR parts 1600 and 

3400. The revised notice of intent for 

coal leasing beneath the Daniel Boone 

National Forest in Leslie County, 

Kentucky was published in the Federal 

Register on September 18, 2003 

(Volume 68, Number 181; pages 54706–

54707). This notice to solicit public 

comments on FMV and MER are 

required by 43 CFR 3422.1 and 43 CFR 

3425.3. 

As provided by 43 CFR 3422.1(a), 

proprietary data marked as confidential 

may be provided in response to this 

solicitation of public comments. Data so 

marked shall be treated in accordance 

with the laws and regulations governing 

the confidentiality of such information. 

A copy of the comments submitted by 

the public on FMV and MER, except 

those portions identified as proprietary 

and meeting exemptions stated in the 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), will 

be available for public inspection at the 

Bureau of Land Management office 

noted above. 

Comments on FMV and MER should 

address, but are not limited to the 

following factors: 

1. The method of mining to be 

employed in order to obtain MER; 

2. The method of determining FMV 

for the coal to be offered; 

3. The quality and quantity of the coal 

resource; 

4. If this resource is likely to be mined 

as part of an existing mine; and 

5. Restrictions to mining which may 

affect coal recovery; The values given 

above may or may not change as a result 

of comments received from the public 

and changes in market conditions 

between now and when final economic 

evaluations are completed. 

If you wish to withhold your name or 

address from public review or from 

disclosure under the FOIA, you must 

state this prominently at the beginning 

of your written comments. Such 

requests will be honored to the extent 

allowed by the FOIA. All submissions 

from organizations, businesses and 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses will be 

available for public inspection in its 

entirety.

Bruce Dawson, 

Field Manager, Jackson Field Office.

[FR Doc. 04–27298 Filed 12–13–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management 

[CO 800–04–1610–DO–241A] 

Notice of Intent to Prepare a Joint 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Associated Resource Management 

Plan (RMP) Land and Resource 

Management Plan (LRMP) for the San 

Juan Public Lands Center

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior and Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: This document provides 

notice that the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) and the USDA 

Forest Service (USFS) intend to prepare 

a joint EIS with associated RMP and 

LRMP for the federal lands under the 

jurisdiction of the San Juan Public 

Lands Center. This notice initiates the 

public scoping process for BLM, the 

USPS will issue a NOI at a later date. 

The plan will fulfill the needs and 

obligations set forth by the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), 

National Forest Management Act 

(NFMA), National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA), and BLM/USFS 

management policies. The BLM/USFS 

will work collaboratively with 

interested parties to identify the 

management decisions that are best 

suited to local, regional, and national 

needs and concerns. This public process 

will identify planning issues and 

develop planning criteria, including an 

evaluation of the existing management 

plans in the context of the needs and 

interests of the public.

DATES: The formal scoping comment 

period will commence with the 

publication of this notice and end when 

the Forest Service scoping ends, but not 

less than 30 days from the publication 

of this notice. Comments on issues, 

alternatives and preliminary planning 

criteria should be received on or before 

the end of the scoping period and can 

be submitted through the planning Web 

site or in writing to the address listed 

below. During this scoping period, open 

houses will be held in Cortez, Durango 

and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where 

BLM and FS personnel will be available 

to respond to questions and provide 

other information pertaining to the 

preparation of the documents. There 

will be subsequent public review 

periods and open houses where 

additional public comment will be 

requested, including a formal comment 

period on the Draft management plan/

EIS. Formal public meetings, if needed, 

will be announced through the local 

news media, newsletters, and the BLM/

USFS Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/

sanjuan at least 15 days prior to the 

event. The minutes and list of attendees 

for each meeting will be available to the 

public and open for 30 days to any 

participant who wishes to clarify the 

views they expressed.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be sent to the Plan Revision Team, San 

Juan Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett 

Ct., Durango, CO 81301; (970) 247–1847 

Fax (970) 375–2331. Documents 

pertinent to this proposal may be 

examined at the San Juan Public Lands 

Center. Comments, including names and 

street addresses of respondents, will be 

available for public review at the San 

Juan Public Lands Center during regular 

business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Monday through Friday, except 

holidays, and may be published as part 

of the EIS. Individual respondents may 

request confidentiality. If you wish to 

withhold your name or street address 

from public review or from disclosure 

under the Freedom of Information Act, 

you must state this prominently at the 

beginning of your written comments. 

We will not however, consider 

anonymous comments. Such requests 

will be honored to the extent allowed by 

law. All comments submitted from 

organizations and businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

74534 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 14, 2004 / Notices 

organizations or businesses, will be 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact David Baker, 

telephone (970) 385–1240; e-mail 

djbaker@fs.fed.us. or to have your name 

added to our mailing list, contact Laura 

Stansky, telephone (970) 385–1216; email lstransky@fs.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The San 

Juan Field Office and San Juan National 

Forest are pioneering a concept known 

as Service First. Service First is a 

partnership strategy to provide better 

customer service and be more cost 

effective in the delivery of those 

services to users of the public lands in 

sothwest Colorado. Local units have the 

opportunity to streamline multiple 

processes and regulations, combine 

management of adjacent BLM and 

National Forest public lands, and offer 

one-stop shopping and a single point of 

contact for all customer—commercial 

users, partners and visitors. The project 

has merged the San Juan National 

Forest, the BLM San Juan Field Office, 

the Anasazi Heritage Center, and the 

newly created Canyons of the Ancients 

National Monument under the 

management of the San Juan Public 

Lands Center in Durango with Field 

Office/Ranger Districts in Pagosa 

Springs, Durango, Bayfield and Dolores 

Colorado.

Land and resource management plans 

for this area are currently in need of 

revision to address changing situations. 

The proposal is to jointly revise these 

management plans while still 

recognizing the need for separate 

decision documents covering Bureau of 

Land Management and National Forest 

System Lands. A separate, stand alone 

Resource Management Plan is currently 

being developed for the Canyons of the 

Ancients National Monument and that 

area will not be considered in this joint 

planning effort. Trust management of 

mineral resources for the Southern Ute 

and Ute Mountain Tribes will also be 

excluded. 

Management of this area is currently 

guided by plans located in the San Juan 

Public Land Center. This Planning effort 

will revise the existing Resource 

Management Plan Land and Resource 

Management Plan. One EIS will be 

prepared but separate Records of 

Decision will be done because the two 

agencies have different approving 

officials and appeal processes. 

• The BLM plan is called the San 

Juan/San Miguel Resource Management 

Plan (RMP) and was completed in 1985 

and has been amended four times. This 

Plan will only revise the San Juan 

portion of the RMP at this time. The 

Uncompahgre Field Office will revise 

the San Miguel portion of the RMP later. 

Several activity level management plans 

have been written under this plan. 

• The USFS plan is called the Land 

and Resource Management Plan for the 

San Juan National Forest and was 

completed in 1983 and has been 

amended twenty times. 

Planning criteria are the standards, 

rules, and other factors used in 

formulating judgment about data 

collection, analysis and decision making 

associated with preparation of the San 

Juan Plan Revision. These criteria 

establish parameters and help focus 

preparation of the effort. Public 

comments are also welcome on the 

following preliminary planning criteria, 

which will be utilized in preparation of 

the San Juan Plan Revision. 

A. The San Juan Plan Revision will be 

completed in compliance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act, Multiple Use and Sustained Yield 

Act of 1960, the Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

1974 as amended by the National Forest 

Management Act of 1976 and all other 

applicable laws. 

B. The project team will work 

cooperatively with the State of 

Colorado, tribal governments, county 

and municipal governments, other 

Federal agencies, and individuals. 

Public participation will be encouraged 

throughout the process. 

C. Completion of the San Juan Plan 

Revision will include preparation of an 

EIS that will comply with the national 

Environmental Policy Act. 

D. The lifestyles and concerns of area 

residents, including the activities of 

grazing, protection of traditional uses, 

recreational use, off-highway vehicle 

use, and wilderness characteristics will 

be addressed in the San Juan Plan 

Revision.

E. Decisions in the San Juan Plan 

Revision will strive to be compatible 

with existing plans and policies of 

adjacent local, State and Federal 

agencies. 

Preliminary issues and management 

concerns have been identified by BLM 

and Forest Service personnel, other 

agencies, and in meetings with 

individuals and user groups. They 

represent the agencies knowledge to 

date on the existing issues and concerns 

with current management. Preliminary 

issues identified by the BLM and FS for 

the plan effort include: Management 

and protection of public land resources; 

fuel reduction and fire management; 

implementation of the National Energy 

Policy; designation of Areas of Critical 

Environmental Concern; recreation/

visitor use and safety; access and 

transportation on the public lands; 

integrating management with 

community, tribal, and other agency 

needs; and balancing multiple uses. 

Public involvement gained through the 

initial scoping period will be utilized to 

refine these topics and identify 

additional issues to be evaluated. 

The planning area is located in 

Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, 

La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Ouray, 

Rio Grande, San Juan, and San Miguel 

Counties; Colorado. This planning 

activity encompasses approximately 

500,000 acres of public land under the 

jurisdiction of the Secretary of Interior 

and 1,870,000 acres under the 

jurisdiction of the Secretary of 

Agriculture. 

Community based study groups will 

be formed to gather information on 

specific resource issues; these study 

groups will be open to the public, as 

will the meeting notes. Public meetings 

will be held throughout the plan 

scoping and preparation period. In order 

to ensure local community participation 

and input, public meeting locations will 

be rotated among the towns of Bayfield, 

Cortez, Dolores, Durango Pagosa 

Springs, Silverton, and Telluride. Early 

participation is encouraged and will 

help determine the future management 

of the San Juan Public Lands. In 

addition to the ongoing public 

participation process, formal 

opportunities for public participation 

will be provided through comment on 

the alternatives and upon publication of 

the draft RMP/EIS. 

An interdisciplinary approach will be 

used to develop the plan in order to 

consider the variety of resource issues 

and concerns identified. Disciplines 

involved in the planning process will 

include specialists with expertise in: 

rangeland management, minerals and 

geology, forestry, outdoor recreation, 

engineering, ecology, archaeology, 

paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, 

lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 

sociology, economics, fuels and fire.

Mark W. Stiles, 

Forest Supervisor/Center Manager, San Juan 

Public Land Center.

[FR Doc. 04–27299 Filed 12–13–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–32–M