Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 30, 2015 / Proposed Rules 81495 

877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. 

Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The State of Colorado maintains that 

coal mining in the North Fork Coal 

Mining Area provides an important 

economic contribution and stability for 

the communities of the North Fork 

Valley. USDA and the Forest Service are 

committed to contributing to energy 

security, and carrying out the 

government’s overall policy to foster 

and encourage orderly and economic 

development of domestic mineral 

resources. 

All existing Federal coal leases within 

CRAs occur in the North Fork Valley 

near Paonia, Colorado on the GMUG 

National Forests. Coal from this area 

meets the Clean Air Act definition for 

compliant and super-compliant coal, 

which means it has high energy value 

and low sulphur, ash, and mercury 

content. There are two mines currently 

holding leases within CRAs. One is 

operating, producing approximately 5.2 

million tons of coal annually. The 

second is currently idle due to a fire and 

flood within their mine operation. The 

final rule accommodates continued coal 

mining opportunities within the North 

Fork Coal Mining Area. At 

approximately 19,500 acres, this area is 

less than 0.5% of the total 4.2 million 

acres of CRAs. The North Fork Coal 

Mining Area exception allows for the 

construction of temporary roads for 

exploration and surface activities 

related to coal mining for existing and 

future coal leases. The reinstatement of 

this exception does not approve any 

future coal leases, nor does it make a 

decision about the leasing availability of 

any coal within the State. Those 

decisions would need to undergo 

separate environmental analyses, public 

input, and decision-making. 

A Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (SEIS) has been 

prepared to complement the 2012 Final 

EIS for the Colorado Roadless Rule. The 

SEIS is limited in scope to address the 

deficiencies identified by the District 

Court of Colorado in High Country 

Conservation Advocates v. United 

States Forest Service (13–01723, D. Col), 

correction of boundary information, and 

to address scoping comments. In 

conjunction with the 2012 Final EIS, the 

SEIS discloses the environmental 

consequences of reinstating the North 

Fork Coal Mining Area exception into 

the Colorado Roadless Rule. 

The Forest Service wants to ensure 

that there is sufficient time for 

potentially affected parties, including 

States, to comment. Thus the Agency is 

providing an extended comment period 

for the proposed rule and Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

Reviewers may obtain a copy of the 

proposed rule and SEIS from the Forest 

Service Colorado Roadless staff Web site 

at go.usa.gov/3JQw, or from 

Regulations.gov Web site, 

www.regulations.gov. 

Dated: December 22, 2015. 

Thomas L. Tidwell, 

Chief, Forest Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–32872 Filed 12–29–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 50 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2013–0572, EPA–HQ–OAR– 

2015–0229; FRL–9940–78–OAR] 

RIN 2060–AS02 

Treatment of Data Influenced by 

Exceptional Events 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of 

availability of related guidance; 

extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: On November 20, 2015, the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

proposed a rule titled, ‘‘Treatment of 

Data Influenced by Exceptional Events.’’ 

The EPA is extending the comment 

period on the proposed rule and the 

notice of availability of the related draft 

guidance that was scheduled to close on 

January 19, 2016. The new comment 

closing date will be February 3, 2016. 

We are extending the comment period at 

the request of several stakeholders to 

allow interested parties additional time 

to thoroughly review and analyze the 

noted documents and provide 

meaningful comments. 

DATES: The public comment period for 

the proposed rule and notice of 

availability of related draft guidance 

published in the Federal Register on 

November 20, 2015 (80 FR 72840), is 

being extended. Written comments must 

be received on or before February 3, 

2016. 

ADDRESSES: The EPA has established 

separate dockets for the proposed 

rulemaking and the related draft 

guidance (available at http://

www.regulations.gov). For the proposed 

rulemaking titled, ‘‘Treatment of Data 

Influenced by Exceptional Events,’’ the 

Docket ID No. is EPA–HQ–OAR–2013– 

0572. For the related draft guidance 

titled, ‘‘Draft Guidance on the 

Preparation of Exceptional Events 

Demonstrations for Wildfire Events that 

May Influence Ozone Concentrations,’’ 

the Docket ID No. is EPA–HQ–OAR– 

2015–0229. Information on both of these 

actions is posted at http://

www2.epa.gov/air-quality-analysis/

treatment-data-influenced-exceptionalevents. Submit your comments, 

identified by the appropriate Docket ID, 

to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. Once submitted, comments 

cannot be edited or withdrawn. The 

EPA may publish any comment received 

to its public docket. Do not submit 

electronically any information you 

consider to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

If you need to include CBI as part of 

your comment, please visit http://

www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html 

for instructions. Multimedia 

submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 

accompanied by a written comment. 

The written comment is considered the 

official comment and should include 

discussion of all points you wish to 

make. 

For additional submission methods, 

the full EPA public comment policy, 

and general guidance on making 

effective comments, please visit http:// 

www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information on this action, 

contact Beth W. Palma, Office of Air 

Quality Planning and Standards, 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(C539–04), Research Triangle Park, 

North Carolina 27711; telephone 

number (919) 541–5432; email address: 

palma.elizabeth@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: After 

considering the request of several 

stakeholders, the EPA has decided to 

extend the public comment period for 

this action until February 3, 2016. This 

extension will allow interested parties 

additional time to thoroughly review 

and analyze the noted documents and 

provide meaningful comments. 

Dated: December 21, 2015. 

Stephen D. Page, 

Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and 

Standards. 

[FR Doc. 2015–32899 Filed 12–29–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

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