59866 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices

during this seasonal closure to protect

sensitive wildlife from disturbance by

motor vehicles and public traffic.

Wintering bald eagles also occupy the

area during the closure dates.

Closure signs will be posed at main

entry points to this area. Maps of the

closure area and information may be

obtained from the Baker Field Office,

3165 10th Street, Baker City, Oregon.

DATES: This closure will take effect

October 6, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Penelope Dunn Woods, Bureau of Land

Management, Baker Field Manager,

3165 10th Street, Baker City, OR 97814,

Telephone (541) 523–1256.

Discussion of the Rules

Under 43 CFR 8364.1, the Bureau of

Land Management will enforce the

following rule on public lands within

the closed area. You must follow this

rule: You must not enter the closed area

between December 1st and May 1st.

Exemptions

Persons who are exempt from these

rules include:

1. Any Federal, State, or local officer

or employee in the scope of their duties,

members of any organized rescue or firefighting force in performance of an

official duty, and any person authorized

in writing by the Bureau of Land

Management.

2. Any person traveling on the

Salmon Creek Road (road numbers 9180

and 9180010) west of the locked gate

located in the southeast 1⁄4 of section 8,

Township 9 South, Range 39 East.

3. Owners or lessees of private land

accessible by the Salmon Creek Road.

Penalties

The authority for this closure is found

under section 303(a) of the Federal Land

Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43

U.S.C. 1733(a)) and 43 CFR 8360.0–7.

Any person who violates this closure

may be tried before a United States

Magistrate and fined no more than

$1,000 or imprisoned for no more than

12 months, or both. Such violations may

also be subject to the enhanced fines

provided for by 18 U.S.C. 3571.

Penelope Dunn Woods,

Field Manager, Baker Resource Area.

[FR Doc. 00–25713 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–33–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT–030–00–1220–EN]

Notice of Availability of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for

3R Minerals Coal Bed Canyon Mine

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Utah State Office, DOI.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: In accordance with section

102 of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, a draft

environmental impact statement (DEIS)

for 3R Minerals Coal Bed Canyon Mine

proposal on lands within Grand

Staircase-Escalante National Monument,

has been prepared and is available for

review and comment. This DEIS is

prepared in response to the Notice of

Intent to Revise Mining Operations filed

by 3R Minerals in June 1999. It analyzes

the anticipated impacts of 3R Minerals’

proposed action and three alternatives

to the proposal.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS may be

obtained from the following Bureau of

Land Management Locations: Grand

Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Headquarters, 180 West 300 North,

Kanab, Utah 84741; Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument Escalante

Field Station, 755 West Main, Escalante,

Utah; Utah State Office, 324 South State

Street, Suite 301, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Copies may be obtained by mail by

contacting the Monument Headquarters

at the above address or telephoning

435–644–4300.

DATES: Comments must be received by

Grand Staircase-Escalante National

Monument Headquarters, 180 West 300

North, Kanab, Utah 84741 by December

4, 2000. An open house will be held at

the Conference Center at Ruby’s Inn,

located on Highway 63 near the

entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park,

on November 6, 2000 from 5:00 pm to

8:00 pm. The purpose of the open house

is to clarify information in the DEIS. IT

IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A PUBLIC

HEARING.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Chapman, Grand Staircase-Escalante

National Monument Headquarters, 435–

644–4309, or Kate Cannon, Monument

Manager, Grand Staircase-Escalante

National Monument Headquarters, 435–

644–4330.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS

analyzes four alternatives summarized

as follows: Alternative A is the

Proposed Action as submitted by 3R

Minerals; Alternative B is the BLM

Preferred Alternative which is to

approve 3R Minerals proposed action

with certain conditions of approval;

Alternative C is the No Action

Alternative which would be denial of

3R Minerals’ Notice of Intent to Revise

Mining Operations in which case 3R

Minerals would continue to mine in

accordance with the approvals from the

State of Utah; and Alternative D, the No

Mining alternative where 3R Minerals

could not mine. Since mining under the

approvals granted by the State of Utah

is a valid existing right, the BLM has no

statutory authority to select Alternative

D but the alternative is presented as

baseline with which to compare the

other alternatives. Mining activity is

based on a mineral lease issued by the

Utah State Institutional Trust Lands

Administration when the site was still

State land. Although the lease was

issued after the Monument was

established, it occurred on State lands

which were not affected by the

Presidential Proclamation. 3R Minerals

was granted approval to mine by

appropriate State agencies and has been

conducting limited mining activity on

the site. Ownership of the land was

exchanged to the Federal Government

via the Utah Schools and Lands

Exchange Act of 1998. Language in that

act preserved 3R Minerals’ existing right

to mine as approved by the State.

Therefore, the decision to be made in

this EIS is not whether mining should

be allowed, but rather whether the

Notice of Intent to Revise Mining

Operations should be approved,

approved with certain conditions, or

denied.

Sally Wisely,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 00–25109 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ES–960–1910–BJ–4489] ES–50828, Group

30, Illinois

Notice of Filing of Plat of Survey;

Illinois

The plat of the survey of the Lock and

Dam No. 26 and the Locks and Dam No.

26 Replacement acquisition boundaries,

in Township 5 North, Ranges 9 and 10

West of the 3rd Principal Meridian,

Illinois, will be officially filed in Eastern

States, Springfield, Virginia at 7:30 a.m.,

on November 9, 2000.

The survey was requested by the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers.