17632 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 69 / Thursday, April 10, 1997 / Notices

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal

lease application was made to the BLM

pursuant to provisions of 43 CFR 3425.1

as a lease by application. On July 22,

1992, Bluegrass Coal Development

Company (formerly SMC Mining

Company) applied for a coal lease for

approximately 1,439 acres

(approximately 144 million tons of coal)

in an area adjacent to the North

Rochelle Mine in Campbell County,

Wyoming. The Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) has recommended

that approximately 81 additional acres

containing approximately 9 million tons

of coal be included in the tract to avoid

a potential bypass situation in the

future, and that approximately 39 acres

containing approximately 4 million tons

of coal be excluded from the tract to

enhance the value of the remaining

unleased coal in the area. The

application was for the following lands:

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

Sec. 4: Lots 5 thru 16, 19, and 20;

Sec. 5: Lots 5 thru 16;

Sec. 9: Lot 1;

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

Sec. 32: Lots 9 thru 11, 14 thru 16;

Sec. 33: Lots 11 thru 14;

Containing 1439.92 acres, more or less.

The BLM has recommended that the

following lands containing

approximately 4 million tons of coal

reserves be excluded from the

application:

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

Sec. 9: Lot 1;

Containing 39.15 acres, more or less.

The BLM has recommended that the

following additional lands containing

an additional estimated 9 million tons

of coal reserves be included in the

application:

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

Sec. 32: Lots 12 and 13.

Containing 81.16 acres, more or less.

The tract as amended by the BLM

contains a total of approximately

1481.93 acres and approximately 149

million tons of coal reserves, and

includes the following lands:

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

Sec. 4: Lots 5 thru 16, 19, and 20;

Sec. 5: Lots 5 thru 16;

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

Sec. 32: Lots 9 thru 16;

Sec. 33: Lots 11 thru 14;

The lease application area is west of

and contiguous with Bluegrass’ existing

North Rochelle Mine and with Thunder

Basin Coal Company’s Black Thunder

Mine. The North Rochelle Mine began

producing coal in 1990 from a Federal

lease (WYW71692) issued in 1982. Coal

production from the existing Federal

lease met the diligence requirements of

Section 2(a)(2)(A) of the Mineral Leasing

Act in November 1996. Bluegrass has

applied to lease the proposed North

Rochelle Tract (initially called the North

Roundup Tract) as a maintenance tract

for the North Rochelle Mine.

There are no existing mine facilities

or rail facilities at the North Rochelle

Mine. Construction is scheduled to

begin on the North Rochelle rail and

mine facilities in mid-1997. In addition,

Encoal Corporation is proposing to

begin construction of a coal

enhancement facility and power plant

inside the rail loop at the North

Rochelle Mine starting in 1997, and

North American Power Group of

Englewood, Colorado is proposing to

construct a power plant near the

adjacent Black Thunder Mine, starting

in late 1997.

The FEIS analyzes three alternatives.

The proposed action is to lease the tract

as applied for to the successful bidder.

Alternative A is to lease the tract as

modified by the BLM to the successful

bidder. This is the Preferred Alternative

of the BLM. The third alternative is the

No Action Alternative, which assumes

that the lease is not issued.

The North Rochelle tract would be

logically mined as a maintenance lease

by either the existing North Rochelle

Mine or the existing Black Thunder

Mine, but it does not include enough

coal to make opening a new mine

economical. The North Rochelle tract

includes part of the Roundup tract, a

Federal coal tract which was delineated

in the early 1980s but which was never

offered for sale.

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is a

cooperating agency in the preparation of

the FEIS because the surface of some of

the lands included in the tract is owned

by the Federal Government and

administered by the USFS as part of the

Thunder Basin National Grasslands. The

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation

and Enforcement is also a cooperating

agency in the preparation of the FEIS,

because it is the Federal agency that

administers surface coal mining

operations under the Surface Mining

Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement was made available to the

public on November 8, 1996, and the

comment period extended through

January 10, 1997. Eleven written

comment letters were received on the

draft documents. They are included,

with responses, as Appendix G of the

FEIS.

A public hearing was held at 7 p.m.

on December 12, 1997, at the Holiday

Inn, 2009 S. Douglas Highway, Gillette,

Wyoming. The purpose of the hearing

was to receive comments on the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement, and

on the fair market value, the maximum

economic recovery, and the proposed

competitive sale of coal from the North

Rochelle tract (originally called the

North Roundup tract). An open house

was held prior to the hearing from 4

p.m. to 6 p.m. on December 12, 1996, at

the Gillette Holiday Inn to answer

questions about the North Rochelle coal

lease application, as well as other

pending coal lease applications, other

mineral development issues in the

Powder River Basin, the coal leasing

process, and the coal unsuitability

screening process.

Dated: April 3, 1997.

Alan R. Pierson,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 97–9163 Filed 4–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO–010–07–1020–00–241A]

Northwest Colorado Resource

Advisory Council Meetings

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the next meetings of the Northwest

Colorado Resource Advisory Council

will be held on Thursday, May 15, 1997,

in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and

Friday, July 11, 1997, in Craig,

Colorado.

DATES: Meetings are scheduled for

Thursday, May 15, 1997, and Friday,

July 11, 1997.

ADDRESSES: For further information,

contact Joann Graham, Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), Grand Junction

District Office, 2815 H Road, Grand

Junction, Colorado 81506; Telephone

(970) 244–3037.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Thursday,

May 15, 1997, 9:30 a.m. This meeting

will be held at the Yampa Valley Rural

Electricication Association building, 32

Tenth Street, Steamboat Springs,

Colorado. Agenda items include:

subcommittee reports, council

recommendations regarding motorized

travel in the Bang’s Canyon planning

area, conservationists’ wilderness

proposal, and new business.

Friday, July 11, 1997, 9 a.m.: This

meeting will be held at the BLM District
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 69 / Thursday, April 10, 1997 / Notices 17633

Office, 455 Emerson Street, Craig,

Colorado. Agenda items include general

council business and subcommittee

reports.

All Resource Advisory Council

meetings are open to the public.

Interested persons may make oral

statements at the meetings or submit

written statements following the

meetings. Per-person time limits for oral

statements may be set to allow all

interested persons an opportunity to

speak.

Summary minutes of Council

meetings are maintained in both the

Grand Junction and Craig District

Offices. They are available for public

inspection and reproduction during

regular business hours within thirty (30)

days following the meeting.

Dated: March 27, 1997.

Mark Morse,

Grand Junction/Craig District Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–9221 Filed 4–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ–020–07–2811–00]

Notice of Intent To Hold Public Meeting

Regarding the Draft BLM Phoenix Field

Office Fire Management Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Fire management plan, notice of

meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a

public meeting to discuss the

development of the Phoenix Field Office

Fire Management Plan. The meeting

will be held on Monday, April 28, 1997,

from 4 to 7 p.m., at the BLM’s Phoenix

Field Office, 2015 West Deer Valley

Road, Phoenix, Arizona.

This plan is required by the Federal

Wildland Fire Policy for every area with

burnable vegetation. Wildland fire

management decisions are based on

these approved fire management plans

in conjunction with land and resource

management plans. New fire

management plans must be developed

and in place by all BLM offices in fiscal

year 1998. The initial phase of this twophase process requires completion of

draft fire management direction by June

1, 1997. Final fire management direction

must be completed by November 1997.

Comments to the above address,

Attention: Glenn Joki, will be accepted

until May 12, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Glenn Joki, Fire Management Officer,

Phoenix Field Office, 2015 West Deer

Valley Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85027,

(602) 780–8090.

Dated: April 2, 1997.

David J. Miller,

Acting Field Office Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–9225 Filed 4–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–62–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–010–1430–01; CACA 7202]

Public Land Order No. 7252;

Revocation of the Executive Order

Dated February 21, 1913; California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Public land order.

SUMMARY: This order revokes an

Executive Order dated February 21,

1913, in its entirety, as it affects

59,752.64 acres of public land

withdrawn for Potash Reserve No. 2.

The withdrawal is no longer needed for

this purpose since potash was made a

leasable mineral with the passage of the

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920. The

revocation is needed to permit partial

disposal of the land through exchange.

This action will open the land to

nonmetalliferous mining. The land has

been and will remain open to surface

entry, metalliferous mining, and mineral

leasing.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 12, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathy Gary, BLM California State Office

(CA–931.5), 2135 Butano Drive,

Sacramento, CA 95825, 916–979–2858.

By virtue of the authority vested in

the Secretary of the Interior by Section

204 of the Federal Land Policy and

Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C.

1714 (1988), it is ordered as follows:

1. The Executive Order dated

February 21, 1913, which withdrew

public land for Potash Reserve No. 2, is

hereby revoked in its entirety as it

affects the following described land:

Mount Diablo Meridian

T. 24 S., R. 43 E.,

Sec. 32, SE1⁄4SE1⁄4;

Sec. 33, S1⁄2;

Sec. 34, SW1⁄4, W1⁄2SE1⁄4, and SE1⁄4SE1⁄4;

Sec. 35, S1⁄2SW1⁄4

An area bounded as follows:

Beginning at the southeast corner of

sec. 31, T. 24 S., R. 43 E.; thence west

2 miles; thence south 12 miles; thence

east 9 miles; thence north 12 miles;

thence west 21⁄2 miles, more or less to

the south quarter corner of sec. 36, T. 24

S., R. 43 E., thence west 41⁄2 miles more

or less, along the south line of T. 24 S.,

R. 43 E., to point of beginning.

The area described contains 59,752.64

acres in San Bernardino County.

2. At 10 a.m. on May 12, 1997, the

land will be opened to location and

entry for nonmetalliferous mining under

the United States mining laws, subject

to valid existing rights, the provisions of

existing withdrawals, other segregations

of record, and the requirements of

applicable law. Appropriation of any of

the land described in this order under

the general mining laws prior to the date

and time of restoration is unauthorized.

Any such attempted appropriation,

including attempted adverse possession

under 30 U.S.C. 38 (1988), shall vest no

rights against the United States. Acts

required to establish a location and to

initiate a right of possession are

governed by State law where not in

conflict with Federal law. The Bureau of

Land Management will not intervene in

disputes between rival locators over

possessory rights since Congress has

provided for such determination in local

courts.

Dated: March 27, 1997.

Bob Armstrong,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[FR Doc. 97–9213 Filed 4–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–924–1430–01; MTM 82330]

Public Land Order No. 7254;

Withdrawal of Public Mineral Estate

Within the Sweet Grass Hills Area of

Critical Environmental Concern and

Surrounding Areas; Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Public land order.

SUMMARY: This order withdraws

approximately 19,685 acres of public

mineral estate from location and entry

under the mining laws for a period of

20 years to protect the unique resources

within the Sweet Grass Hills Area of

Critical Environmental Concern and

surrounding areas. The lands have been

and will remain open to surface entry,

as identified in the Sweet Grass Hills

Resource Management Plan

Amendment, and to mineral leasing.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 10, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Hopkins, Great Falls Resource

Area Office, Great Falls, Montana 59401,

406–727–0503.