2612 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2009 / Notices 

The non-refundable application 

processing fee is increased from $2,000 

to $4,000 per application based on 

estimates of costs for processing the 

previous R, D, and D lease applications 

and a similar $4,000 processing fee 

authorized under the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 

110–161) for oil and gas activities. 

Applications submitted for lands 

within the multi-mineral leasing zone in 

Colorado must demonstrate the 

potential capability to extract shale oil, 

dawsonite, and nahcolite or 

demonstrate a potential capability to 

extract shale oil while preserving the 

other minerals for future recovery. 

An applicant should prominently 

note and segregate any information 

submitted with the application that 

contains proprietary information or 

trade secrets, if the disclosure of this 

information to the public would cause 

commercial or financial injury to the 

applicant’s competitive position. The 

BLM will protect the confidentiality of 

such information to the extent permitted 

by the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA). Any FOIA requests for such 

information will be handled in 

accordance with the regulations at 43 

CFR 2.23. 

The original R, D, and D leases were 

issued to generate interest in and to 

encourage research and development of 

oil shale resources on Federal lands. As 

an incentive for performing research 

and development, additional acreage for 

a preference lease area was made 

available to the original R, D, and D 

lessees. There was significant interest in 

response to the original R, D, and D 

lease offerings and this interest in 

research and development of oil shale 

on Federal lands continues, which 

suggests that incentives for R, D, and D 

beyond those conferred by the R, D, and 

D lease itself, are not needed. Since 

offering the original R, D, and D leases, 

and completing an analysis of oil shale 

potential and availability on public 

lands, the Department has determined 

that an R, D, and D lease of 640 acres 

is likely to provide reserves sufficient to 

support a commercial operation. For 

these reasons, the revised R, D, and D 

leases do not provide additional 

preference lease areas over and above 

the R, D, and D acreage of 640 acres. The 

maximum acreage of the revised lease is 

increased from 160 acres to 640 acres, 

which is sufficient to accommodate an 

R, D, and D project based on public 

comments to the initial Federal Register 

Notice of November 22, 2004 (69 FR 

67935). Public comments received at 

that time indicated that a reasonable 

acreage size for an R, D, and D lease 

ranged from 40 to 640 acres. The BLM 

believes that 640 acres is sufficient 

acreage to support research and 

development and also to allow for the 

eventual expansion into commercial 

operations. 

To encourage the use of new 

technologies, the BLM will only 

consider applications that demonstrate 

new technologies not currently being 

tested on the R, D, and D leases issued 

as a result of the June 9, 2005, call for 

nominations. See the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

Notice if there are questions on 

technologies currently being tested on 

the existing R, D, and D leases. 

Applications must document field 

demonstration of the feasibility of the 

proposed oil shale extraction 

methodology(ies). Entities that currently 

hold R, D, and D leases on BLM public 

lands are excluded from submitting 

additional applications for leases. The 

BLM will only accept one application 

per entity. 

Henri R. Bisson, 

Deputy Director, Operations, Bureau of Land 

Management. 

[FR Doc. E9–525 Filed 1–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[CO–921; COC–70538; CO–130; COC 69290] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Red Cliff Coal Mine and 

Associated Surface Facilities Including 

a Railroad Spur Line COC 69290, and 

Federal Coal Lease by Application 

COC 70538, in Garfield and Mesa 

Counties, CO 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Colorado State 

Office, Lakewood, Colorado, hereby 

gives notice that a public hearing will be 

held to receive comments on the Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), 

Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) 

and Fair Market Value (FMV) of Federal 

coal to be offered. An application for 

coal lease was filed by CAM-Colorado, 

LLC (CAM) on September 12, 2006. As 

a result, the BLM offers for competitive 

lease 14,466 acres of Federal coal in 

Garfield County, Colorado. 

In accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976, the BLM has 

prepared a DEIS for the proposed Red 

Cliff Mine, located near Loma, Colorado. 

The DEIS responds to Right-of-Way 

(ROW) Applications for a railroad spur 

and associated mine facilities on 

Federal Lands, and an electrical 

transmission line. In addition, a Federal 

Coal Lease by Application (LBA) was 

submitted by CAM-Colorado, on 

September 12, 2006. The BLM is 

providing this notice to announce the 

availability of the Red Cliff Mine DEIS, 

the proposed LBA, and the public 

hearing requesting comments on the 

DEIS, MER and FMV, pursuant to 40 

CFR 1503.1 and 43 CFR 3425.4. 

The Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) is being prepared in cooperation 

with the Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM); 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); 

the Colorado Department of Natural 

Resources; the Colorado Division of 

Reclamation, Mining and Safety 

(CDRMS); the Colorado Division of 

Wildlife (CDOW); and Garfield and 

Mesa counties. 

The EIS analyzes the development of 

surface facilities for coal mining 

associated with CAM’s proposed 

underground Red Cliff Mine, including 

roads, a water pipeline, electric 

transmission line, conveyers, coal 

stockpile and waste disposal areas, a 

coal preparation plant, the mine portal, 

other administrative and operations 

facilities, and a railroad spur line that 

will connect to the existing Union 

Pacific Railroad line near Mack, 

Colorado. The EIS also considers the 

effects of extracting coal from CAM’s 

existing Federal coal leases, defined as 

logical mining unit COC–57198, and 

issuance of an adjoining Federal coal 

LBA COC–070538. This notice 

announces the opening of the public 

comment period for the DEIS. 

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS, 

MER, and FMV will be accepted for 60 

calendar days following the date that 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes a NOA in the Federal 

Register. The public hearing will be 

held at a date, time and location to be 

announced in the local media, 

displayed on the Web site http:// 

www.blm.gov/rmp/co/redcliffmine/, or 

obtained by calling the BLM Grand 

Junction Field Office at 970–244–3000, 

Monday through Friday between 7:30 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard 

Time (MST). 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://www.blm.gov/rmp/ 

co/redcliffmine/. 

• E-mail: 

RedCliffMineEIS@urscorp.com. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2009 / Notices 2613 

• Fax: 303–239–3808. 

• Mail: Glenn Wallace, BLM, 2850 

Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 80215. 

Please note that public comments and 

information submitted, including 

names, street addresses, and e-mail 

addresses of respondents, will be 

available for public review and 

disclosure at the above address during 

regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 

Monday through Friday, except 

holidays. Before including your address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, please be aware that your 

entire comment, including your 

personal identifying information, may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can request in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. Comments and responses to 

comments will be published as part of 

the Final EIS. 

Copies of the DEIS for the Proposed 

Red Cliff Coal Mine are available at the 

Web site http://www.blm.gov/rmp/co/ 

redcliffmine/. A limited number of 

printed copies of the DEIS and copies of 

the DEIS on compact disk are available 

at the BLM Grand Junction Field Office, 

located at 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, 

Colorado 81506, and at the Colorado 

State Office, 2850 Youngfield Street, 

Lakewood, Colorado 80215. In addition, 

a printed copy of the DEIS is available 

for review at the Fruita Branch Library 

at 325 E. Aspen Avenue, in Fruita, 

Colorado and at the Mesa County 

Central Library at 530 Grand Avenue, in 

Grand Junction, Colorado. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Glenn Wallace, 303–239–3736, 

glenn_wallace@blm.gov, or by mail at 

2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, CO 

80215. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM, 

Colorado State Office, Lakewood, 

Colorado, hereby gives notice of the 

public hearing at a date, time and 

location to be announced in the local 

media, displayed on the Web site http:// 

www.blm.gov/rmp/co/redcliffmine/, or 

obtained by calling the BLM Grand 

Junction Field Office, 970–244–3000, 

Monday through Friday between 7:30 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard 

Time (MST). 

The BLM proposes to offer for 

competitive lease Federal coal in the 

lands described as: 

T. 7 S, R. 101 W., 6th P.M. Colorado 

Sec. 7, SE1⁄4SE1⁄4, Lot 8 

Sec. 8, S1⁄2SW1⁄4, NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, SE1⁄4

Sec. 16, TR 43, Lots 5 and 6 

Sec. 17, All 

Sec. 18, E1⁄2E1⁄2, Lots 5 to 8 inclusive 

Sec. 19, E1⁄2E1⁄2, Lots 5 to 8 inclusive 

Sec. 20, All 

Sec. 21, E1⁄2, S1⁄2NW1⁄4, SW1⁄4, Lots 1 and 

2 

Sec. 28, N1⁄2, SW1⁄4, W1⁄2SE1⁄4, NE1⁄4SE1⁄4

Sec. 29, All 

Sec. 30, TR 44, Lots 5 to 10 inclusive 

Sec. 31, Lots 5 to 8 inclusive 

Sec. 32, NE1⁄4, N1⁄2NW1⁄4, Lots 1 to 4 

inclusive 

Sec. 33, NW1⁄4, Lots 3 and 4 

T. 8 S., R. 101 W. 6th P.M. Colorado 

Sec. 4, Lot 8 

Sec. 5, S1⁄2, Lots 5 to 20 inclusive 

Sec. 6, SE1⁄4, Lots 8 to 27 inclusive 

Sec .7, E1⁄2, E1⁄2W1⁄2, Lots 5 to 8 inclusive 

Sec. 8, All 

T. 7 S., R., 102 W., 6th P. M. Colorado 

Sec. 13, S1⁄2NW1⁄4, SW1⁄4, SW1⁄4NE1⁄4, 

W1⁄2SE1⁄4, Lots 2 to 4 inclusive 

Sec. 14, S1⁄2N1⁄2, S1⁄2

Sec. 23, E1⁄2, NW1⁄4, E1⁄2SW1⁄4, Lots 1 and 

4 

Sec. 24, W1⁄2E1⁄2, W1⁄2, Lots 1 to 4 inclusive 

Sec. 25, W1⁄2E1⁄2, W1⁄2, Lots 1 to 4 inclusive 

Sec. 26, All 

Sec. 35, All 

Sec. 36, W1⁄2E1⁄2, W1⁄2, Lots 1 to 4 inclusive 

T. 8 S., R. 102 W., 6th P. M. Colorado 

Sec. 1, S1⁄2, Lots 5 to 20 inclusive 

Sec. 12, N1⁄2, SE1⁄4

Containing approximately 14,466 

acres in Garfield County, Colorado. The 

public hearing described above is for the 

purpose of soliciting public input 

regarding the MER and FMV of the 

proposed coal lease. 

The proposed Red Cliff Mine is 

located approximately 11 miles north of 

the towns of Mack and Loma, Colorado, 

and 1.5 miles east of State Highway (SH) 

139. CAM is proposing a new mine 

portal and associated facilities to extract 

low-sulfur coal from Federal coal leases 

C–0125515, C–0125516 and C–0125439 

(defined collectively as logical mining 

unit COC–57198), from LBA COC 

070538 filed September 12, 2006, as 

well as a small amount of private coal. 

CAM proposes to locate surface 

facilities on existing and potential new 

coal leases with the majority of the 

surface facilities located off-lease on 

BLM administered public lands within 

the boundaries of the proposed ROW 

(approximately 1,140 acres). These 

facilities will include, but not be limited 

to, a waste rock pile, railroad loop, unit 

train loadout, a coal conveyor, storage 

and equipment yards, sewage treatment 

plant, water tank, fuel oil storage and 

various buildings. County Road (CR) X 

will be upgraded to serve as the mine 

access road from SH 139. The railroad 

spur will be located on BLM and private 

lands, with the railroad connecting to 

the existing Union Pacific Railroad 

(UPRR) near Mack, Colorado. The 

proposed railroad will traverse 

approximately 9.5 miles of BLM 

administered public land and 

approximately 5 miles of private land. A 

water diversion will be constructed in 

Mack Wash and the water pipeline will 

follow the proposed railroad spur. The 

railroad spur would serve only the Red 

Cliff Mine for the purpose of 

transporting coal to market. CAM will 

own the railroad spur, but the trains 

using the spur will be operated by the 

UPRR or other railroad companies. The 

draft EIS discusses BLM’s analysis and 

proposed conclusion that CAM will not 

operate a common carrier railroad. 

Electric power will be needed at the 

mine to run the underground mining 

machinery, the conveyor system, and 

other mine support facilities. The local 

utility, Grand Valley Power (GVP), has 

applied to BLM for a ROW to supply the 

necessary electric power. GVP will need 

to construct a new 69-kilovolt (kV) 

transmission line from the Uintah 

Substation to the mine to supply this 

power. The transmission line will be 

approximately 14 miles long, with 

approximately 7 miles on federally 

managed lands and 7 miles on private 

land, depending on which alternative 

route is chosen. This ROW application 

is analyzed in the EIS as a connected 

action as is the LBA filed by CAM 

(COC–070538) for approximately 11,660 

acres adjacent to CAM’s existing leases. 

BLM determined that, if this coal is to 

be leased, it would be by a competitive 

bid process. BLM has modified the 

proposed LBA area to include 14,466 

acres. The EIS analysis area includes a 

total future lease area of about 23,000 

acres which corresponds to the 

estimated life of the mine. 

CAM proposes to conduct 

underground mining 24 hours per day, 

7 days per week, and 365 days per year 

by room and pillar and longwall mining 

techniques. CAM’s production from the 

Red Cliff Mine would be up to 8 million 

tons per year of clean coal depending on 

market conditions, with an estimated 

mine life of 30 years. 

A mine permit application has been 

filed for CAM’s existing leases in 

accordance with the OSM and the 

CDRMS regulations. This EIS will meet 

the NEPA requirements for the mine 

permit for the existing Federal coal 

leases, and is intended to provide 

necessary information to facilitate the 

USACE, Colorado Public Utility 

Commission, and Garfield and Mesa 

Counties’ permitting decisions regarding 

the project. There will be additional 

opportunities for public involvement as 

the mine permit application is 

processed. 

The DEIS analyzes the potential 

impacts of the proposed action and 

connected actions and a No-Action 

alternative. Alternatives to individual 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
2614 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2009 / Notices 

project components were considered 

that were consistent with the purpose 

and need, which is to mine and 

transport coal for sale at competitive 

prices to help supply the energy needs 

of the United States. Alternatives to 

project components were included for 

detailed analysis if they were found to 

be practical, feasible, reduced 

environmental impacts, and/or 

addressed public and agency concerns. 

A wide range and variety of alternatives 

were examined, resulting in the 

following alternative project 

components that are analyzed in detail: 

grade separated railroad crossing at 

Mesa County Road (CR) M.8; noiseless 

grade crossings at CR M.8 and CR 10; 

construction of an electric transmission 

line along CR 16 crossing BLM and 

private lands north of the Highline 

Canal; construction of an electric 

transmission line along CR 16 to the 

Highline Canal and then along section 

lines to avoid as many private land 

parcels as possible; and construction of 

an electric transmission line along CR 

14 to just north of the Highline Canal 

and then northwesterly and north to 

join the proposed railroad alignment 

east of SH 139. 

Required consultations are in progress 

or have been completed, including 

consultations with tribal governments 

and the State Historic Preservation 

Officer, as required by the National 

Historic Preservation Act; consultations 

with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as 

required by the Endangered Species Act; 

and consultations with the USACE as 

required by the Clean Water Act. 

Raul Morales, 

Grand Junction Associate Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. E9–769 Filed 1–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

General Management Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement, Big 

Thicket National Preserve, Texas 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

general management plan (GMP), Big 

Thicket National Preserve. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park 

Service (NPS) is preparing an 

environmental impact statement for a 

general management plan for Big 

Thicket National Preserve, Texas. The 

environmental impact statement will be 

approved by the Director, Intermountain 

Region. 

The general management plan will 

prescribe the resource conditions and 

visitor experiences that are to be 

achieved and maintained in the 

Preserve over the next 15 to 20 years. 

The clarification of what must be 

achieved according to law and policy 

will be based on review of the Preserve’s 

purpose, significance, special mandates, 

and the body of laws and policies 

directing park management. Based on 

determinations of desired conditions, 

the general management plan will 

outline the kinds of resource 

management activities, visitor activities, 

and development that would be 

appropriate in the future. A range of 

reasonable management alternatives 

will be developed through this planning 

process and will include, at a minimum, 

a no-action and a preferred alternative. 

The NPS is required to prepare a GMP 

for all NPS units. A GNP was completed 

for Big Thicket National Preserve in 

1980. The 1980 GMP does not address 

lands added to the Preserve since 1993 

or current NPS park planning standards 

or NPS management policies. 

Issues to be addressed will include 

but are not limited to the following: The 

management of lands added to the 

Preserve since the original GMP in 1980; 

visitor use and resource management 

issues; access to and within the 

Preserve; and changes in land use 

patterns and their impact on natural and 

cultural resources in the Preserve. 

A scoping newsletter will be prepared 

that describes the issues identified to 

date. Copies of the newsletter may be 

obtained in June from Todd Brindle, 

Superintendent, Big Thicket National 

Preserve, 6044 FM 420, Kountze, Texas 

77625, Phone: 409–951–6802, the park 

Web site http://www.nps.gov/bith, or on 

the Planning, Environment, and Public 

Comment (PEPC) website at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/bith. 

DATES: Any comments on the scope of 

issues to be addressed in the plan 

should be submitted no later than 180 

days after publication of this notice. In 

addition to the newsletter, public 

meetings regarding the general 

management plan will be held during 

the scoping period. Specific dates, 

times, and locations will be made 

available in the local media, on the 

National Park Service Planning, 

Environment, and Public Comment 

(PEPC) Web site), or by contacting the 

Superintendent of Big Thicket National 

Preserve. 

ADDRESSES: Information will be 

available for public review and 

comment online at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/bith, in the office 

of the Superintendent, Todd Brindle, 

6044 FM 420, Kountze, Texas 77625, 

Phone: 409–951–6802. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Todd Brindle, Superintendent, 6044 FM 

420, Kountze, Texas 77625, Phone: 409– 

951–6802 or by e-mail at 

BITH_Superintendent@nps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public and 

agency involvement will be solicited at 

several key steps in the planning 

process including initial scoping, 

alternatives development, and the draft 

plan. If you wish to comment on any 

issues associated with the plan, you 

may submit your comments to the 

planning team by any one of several 

methods. You may mail comments to 

Big Thicket National Preserve, Office of 

the Superintendent, 6044 FM 420, 

Kountze, Texas 77625. You may also 

comment via the Internet at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/bith. Finally, you 

may hand deliver comments to the 

preserve headquarters at 6044 FM 420, 

Kountze, Texas 77625. Before including 

your address, phone number, e-mail 

address, or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. In personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. In addition, we will make all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

Dated: September 3, 2008. 

Michael D. Snyder, 

Director, Intermountain Region, National 

Park Service. 

Editorial Note: This document was 

received in the Office of the Federal Register 

on January 9, 2009. 

[FR Doc. E9–583 Filed 1–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–CB–M 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES