Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 207 / Friday, October 26, 2007 / Notices 60881 

ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND TO BE MANAGED AS ACECS UNDER THE ALTERNATIVES IN THE RICHFIELD DRMP/DEIS—

Continued 

Values and use limitations Alt. N 

(no action) Alt. A Alt. B (preferred) Alts. C and D 

Sevier Canyon ACEC Values: Wildlife habitat, special status 

species, riparian areas. Limitations: Suppress unwanted 

wildfires, limit off-highway vehicles to designated routes 

and close routes seasonally.

0 0 0 8,900. 

South Caineville Mesa ACEC Value: Relict vegetation. Limitations: Close to OHV use, open to oil and gas leasing 

with no surface occupancy, close to livestock grazing, propose withdrawal from mineral entry.

5,300 0 0 (Included in Badlands ACEC). 

Special Status Species ACEC Values: Special Status Species and habitat. Limitations: Close or limit OHV use to 

designated routes and open to oil and gas leasing with 

controlled surface use stipulations.

0 0 0 15,100. 

Thousand Lake Bench ACEC Values: Cultural resources, 

special status plants and riparian areas. Limitations: Close 

to off-highway vehicles or limit to designated routes.

0 0 0 500. 

Total ................................................................................. 16,200 0 4,130 886,810. 

The application of the Federal coal 

unsuitability criteria to the Henry 

Mountains and Emery Coal Fields is 

included in Appendix 8 of the DRMP/ 

DEIS. As required by 43 CFR 3461.2–

1(a)(2), the public is invited to comment 

on the results of the application of the 

criteria and the application process 

used. The criteria are listed under 43 

CFR 3461.5. Additionally, the BLM will 

conduct a public hearing on coal leasing 

potential in the DRMP/DEIS before it is 

finalized, if such a hearing is requested 

by any person who may be adversely 

affected by adoption of the proposed 

plan. 

Selma Sierra, 

Utah State Director. 

[FR Doc. 07–5283 Filed 10–25–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[ID 320 7122 EO 7979] 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Availability of Final 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(FEIS) for the Smoky Canyon Mine, 

Panels F and G 

AGENCIES: DOI Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Lead Agency; 

USDA Forest Service (FS), Co-lead 

Agency; and the State of Idaho, Idaho 

Department of Environmental Quality, 

Cooperating Agency. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Smoky Canyon Mine, Panels F 

and G Mine Expansion Project. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.) 

and the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 

U.S.C. 1701 et. seq.), the DOI Bureau of 

Land Management (Lead Agency) and 

the USDA Forest Service (Co-lead 

Agency) announce the availability of the 

FEIS for the Smoky Canyon Mine, 

Panels F and G Mine Expansion Project. 

DATES: The FEIS is now available for 

public review. The BLM Record of 

Decision will be released no sooner than 

30 days after publication of a Notice of 

Availability of the FEIS in the Federal 

Register by the Environmental 

Protection Agency. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS have 

been sent to affected Federal, State, and 

local Government agencies and to 

interested parties. The FEIS will be 

available in limited quantities at the 

Bureau of Land Management, Pocatello 

Field Office, 4350 Cliffs Drive, 

Pocatello, Idaho 83204, phone (208) 

478–6340 and the Caribou-Targhee 

National Forest, Soda Springs Ranger 

District, 410 E. Hooper Avenue, Soda 

Springs, Idaho 83276, phone (208) 547–

4356. It will also be available on the 

BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/ 

id/st/en/fo/pocatello/programs/ 

planning/smoky_canyon_mine.html and 

the Caribou-Targhee National Forest 

Web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/ 

caribou-targhee/phosphate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill 

Stout, Bureau of Land Management, 

phone (208) 478–6340; or Jeff Jones, 

Caribou-Targhee National Forest, phone 

(208) 236–7572. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS 

was prepared to provide decision 

makers and the public with a complete 

and objective evaluation of significant 

environmental impacts, beneficial and 

adverse, resulting from the proposed 

action and from all reasonable 

alternatives. 

The proposed extension of on-going 

mining operations, into Panels F and G, 

lies within the Caribou-Targhee 

National Forest in Southeast Idaho, on 

lands administered by the FS associated 

with two Federal phosphate leases held 

by the J.R. Simplot Company (the lessee, 

hereinafter referred to as the proponent) 

and are administered by the BLM under 

authority of the Mineral Leasing Act of 

1920. Mining, to recover phosphate ore, 

and reclamation would take place over 

an estimated 16-year period. The 

environmental impacts of the 

proponent’s Proposed Action, six 

mining alternatives, one no-mining 

alternative, and eight transportation 

alternatives are analyzed in the FEIS. 

The BLM Idaho State Director, or 

delegated official, will consult with the 

Caribou-Targhee National Forest 

Supervisor regarding surface 

management and mitigation on leased 

lands within the Caribou-Targhee 

National Forest and will make a 

decision regarding approval of the 

proposed Mine & Reclamation Plan and 

several proposed lease modifications. 

The FS will also make a decision 

whether to authorize off-lease facilities 

such as roads and power lines. 

The proposed Mine & Reclamation 

Plan was submitted by the proponent in 

April 2003. The plan consists of the 

development of two open mine pits 

(Panel F, to be located on Federal 

Phosphate Lease I–27512, and Panel G, 


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60882 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 207 / Friday, October 26, 2007 / Notices 

to be located on Federal Phosphate 

Lease I–01441); extension of a power 

line from the existing Smoky Canyon 

facilities; construction of permanent 

external overburden storage areas and 

runoff/sediment control facilities; and 

construction of an electrical substation 

and other mine support facilities. A 2.5- 

mile haul/access road is proposed to 

transport ore from Panel F to the 

existing mill at the Smoky Canyon 

Mine. Once Panel F is mined out, an 

additional 7.8-mile haul road is 

proposed to be constructed from Panel 

G to the existing Panel F, to transport 

ore to the mill. 

The proposed Panel F pit would 

extend off of the existing lease. The 

proponent has applied for a lease 

modification to enlarge Federal 

Phosphate Lease I–27512 to 

accommodate those operations. The 

application includes two tracts, the 

North Lease Modification and the South 

Lease Modification, both for the purpose 

of ore recovery. Subsequent to 

preparation of the DEIS, the proponent 

has also applied for a lease modification 

to Federal Phosphate Lease I–01441 to 

accommodate 18 acres of off-lease 

external overburden fill at Panel G. The 

environmental impacts of mining off of 

the existing leases, within the lease 

modification areas, are analyzed in the 

FEIS. 

Many of these proposed activities 

would occur within Forest Service 

Inventoried Roadless Areas. Inventoried 

Roadless Areas are managed according 

to local land use plans and Forest 

Service roadless management 

regulations, such as the Roadless Area 

Conservation Rule (RACR). The Agency 

Preferred Alternative identified in the 

FEIS may be modified in the Record of 

Decision to comply with laws and 

regulations applicable at that time. 

The agency Preferred Alternative 

would approve mining both leases 

described as Panel F and Panel G. To 

accommodate the proposed off-lease 

mining, BLM would approve the lease 

modifications to I–27512 (Panel F). As 

described in Mining Alternative D, BLM 

would require construction of a Store 

and Release cover system to reduce the 

infiltration of water through 

seleniferous backfill and external 

seleniferous overburden fills. The FS 

would require power line placement on 

poles along the haul road corridor, as 

described in Mining Alternative E. The 

transportation route between Panel F 

and the existing mine would be 

constructed according to the Proposed 

Action. The agency Preferred 

Transportation Alternative to access 

Panel G is the Proposed Action, Panel 

G West Haul/Access Road. The 

environmentally preferable 

transportation alternative would be 

Alternative 2, the East Haul/Access 

Road. The Alternative 2 road alignment 

crosses a portion of private land. 

Implementation of this alternative is 

contingent upon the proponent’s ability 

to secure an easement across the private 

land. Access to Panel G is not required 

for several years. During that time, if 

Simplot and the private land holder 

were to come to a mutual agreement that 

would provide Simplot an easement, the 

East Haul/Access Road would replace 

the Panel G West Haul/Access Road. 

Alternatives 

Issues were identified for the 

proposed mining of Panels F and G by 

the agencies and by the public during 

the scoping process. They include 

potential effects on: ground water, 

surface water, geology and minerals, air 

quality and noise, soils, vegetation, 

wetlands, wildlife, fisheries and aquatic 

life, livestock grazing, recreation, 

Inventoried Roadless Areas, socioeconomics, visual resources, cultural 

resources, and Tribal Treaty Resources. 

Alternatives to the proposed action were 

developed to address these issues. 

Mining alternatives include mining 

without one or both lease modifications 

to Panel F, no external seleniferous 

overburden fills, no external overburden 

fills at all, construction of an 

infiltration-reducing cover over 

seleniferous material, constructing the 

power line only within proposed 

disturbance, and using generators in 

Panel G instead of a power line. The 

transportation alternatives include one 

variation on the haul road between 

Panel F and the existing mine, two 

variations of a haul road from Panel G 

located east of the project area, a more 

direct haul road from Panel G to Panel 

F, a variation of the proposed West Haul 

Road, and using a conveyor system to 

transport ore from Panel G to the 

existing mill. Two variations of the 

conveyor alternative are assessed with 

alternate routes for moving personnel 

and equipment between Panel G and the 

existing mine. 

Jeff Cundick, 

Acting District Manager, Idaho Falls District, 

Bureau of Land Management. 

Larry Timchak, 

Forest Supervisor, Caribou-Targhee National 

Forest. 

[FR Doc. 07–5333 Filed 10–25–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WY–920–1320–EL] 

Powder River Regional Coal Team 

Activities: Notice of Public Meeting in 

Casper, WY 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Powder River Regional 

Coal Team (RCT) has scheduled a public 

meeting for December 6, 2007, to review 

current and proposed activities in the 

Powder River Coal Region and to review 

pending coal lease applications (LBA). 

DATES: The RCT meeting will begin at 9 

a.m. MST on December 6, 2007. The 

meeting is open to the public. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation 

Commission, 2211 King Boulevard, 

Casper, Wyoming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Janssen, Regional Coal 

Coordinator, BLM Wyoming State 

Office, Division of Minerals and Lands, 

5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, 

Wyoming 82009: telephone 307–775–

6206 or Rebecca Spurgin, Regional Coal 

Coordinator, BLM Montana State Office, 

Division of Resources, 5001 Southgate 

Drive, Billings, Montana 59101: 

telephone 406–896–5080. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the meeting is to discuss 

pending coal lease by applications 

(LBA’s) in the Powder River Basin as 

well as other Federal coal related 

actions in the region. Specific coal lease 

applications and other matters for the 

RCT to consider include: 

1. The Porcupine LBA, a lease 

application filed by BTU Western 

Resources on September 27, 2006, 

which is adjacent to the North 

Antelope-Rochelle mine. This 

application was reviewed by the RCT at 

a public meeting on January 18, 2007. 

At that time, approximately 5,116 acres 

and 598 million tons of Federal coal 

were included in the application. The 

applicant now wishes to amend this 

application. More details will be 

presented at the meeting. The RCT 

needs to consider the BLM processing 

schedule for the Porcupine LBA. 

2. The BLM is doing a coal review 

study in the Powder River Basin. The 

results of this study will be used in the 

preparation of coal related NEPA 

documents in the Powder River coal 

region. The RCT will be updated on the 

progress and results of this study. 

3. Update on U.S. Geological Survey 

coal inventory work. 


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