U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
BLM Colorado State Office
BLM Colorado State Office
| Contacts: | David Boyd | , 970-876-9008 |
BLM accepting public comment on coal lease application in Rio Blanco, Moffat counties
MEEKER, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on a preliminary Environmental Assessment looking at whether to offer 3,157 acres of federal coal reserves beneath BLM managed lands in Rio Blanco and Moffat counties, Colo., in a competitive coal lease sale.
Blue Mountain Energy Inc. has submitted a coal Lease by Application to BLM for this parcel adjacent to its Deserado Mine, which is seven miles northeast of Rangely, Colo., and currently employs 164 people. The area being considered for lease is estimated to contain 21 million tons of saleable coal.
The preliminary EA, which includes a summary of the proposal and map, is available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/wrfo/index.html.
BLM will accept public comments through Oct. 5, 2012. Written comments can be mailed to Paul Daggett, BLM WRFO, 220 E. Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641, or sent via email to wrfomail@blm.gov. Please note “Coal Lease By Application” in the subject line for all emails. For more information, please contact Paul Daggett at (970) 878-3819.
Before including address, phone number, e-mail address, or any other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment, including personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While individuals may request BLM to withhold personal identifying information from public view, the BLM cannot guarantee it will be able to do so.
About 90 percent of coal deposits in Colorado occur on public lands. Currently, there are nine producing coal mines (seven underground and two surface operations) encompassing 75,000 acres in the state. In Fiscal Year 2011, coal energy production on BLM Colorado’s public lands directly contributed $884 million to the economy.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
BLM Colorado State Office 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood CO 80215