Billings Field Office
| Contacts: | Mary Apple 406-896-5258 |
Public Invited to Comment on Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 Federal Coal Lease Application
The Bureau of Land Management Billings Field Office is asking the public to review and comment on the Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 federal coal lease application environmental assessment (EA). The comment period ends April 27, 2010.
The EA analyzes the effects of leasing five tracts of federal coal reserves under private and public land east of the exiting Bull Mountains Min No 1, an operating underground coal mine in Musselshell County, Montana. The application, if approved, would add approximately 2,680 acres of federal coal reserves containing approximately 61.4 million tons of mineable coal.
The Billings Field Office will hold a public hearing on the application on April 13, 2010, at 6: 30 p.m. at the BLM Montana State Office at 5001 Southgate Drive in Billings.
The EA is available on the internet by going to http://www.blm.gov/mt and then clicking on the Billings Field Office. Comments should be submitted to the Billings Field Office at 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101.
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.
Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59105