August 31, 2007 Contact: Lesley A. Collins, 307-261-7603 Eagle Butte West Tract Final EIS on AvailableThe Eagle Butte West Tract Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is available for review from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Casper Field Office. RAG Coal West, Inc. filed an application with BLM for a maintenance tract of Federal coal adjacent to the company’s Eagle Butte Mine in Campbell County, Wyoming. RAG Coal West subsequently sold the Eagle Butte Mine to Foundation Coal West, Inc. This tract, which was applied for as a lease by application (LBA) under the provisions of 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3425.1, is called the Eagle Butte West Tract. Foundation estimates that the tract includes approximately 241 million tons of mineable Federal coal, which would allow the mine to maintain present production rates and extend the life of the mine. The FEIS analyzes and discloses to the public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of issuing a Federal coal lease in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin. The BLM is considering issuing a coal lease as a result of a December 28, 2001 application made by RAG Coal West, Inc. to lease Federal coal near the Eagle Butte Mine in Campbell County approximately three miles north of Gillette, Wyoming. The FEIS is not a decision document. Its purpose is to inform the public of impacts of issuing a Federal coal lease in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin. BLM will accept public comments on the FEIS until October 1, 2007. Comments can be mailed to the BLM Casper Field Office, Attn: Nancy Doelger, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, WY 82601, emailed to casper_wymail@blm.gov with a reference line of Eagle Butte FEIS, or faxed 307-261-7587. If you have any questions or would like to obtain additional copies of this FEIS, please contact Nancy Doelger at 307-261-7627 or at the above address. Copies of the FEIS are available for public inspection online at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents.html or from the following BLM offices: Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne, WY 82009 | Bureau of Land Management Casper Field Office 2987 Prospector Drive Casper, Wyoming 82604 |
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