High Plains District Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Collins | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
Buckskin Mine Hay Creek II Draft EIS Available:
Public Hearing April 22, 2010
The Buckskin Mine Hay Creek II Coal Lease Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now available for review from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming High Plains District.
Kiewit Mining Group Inc. filed an application with BLM for a maintenance tract of federal coal adjacent to the company’s Buckskin Mine in Campbell County, Wyo. 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 known as the Hay Creek II Tract. The tract includes approximately 54 million tons of recoverable federal coal and would allow the mine to maintain production rates and extend the life of the mine.
Major issues that have been identified include:
- potential conflicts between existing and proposed oil and gas development, including coalbed natural gas and coal mining
- potential impacts to big game herds and hunting
- potential impacts to sage-grouse
- potential impacts to listed threatened and endangered species
- potential health impacts related to blasting
- potential cumulative impacts of coal leasing decisions combined with other existing and proposed development in the Wyoming Powder River Basin
- potential site specific and cumulative impacts on air and water quality.
The Draft EIS analyzes and discloses to the public direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts associated with leasing a federal coal tract in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin (PRB). The Draft EIS is not a decision document; its purpose is to inform the public of the impacts of issuing a federal coal lease in the Wyoming PRB.
On Thursday, April 22, 2010, BLM will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. in Gillette, Wyo. The hearing will be held at the Campbell County George Amos Memorial Building, 412 South Gillette Ave. The purpose of the hearing is to receive comments on the proposed coal lease sales, fair market value and maximum economic recovery of federal coal resources.
An electronic copy of the DEIS is also available at: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/HighPlains/HayCreekII.html
Please submit written comments or concerns to the BLM Wyoming High Plains District, Attn: Teresa Johnson, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, Wyo. 82604. Written comments or resource information may be sent to the BLM Casper Field Office at the above address. Comments or questions may also be sent by facsimile to the attention of Teresa Johnson at (307) 261-7587; or sent electronically to Hay_Creek_II_WYMail@blm.gov. Please reference Hay Creek II LBA Tract/Teresa Johnson in the subject line. Comments are due May 12, 2010.
The BLM manages more land - 253 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.
High Plains District Office 2987 Prospector Drive Casper, WY 82604