High Plains District
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Collins, | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
South Gillette Area's West Coal Creek
Record of Decision Available from Wyoming High Plains District Office
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the South Gillette Area’s West Coal Creek Coal Lease Application, part of the South Gillette Area Coal Lease Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now available for review from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Wyoming High Plains District.
On February 10, 2006, Ark Land Company (Ark) applied for a maintenance coal lease for approximately 1,151.26 acres (approximately 63.3 million tons of minable federal coal) in a maintenance tract of federal coal adjacent to the Coal Creek Mine in Campbell County, Wyoming, which is operated by Thunder Basin Coal Company. The tract is known as the West Coal Creek Tract.
The EIS 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 approves Alternative 1, the No Action alternative for this LBA in the South Gillette Area Coal Final EIS, which is to reject this application. A large portion of the West Coal Creek LBA study area contains lands held by a qualified surface owner who currently has not consented to coal leasing. As a result, BLM determined that there were insufficient coal reserves in the remaining lands within the study area to configure a tract that would be in the public interest. Rejection of the lease application does not preclude an application to lease the same tract, or a tract configured with the lands included in the study area, in the future. The BLM will not schedule or conduct a competitive coal lease sale for the West Coal Creek LBA.
This decision is subject to appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) as provided in 43 CFR 4 within thirty 30 days from the date of publication of the notice of availability in the Federal Register. The ROD contains instructions for filing an appeal with the IBLA.
Copies of the ROD are available for public inspection online at: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/hpd/SouthGillette.html or at the following BLM offices:
Bureau of Land Management
Wyoming State Office
5353 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82009Bureau of Land Management
Wyoming High Plains District Office
2987 Prospector Drive
Casper, WY 82604
For more information contact Teresa Johnson or Mike Karbs at (307) 261-7600.
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.
High Plains District 2987 Prospector Drive Casper, WY 82604