High Plains District Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
South Gillette Area Maysdorf II Record of Decision Available
from Wyoming High Plains District Office
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Maysdorf II Coal Lease Application, part of the South Gillette Area Coal Lease Applications Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), is now available for review from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Wyoming State Office in Cheyenne and the Wyoming High Plains District Office in Casper.
On Sept. 1, 2006, Cordero Mining Company (Cordero) applied for a maintenance coal lease for approximately 4,653.80 acres (approximately 504 million tons of in-place coal) in a tract of federal coal adjacent to the Cordero-Rojo Mine in Campbell County, Wyo.
The BLM analyzed a number of alternatives, but approved Alternative 3, which divides the as applied for tract into two separate lease by application (LBA) tracts: Maysdorf II LBA North Tract and Maysdorf II LBA South Tract. The BLM added portions of the BLM study area to the two tracts and removed the lands from consideration that did not receive consent from the qualified surface owner.
Under the selected configuration, the Maysdorf II LBA modified North and South tracts include approximately 3,644.27 acres and BLM estimates that they contain 438 million tons of in place coal (382,115,000 million tons of mineable coal). As delineated the Maysdorf II LBA North tract contains approximately 1,338.37 acres and 167 million tons of in place coal (148,565,000 minable tons of coal); the Maysdorf II LBA South tract contains approximately 2,305.90 acres and 271 million tons of in place coal (233,550,000 minable tons of coal). Two separate competitive sealed bid lease sales will be held and announced in the Federal Register at a later date. Including Maysdorf II, the South Gillette Area Coal Lease Applications EIS analyzed the proposed leasing of four federal coal tracts located in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin. The EIS disclosed to the public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of issuing a federal coal lease in the South Gillette area. A separate record of decision has been issued for each tract that was analyzed in the EIS.
This decision is subject to appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) as provided in 43 CFR 4 within 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/documents/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 Al Elser 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 Office 2987 Prospector Dr. Casper, WY 82604