BLM, OSMRE seek comments on Freedom Mine coal lease application
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DICKINSON, N.D. – The Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement are accepting public comments on a coal lease application from the Coteau Properties Freedom Mine in Mercer County during a 30-day scoping comment period ending Sept. 18, 2020.
The proposed lease tracts are within or near the existing mine and contain a combined total of approximately 32 million tons of recoverable federal coal, interspersed amongst private coal tracts.
“The Freedom Mine has a long history as a cost-effective energy supplier, and approval of this application will allow it to continue to provide affordable energy for local communities,” said Scott Haight, the District Manager of the BLM’s Eastern Montana/Dakotas District.
The coal lease application is part of the company’s ongoing mining operations and would not extend the projected life of the mine. If BLM and OSMRE do not approve a coal lease and a mine plan, this federal coal would be bypassed, and Coteau Properties would mine the surrounding private coal and leave the federal coal in place. The Freedom Mine employs about 400 people.
In order to increase operational efficiencies, the BLM and OSMRE are working as co-lead agencies on a National Environmental Policy Act document, allowing each agency to issue its own findings regarding the significance of potential impacts resulting from leasing and permitting coal mining.
More information and a venue for commenting is available on the BLM e-Planning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-0000-2020-0007-EA.
Comments may be mailed or hand-delivered to the BLM Montana Dakotas State Office, Branch of Solid Minerals, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101. Comments may also be delivered to the North Dakota Field Office at 99 23rd Ave. West, Suite A, Dickinson, ND 58601. In the address line include: “Freedom Mine LBA NDM-111186, Attn: Amy Waring.”
General information regarding the project and associated NEPA process can also be found on the OSMRE website at https://www.osmre.gov/LRG/projects.shtm.
Those who intend to provide comments are advised that any information provided, including an address, phone number, email address or other personal-identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to have personal-identifying information withheld from public review, the agencies cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations, from businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or businesses, will be available for public review.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.