83 FR 32683 - Notice of Availability for the Alton Coal Tract Coal Lease by Application Final Environmental Impact Statement, Utah

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 135 (July 13, 2018)

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 as amended (MLA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Alton Coal Tract Lease by Application (LBA), case number UTU- 081895.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 135 (Friday, July 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32683-32684]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14917]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[18XL1109AF LLUTC04000 L13200000.EL0000 UTU 081895]


Notice of Availability for the Alton Coal Tract Coal Lease by 
Application Final Environmental Impact Statement, Utah

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and 
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 as amended (MLA), the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the Alton Coal Tract Lease by Application (LBA), case number UTU-
081895.

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a 
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The public may review the Final EIS at the Kanab Field 
Office, 669 South Highway 89 A, Kanab, Utah 84741, and the BLM Utah 
State Office Public Room, 440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake 
City, Utah 84101; during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (unless 
otherwise posted), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
Final EIS is available online at: https://go.usa.gov/xNmE2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Rigtrup, Planner, telephone: 1-
435-865-3000; email: [email protected].
    Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call 
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with 43 CFR 3425, Alton Coal 
Development, LLC (ACD) submitted an application on November 12, 2004, 
with the BLM to lease Federal coal near the town of Alton, Utah. The 
tract identified in the application lies immediately adjacent to an 
active coal mine operated by ACD on private land.
    The BLM provided a 90-day public scoping period at the beginning of 
the EIS process to identify potential issues and concerns associated 
with the Proposed Action. The BLM evaluated the scoping comments and 
used them to develop alternatives to the Proposed Action, to guide the 
analysis of potential effects from leasing and mining the tract, and to 
identify potential mitigations for inclusion in the Draft EIS. On 
November 4, 2011, the BLM published in the Federal Register (76 FR 
68501-502, November 4, 2011) a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the 
Draft EIS for public comment. Based on comments received on the Draft 
EIS, the BLM decided to prepare a Supplemental Draft EIS for public 
review before preparing and distributing the Final EIS. On June 18, 
2015, the BLM published an NOA for the Supplemental Draft EIS in the 
Federal Register (80 FR 34931-932, June 18, 2015). The BLM evaluated 
and used the comments received on the Draft EIS and the Supplemental 
Draft EIS to produce this Final EIS.
    The Final EIS analyzes and discloses to the public the direct, 
indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of issuing a Federal 
coal lease on the Alton Coal Tract, including mining and transportation 
of coal to a railhead near Cedar City, Utah, and to the Intermountain 
Power Plant near Delta, Utah. It includes the BLM's responses to 
comments received during the extended 90-day public comment period, 
from June to September 2015, for the Supplemental Draft EIS. It also 
includes all alternatives considered in the Supplemental Draft EIS, 
including Alternative K1, the BLM's preferred alternative for this LBA, 
based on the analysis of the potential impacts of issuing a lease for 
the Alton Coal Tract.
    The Final EIS analyzes three action alternatives: (1) Alternative 
B: 3,581 acres, 44.9 million short tons (the Proposed Action), (2) 
Alternative C: 3,178 acres, 39.2 million short tons (wetlands 
reduction), and (3) Alternative K1: 2,114 acres, 30.8 million short 
tons. Alternative K1 was developed in response to the pending wetland 
and sage-grouse issues raised during the public comment period for the 
Draft EIS. A No Action Alternative is also included in the Final EIS 
which, if selected, would preclude offering of the lease tract. All 
action alternatives included a detailed Greater Sage-Grouse Mitigation 
Plan. The Final EIS also analyzed the No-Action Alternative 
(Alternative A) that would reject the application to lease Federal 
coal. Preparation of the Final EIS included Office of Surface Mining 
Reclamation and Enforcement, National Park Service and Environmental 
Protection Agency as cooperating agencies.
    The Alton Coal Tract includes approximately 44.9 million 
recoverable tons of in-place bituminous coal underlying the following 
lands in Kane County, Utah:

Salt Lake Meridian, Utah
T. 39 S., R. 5 W.,
    Sec. 7, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\ and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 18, lots 3 and 4, E\1/2\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, and E\1/2\SW\1/4\
    Sec. 19, lots 1 thru 4, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 20, lots 4 and 5, and N\1/2\SW\1/4\;
    Sec. 30, lots 2 thru 4, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/
2\SW\1/4\, and W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 31, lots 1 thru 3, NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/4\SW\1/4\, 
and N\1/2\SE\1/4\;
T. 39 S., R. 6 W.,
    Sec. 12, SW\1/4\ and W\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 13, NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, and 
SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 24, NE\1/4\, N\1/2\NW\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\SW\1/4\, 
N\1/2\SE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 25, E\1/2\NE\1/4\, SW\1/4\NE\1/4\, and SE\1/4\.

    The area described, including both public and non-public surface 
lands, aggregate 3,581.27 Federal mineral acres according to the 
official plats of the surveys on file with the BLM.
    Consistent with NEPA and its implementing regulations and the MLA 
and its implementing regulations, the BLM must prepare an environmental 
analysis prior to holding a competitive Federal coal lease sale. An EIS 
has been prepared for this particular sale. All alternatives have been 
analyzed and could be offered for sale. If an action alternative is 
selected in the subsequent ROD, that tract would be offered in a 
competitive lease sale, and a lease for Federal coal would be issued if 
the bid

[[Page 32684]]

met or exceeded the predetermined Fair Market Value.
    The alternatives considered in the Final EIS are in conformance 
with the Kanab Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource 
Management Plan as amended (2015).
    Anyone wanting to be added to the mailing list for this project 
must send their request by mail, facsimile, or electronically to the 
addresses listed in the ADDRESSES section above.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10.

Edwin L. Roberson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-14917 Filed 7-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P