SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On August 31, 2000, Triton filed a coal lease application for a maintenance tract containing approximately 135 million tons of Federal coal and including approximately 933 acres. This tract, case number WYW151634, is called the West Hay Creek tract. On November 5, 2001, BLM received a request from Triton to modify the West Hay Creek tract for the following lands in Campbell County, Wyoming:

T. 52 N., R. 72 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming

Section 17: Lots 5 (S 1/2 S 1/2 ), 6 (S 1/2 S 1/2 ), 7 (S 1/2 S 1/2 ), 8 (S 1/2 S 1/2 ), 9-14;

Section 18: Lots 13 (E 1/2 ), 20 (E 1/2 );

Section 19: Lots 5 (E 1/2 ), 12 (E 1/2 ), 13 (E 1/2 ), 20 (E 1/2 );

Section 25: Lots 2 (W 1/2 , W 1/2 E 1/2 ), 3-6, 7 (W 1/2 ,W 1/2 E 1/2 ), 10 (W 1/2 , W 1/2 E 1/2 ), 11-14.

Containing 838.0975 acres, more or less.

( printed page 42795)

The tract includes an estimated 130 million tons of coal in place. As part of the coal leasing process, BLM will evaluate the tract configuration, and may decide to add or subtract Federal coal to avoid bypassing coal or to increase estimated fair market value.

The Buckskin Mine, which is adjacent to the lease application area, has an approved mining and reclamation plan from the Land Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The mine has an approved air quality permit from the Air Quality Division of the Wyoming DEQ to mine up to 27.5 million tons of coal per year.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) will be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. If the West Hay Creek LBA tract is leased to the applicant, the new lease must be incorporated into the existing mining plans for the adjacent mine, and the Secretary of the Interior must approve the revised mining plan before the Federal coal in the tract can be mined. OSM is the Federal agency that would be responsible for recommending approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the revised mining plan to the Secretary if the tract is leased.

A major issue the BLM has identified related to coal leasing in the Powder River Basin is the need to resolve conflicts between existing and proposed oil and gas development, including coal bed methane, and proposed coal mining on the West Hay Creek LBA tract. Other issues identified include the potential impacts to big game herds and hunting, the potential impacts to sage grouse, the size of the tract as applied for, the need for considering the cumulative impacts of this leasing decision, the validity and currency of the resource data to be used in analyzing the impacts, the impact on existing land uses, the potential impacts to sensitive and endangered species including prairie dogs and mountain plover, and the potential impacts on air and water quality. If you have specific concerns about these issues, or have other concerns or issues that BLM should consider in processing this application, please address them in writing to the above address. Written comments should be received by July 31, 2002, in order to be fully considered in the draft EIS.

Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the address listed above during regular business hours (7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.

67 FR 42794