SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

An application to lease Federal coal in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, for 5,704.52 acres of Federal coal reserves, was filed with the BLM on August 13, 2009. The EA analyzes and discloses the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of leasing and subsequent mining of the proposed LBA tract. The tract contains an estimated 24 million tons of coal recoverable by underground mining. The lands are described as follows:

Huntsville Meridian, Alabama

T. 18 S., R. 8 W.,

sec. 17, NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 , E 1/2 NW 1/4 , and SW 1/4 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 18, SE 1/4 , E 1/2 SW 1/4 , and SW 1/4 SW 1/4 ;

sec. 28, W 1/2 SW 1/4 and SE 1/4 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 33, SW 1/4 NW 1/4 .

T. 19 S., R. 8 W.,

sec. 4, SE 1/4 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 11, E 1/2 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 18, SW 1/4 and W 1/2 NW 1/4 .

T. 18 S., R. 9 W.,

sec. 21, NE 1/4 SE 1/4 ;

sec. 22, SW 1/4 NE 1/4 , S 1/2 SE 1/4 , NW 1/4 SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 , and SE 1/4 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 24, NE 1/4 , E 1/2 SE 1/4 , NW 1/4 SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 , E 1/2 NW 1/4 , and SW 1/4 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 26, NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 , and E 1/2 NWI/4;

sec. 27, W 1/2 NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 , and NW 1/4 ;

sec. 28, N 1/2 SE 1/4 ;

sec. 33, E 1/2 NE 1/4 and NE 1/4 SE 1/4 ;

sec. 34, NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 , N 1/2 SW 1/4 , and NW 1/4 ;

sec. 35, N 1/2 NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 NE 1/4 , E 1/2 SE 1/4 , SW 1/4 SE 1/4 , W 1/2 SW 1/4 , N 1/2 NW 1/4 and SW 1/4 NW 1/4 .

T. 19 S., R. 9 W.,

sec. 1, NE 1/4 and E 1/2 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 12, NE 1/4 , SE 1/4 , E 1/2 SW 1/4 , and E 1/2 NW 1/4 ;

sec. 14, SE 1/4 and NW 1/4

Total Acres: 5,704.52 acres.

Through this notice, the BLM is inviting the public to provide comments regarding the LBA and EA, and, also, to submit comments on the FMV and MER for the proposed LBA tract. All public comments, whether written or oral, will receive consideration prior to the BLM's decision regarding the leasing of the Federal coal contained in the tracts.

The BLM usually holds a public hearing in the local community where the tracts are located. However, due to the COVID-19 National Emergency and the uncertainty of Federal, State, and local social distancing guidelines, the BLM is holding the virtual public hearing to ensure staff and interested community members can participate safely. The presentation and comments received during the virtual meeting will be recorded. All public comments, whether written or oral, will receive consideration prior to the BLM's decision regarding the leasing of the Federal coal. Public comments on the EA should address the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action. Public comments on the FMV and MER for the proposed lease tract may address, but do not have to be limited to, the following:

1. The quality and quantity of the Federal coal resource;

2. The mining method or methods to be employed to obtain the MER of the coal resource, including the name of the coal bed(s) to be mined, timing and rate of production, restriction of mining, and the inclusion of the tracts in an existing mining operation;

3. The price that the mined coal would bring when sold;

4. Costs, including mining and reclamation, and the anticipated timing of production;

5. The percentage rate at which anticipated income streams should be discounted, either with inflation, or in the absence of inflation, in which case the anticipated rate of inflation should be given;

6. Depreciation, depletion, amortization, and other tax accounting factors; and

7. The value of any privately held mineral or surface estate in the mining area.

The Fair Market Value of the coal developed by BLM may or may not change as a result of comments received from the public and changes in the market conditions between now and when final economic evaluations are completed.

Any proprietary information or data that you submit to the BLM must be marked as confidential to assure the data will be treated in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information or data. A copy of the comments submitted by the public on the LBA, EA, FMV, and MER for the tracts, except those portions identified as proprietary and that meet one of the exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act, will be available for public inspection at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section, during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made public at any time. While you may request in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that it can do so.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR 3422.1, 3425.3, and 3425.4.)

85 FR 51478