Notice2024-09222
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and To Initiate Scoping for Federal Coal Lease Applications for Two Leases To Expand Operations at the Warrior Met Coal Mines, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southeastern States District Office, Flowood, Mississippi, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects of offering two Federal coal leases by holding a competitive lease sale for each respective Lease By Application (LBA) received from Warrior Met Coal, Inc. This notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34264-34265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09222]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_ES_FRN_MO4500178579]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
To Initiate Scoping for Federal Coal Lease Applications for Two Leases
To Expand Operations at the Warrior Met Coal Mines, Tuscaloosa County,
Alabama
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Southeastern States District Office, Flowood, Mississippi, intends to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects
of offering two Federal coal leases by holding a competitive lease sale
for each respective Lease By Application (LBA) received from Warrior
Met Coal, Inc. This notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping
process to solicit public comments and identify issues.
DATES: This notice initiates the public-scoping process for the EIS.
The BLM requests that the public submit comments concerning the scope
of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant
information, and studies by May 30, 2024. To give the BLM enough time
to consider comments in the Draft EIS, please ensure your comments are
received by BLM before the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Warrior Met Coal
Mines EIS by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031600/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031600/510</a>.
<bullet> Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Warrior Met Coal
Mines EIS, 273 Market Street, Flowood, MS 39232.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/home">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/home</a> and by mail at the BLM
Southeastern States District Office: 273 Market Street, Flowood, MS
39232.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Swithers, BLM Southeastern States
District Manager, telephone: 601-919-4696; address: 273 Market Street,
Flowood, MS 39232; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d0a2a3a7b9a4b8b5a2a390b2bcbdfeb7bfa6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9eecede9f7eaf6fbeceddefcf2f3b0f9f1e8">[email protected]</span></a>. Contact Mr. Swithers to
have your name added to our mailing list. Individuals in the United
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services for contacting Mr. Swithers.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM Southeastern States District Office
received two Federal LBAs to expand current mining operations located
in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC, proposes
to expand Mine No. 4 (ALES-055797), and Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC,
proposes to expand Blue Creek Mine No. 1 (ALES-056519). Warrior Met
Coal Mining, LLC, and Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC, are subsidiaries of
Warrior Met Coal, Inc., and will henceforth be referred to collectively
as ``Warrior Met Coal.''
The LBA for the Mine No. 4 expansion (ALES-055797) consists of
approximately 5,720 acres of private surface lands (i.e., split-estate
lands) with an estimated 24 million short tons of recoverable Federal
coal. The LBA for the Blue Creek Mine No. 1 expansion (ALES-056519)
consists of approximately 8,320 acres of split-estate lands with an
estimated 33.5 million short tons of recoverable Federal coal. The
combined proposed lease area for both applications includes
approximately 14,040 acres of split-estate lands. Warrior Met Coal is
seeking to obtain leases for the extraction of metallurgical coal
resources by means of underground longwall mining techniques.
The BLM initially began preparing an environmental assessment to
evaluate the LBA for Mine No. 4. Upon further review of the potential
effects of the proposed action for Mine No. 4 expansion and, given the
proximity to the Blue Creek Mine No. 1 expansion LBA, the BLM
determined that an EIS is warranted, and that both LBAs would be
evaluated under a single EIS. This notice of intent initiates the EIS
process to evaluate both LBAs and terminates the environmental
assessment process evaluating the LBA for Mine No. 4.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the project is to provide for responsible
development of coal resources in the Warrior Basin by responding to two
Federal coal LBAs submitted by Warrior Met Coal to access a total of
approximately 14,040 acres of Federal minerals underlying split-estate
lands in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The applications propose to
extract approximately 57.5 million tons of recoverable Federal
metallurgical coal reserves.
The need is established by the BLM's responsibility under the
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended; the Mineral Leasing Act for
Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended; and the Federal Coal Leasing
Amendments Act of 1976, as amended, to respond to two Federal coal LBAs
submitted by Warrior Met Coal (ALES-055797 and ALES-056519) which seek
to expand two existing underground mines.
Preliminary Proposed Action, and Alternatives
The proposed action is to offer for lease approximately 5,720 acres
of Federal minerals for Mine No. 4 (ALES-055797) and 8,320 acres of
Federal minerals for Blue Creek Mine No. 1 (ALES-056519) with the
intent of allowing for the proposed extraction of a combined estimated
57.5 million tons of metallurgical coal reserves by means of
underground longwall mining techniques. The surface of the lands
identified in both LBAs are privately owned. Implementation of the
proposed action would result in the BLM holding two competitive lease
sales, one for each LBA.
The BLM will also evaluate the no action alternative under which
the BLM would deny the two LBAs and the land would not be offered for
lease. The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary alternatives as
well as suggestions for additional alternatives.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The proposed action would authorize approximately 57.5 million tons
of Federal metallurgical coal to be leased. A decision to lease the
proposed lands would not provide the successful bidder with an
authorization to engage in mining activities. However, mining is a
logical extension of leasing the Federal coal reserves. Potential
impacts of the proposed action include, but are not limited to, impacts
to air quality, including greenhouse gas emissions; impacts on
populations with environmental justice concerns; impacts from potential
subsidence from underground mining; and impacts to groundwater and
surface water quality.
[[Page 34265]]
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
If the proposed action is approved, the BLM would hold two
competitive lease sales, one for each LBA, as outlined in 43 CFR part
3420--Competitive Leasing. Upon completion of each competitive lease
sale, the BLM would award the leases to the successful bidder(s). Once
a lease is issued, the Alabama Surface Mining Commission (ASMC) would
be responsible for permitting the mining operations. The ASMC would
determine whether to issue a permit and, if so, what terms and
conditions to apply, in accordance with relevant policies and
authorities. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSMRE) would prepare a mine plan decision document and make a
recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals
Management regarding whether to approve, approve with conditions, or
disapprove the mine plan.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The BLM will provide additional opportunities for public
participation consistent with the NEPA process, including a 45-day
comment period on the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS is anticipated to be
available for public review in autumn 2024, and the Final EIS is
anticipated to be released in summer 2025 with a Record of Decision in
early 2026.
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period. The BLM
requests that the public submit comments concerning the scope of the
analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant
information, and studies by May 30, 2024. The BLM does not intend to
hold any public meetings, in-person or virtual, during the public
scoping period. If the BLM later determines that it will hold public
meetings, the specific date(s) and location(s) of any meeting will be
announced in advance through the ePlanning project page (see ADDRESSES)
and local media.
Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE and the ASMC are cooperating agencies.
Responsible Official
The BLM Eastern States Director is the deciding official on the
LBAs submitted by Warrior Met Coal.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The responsible official will determine whether to offer lands
identified in the LBAs ALES-055797 and ALES-056519 for Federal coal
leasing and, if approved, what special stipulations to apply to the
coal lease(s).
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed
action and all analyzed reasonable alternatives and, in accordance with
40 CFR 1502.14(e), include appropriate mitigation measures not already
included in the proposed action or alternatives. Mitigation may include
avoidance, minimization, rectification, reduction or elimination over
time, and compensation; and it may be considered at multiple scales,
including the landscape scale.
The BLM will use and coordinate the NEPA process to help support
compliance with applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1536) and Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108), as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3),
including public involvement requirements of Section 106. The
information about historic and cultural resources and threatened and
endangered species within the area potentially affected by the proposed
project will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to
such resources.
The BLM will consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM Manual
Section 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential impacts to
cultural resources, will be given due consideration. Federal, State,
and local agencies, along with Indian Tribal Nations and stakeholders
that may be interested in or affected by the two proposed LBAs for
Federal coal that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate in
the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by
the BLM to participate in the development of the environmental analysis
as a cooperating agency.
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 publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9)
Mitchell Leverette,
Eastern States Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-09222 Filed 4-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-18-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 30, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.