Notice2024-28354
Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM 082186 at the Rosebud Mine Area F; Rosebud Mine Area F Mining Plan Modification SEIS
Primary source
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Published
December 6, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentSurface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
Abstract
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) for the Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal Coal Lease MTM 082186 at the Rosebud Mine Area F (Project), located in Treasure and Rosebud Counties, Montana. The proposed action would allow for continued mining operations in the Area F permit area, resulting in an estimated disturbance of up to 4,288 acres and the extraction of approximately 71.3 million tons of coal. The Draft SEIS was prepared in response to deficiencies identified by the United States District Court for the District of Montana in the 2018 Western Energy Area F Final Environmental Impact Statement. OSMRE invites public comments on the Draft SEIS during a 45-day public comment period, with a public meeting to be held to gather additional input.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 235 (Friday, December 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 97067-97068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28354]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 245S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000
24XS501520]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement Federal Mining Plan Modification for Federal Coal
Lease MTM 082186 at the Rosebud Mine Area F; Rosebud Mine Area F Mining
Plan Modification SEIS
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft supplemental environmental
impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSMRE) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (Draft SEIS) for the Federal Mining Plan Modification for
Federal Coal Lease MTM 082186 at the Rosebud Mine Area F (Project),
located in Treasure and Rosebud Counties, Montana. The proposed action
would allow for continued mining operations in the Area F permit area,
resulting in an estimated disturbance of up to 4,288 acres and the
extraction of approximately 71.3 million tons of coal. The Draft SEIS
was prepared in response to deficiencies identified by the United
States District Court for the District of Montana in the 2018 Western
Energy Area F Final Environmental Impact Statement. OSMRE invites
public comments on the Draft SEIS during a 45-day public comment
period, with a public meeting to be held to gather additional input.
DATES: OSMRE requests comments concerning the analyses in the Draft
SEIS. All comments must be received by January 21, 2025. The public
meeting will be held at the City of Colstrip City Hall, City Council
Chambers, Colstrip Municipal Building located at 12 Cherry Street,
Colstrip, Montana from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. MST on January 8, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Project by any of the
following methods:
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ccbea3bfa9aeb9a8a1a5a2a9adbea9adaabfa9a5bf8ca9bea3bea9bfa3b9beafa9bfe2afa3a1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ccbea3bfa9aeb9a8a1a5a2a9adbea9adaabfa9a5bf8ca9bea3bea9bfa3b9beafa9bfe2afa3a1">[email protected]</span></a>.
Be sure to send emails with the subject line: ATTN: Rosebud Mine
Area F Mining Plan Modification SEIS.
Mail: ATTN: Rosebud Mine Area F Mining Plan Modification SEIS, C/O:
Roberta Mart[iacute]nez Hern[aacute]ndez, OSMRE Regions 5, 7-11, P.O.
Box 25065, Denver, CO 80225-0065.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roberta Mart[iacute]nez
Hern[aacute]ndez, Project Coordinator by telephone: 303-236-4705, email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9deff0fcefe9f4f3f8e7f5f8eff3fcf3f9f8e7ddf2eef0eff8b3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8bf9e6eaf9ffe2e5eef1e3eef9e5eae5efeef1cbe4f8e6f9eea5ece4fd">[email protected]</span></a>, or at the address provided in the
ADDRESSES section.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSMRE has prepared a Draft SEIS for the
Rosebud Mine Area F Project for inclusion in its mining plan decision
document, which will also include a recommendation from OSMRE to the
Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) of the
Department of the Interior on whether to approve, disapprove, or
conditionally approve the Federal mining plan modification. This
recommendation is made in accordance with 30 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 746.13. The Project involves Federal coal leased
under MTM 082186 and, therefore, requires approval from the ASLM under
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920.
OSMRE initially published an EIS for Rosebud Area F in November
2018. That EIS was challenged, and the United States District Court for
the District of Montana held in Montana Environmental Information
Center v. Haaland, No. CV 19-130-BLG-SPW (D. Mont. 2022) that the EIS
failed to analyze a reasonable range of alternatives, failed to provide
high-quality accurate scientific analysis on the economic costs of
greenhouse gas emissions from Area F, and did not take a hard look at
cumulative impacts on surface water. The Draft SEIS updates and expands
on the environmental analysis in the 2018 EIS and provides the
additional impacts analysis identified as deficient by the district
court.
The Rosebud Mine is operated by Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC
under Permit C2011003F, issued by the Montana Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ), in accordance with its State mine permit.
As proposed, the Project would result in 4,288 acres of surface
disturbance and recovery of 71.3 million tons of coal.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
OSMRE's purpose in preparing the Draft SEIS is to fully analyze the
environmental impacts associated with the proposed Federal mining plan
modification for Rosebud Mine Area F. This analysis specifically
addresses the deficiencies identified by the United States District
Court for the District of Montana so that OSMRE can make an informed
recommendation to the ASLM to approve, disapprove, or conditionally
approve the proposed Federal mining plan modification for Rosebud Mine
Area F. Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC, the current operator, will not
be allowed to continue mining or recover the remaining Federal coal in
Area F unless OSMRE completes its National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) analysis and the ASLM approves the Federal mining plan
modification.
Proposed Project
The proposed Project would result in 4,288 acres of surface
disturbance and the recovery of 71.3 million tons of coal in the
Rosebud Mine Area F.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Reasonably foreseeable effects of mining Federal coal have been
evaluated for the following resources in the Draft SEIS:
<bullet> Air quality (measured as concentration of criteria air
pollutants regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards,
Hazardous Air Pollutants, and Air Quality Related Values such as
visibility (haze) and atmospheric deposition)
[[Page 97068]]
<bullet> Climate and climate change (emissions of greenhouse gases are
quantified and analyzed as they relate to climate change, measured in
terms of carbon dioxide equivalent for both 20-year and 100-year global
warming potentials and characterized using the social cost of
greenhouse gases)
<bullet> Surface water and groundwater quality and quantity
<bullet> Socioeconomic effects, including changes to State and local
taxes, royalties, fees, lease bids, bonuses, payroll benefits, and
effects on environmental justice populations
<bullet> Federally listed threatened and endangered species and their
critical habitats
<bullet> Geology
<bullet> Soils
<bullet> Cultural resources
<bullet> Visual resources
<bullet> Wildlife
<bullet> Public health and safety
<bullet> Vegetation
<bullet> Wetlands and riparian zones
<bullet> Paleontology
<bullet> Access and transportation
<bullet> Solid and hazardous waste
<bullet> Noise
<bullet> Land use
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
ASLM approval, disapproval, or approval with conditions of the
Federal mining plan modification is required under the Mineral Leasing
Act of 1920.
Public Comment Period
This Notice of Availability initiates the comment period, which
allows OSMRE to gather input on the analyses included in the Draft
SEIS. In addition to this notice and OSMRE's website at <a href="https://www.osmre.gov/laws-and-regulations/nepa/projects">https://www.osmre.gov/laws-and-regulations/nepa/projects</a>, interested
stakeholders, agencies, and tribes will be notified of the 45-day
comment period via mailed letters, and the OSMRE Office of
Communications will coordinate a press release.
All public comments must be submitted by email or by hard copy mail
to the address listed under ADDRESSES. 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, OSMRE cannot
guarantee that this will occur.
The Project web page will include the description of the Project as
submitted by Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC, a map of the proposed
mining plan, and information about how to submit public comments on
issues or concerns related to the Project that are analyzed in the NEPA
document.
OSMRE will review public comments and prepare formal responses to
all substantive comments. OSMRE will make revisions as needed based on
input from the public while preparing the Final SEIS.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
OSMRE is the lead agency for the Draft SEIS. The Bureau of Land
Management is a cooperating agency on the OSMRE Draft SEIS.
Decision Maker
The ASLM is the decision maker for the Draft SEIS.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
Informed by the NEPA analysis, OSMRE will make a recommendation to
the ASLM about the Federal mining plan modification associated with
development of the Rosebud Mine Area F. The ASLM will use OSMRE's
recommendation to decide if the new Federal mining plan modification is
approved, disapproved, or approved with conditions. OSMRE's
recommendation to the ASLM is based, at a minimum, on the documentation
specified at 30 CFR 746.13.
David Berry,
Regional Director, OSMRE Regions 5, 7-11.
[FR Doc. 2024-28354 Filed 12-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P
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