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BLM LIBRARY 1 II 1 II CO00 D67572 FINAL Environmental Impact Statement for the Wright Area Coal Lease Applications Volume of 2 1 Chapters 4 1 - IftffS fpSy&T', Wyoming West Loadout Facilities Elk on Reclaimed Rangeland Black Thunder Mine, Wyoming Jacobs Ranch Mine, Wyoming State Office - High Plains Elk on Reclaimed Rangeland Loadout Facilities in Porcupine Creek Valley Black Thunder Mine, Wyoming North Antelope Rochelle Mine, Wyoming District July 2010 The BLM manages more land -253 million acres-than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget ofabout $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands. BLM/WY/PL-10/022+1320 United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT mu Wyoming High Plains District 2987 ProspectorDrive In Reply Referto: Casper,Wyoming 82604-2968 3425 (LBA) WY922 (Love) WYW164812 (North Hilight Field) WYW 174596 (South Hilight Field) WYW 172388 (West Hilight Field) WYW172685 (West Jacobs Ranch) WYW 173408 (North Porcupine) WYW JUN 2 2 2010 176095 (South Porcupine) Wright AreaCoal EIS Dear Reader: The Bureau ofLand Management (BLM) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and disclose the results ofenvironmental analyses offour BLM applications received by to lease six maintenance tracts ofFederal coal in the Wright area ofthe Wyoming Powder River Basin. The tracts are referred to as the North Hilight Field, South Hilight Field, West Hilight Field, West Jacobs Ranch, North Porcupine, and South Porcupine and are located adjacent to the Black Thunder, Jacobs Ranch, and North Antelope Rochelle mines. A copy ofthis document is provided for your review. The Final EIS may also be reviewed at the following website: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/cfodocs/WrightCoal.html BLM Copies ofthe Final EIS are also available for public inspection at the following offices: Bureau ofLand Management Bureau ofLand Management Wyoming State Office High Plains District Office 5353 Yellowstone Road 2987 Prospector Drive WY Cheyenne, 82009 Casper, Wyoming 82604 The Draft EIS was published in June 2009 and the 60-day comment period on the draft A document ended on August 25, 2009. formal public hearing on these applications to lease Federal coal was held at 7:00 p.m. on July 29, 2009, at the Clarion Inn, 2009 S. Douglas Hwy., Gillette, Wyoming. The purpose ofthe hearing was to receive comments on the proposed coal leases, on the fair market value, and on the maximum economic recovery ofthe Federal coal resources included in the tracts. Two individuals presented statements at the formal hearing. Written comments were received from 17 individuals, agencies, businesses, and organizations, as well as over 500 emails from interested individuals and entities, during the 60-day public review period. A summary ofthe statements presented at the formal public hearing and the comment letters received on the Draft EIS during the 60-day public review period have been published as part ofthe Final EIS. BLM prepared a separate document entitled Supplementary Information on the Affected Environment in the GeneralAnalysis Areasfor the WrightArea Coal Lease Applications EIS in addition to the EIS. The supplementary document is available upon request and includes more detailed site-specific information about the potentially affected resources included in the study areas for the Wright area coal lease tracts. A 30-day review period on this Final EIS will commence on the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes a Notice ofAvailability in the Federal Register The . BLM BLM will also publish a Notice ofAvailability in the Federal Register The will . accept public comments on this Final EIS for thirty (30) days commencing on the date the EPA publishes its Notice ofAvailability in the Federal Register . Ifyou wish to comment on the Final EIS, your comments should relate directly to the document. Comments should be as specific as possible, and the locations in the document to which you are commenting on should be cited. The agencies involved in the ROD preparation ofthis Final EIS are required to respond in the to all substantive comments submitted. Substantive comments should: (1) give any new information that could alter conclusions; (2) show why or how analysis or assumptions in the Final EIS are flawed; (3) show errors in data, sources, or methods; or (4) request clarifications that bear on conclusions. Opinions or preferences will not receive a formal response. BLM However, they will be considered and included as part ofthe decision-making process. This Final EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and applicable regulations, and other applicable statutes, to address possible environmental and socioeconomic impacts that could result from the Wright Area coal lease applications. This Final EIS is not a decision document. Its purpose is to inform the public and agency decision-makers ofthe impacts associated with leasing some or all of the Wright area Federal coal tracts to existing applicant mines in the Wyoming Powder River Basin and to evaluate alternatives to leasing the Federal coal included in the tracts as applied for. Comments, including names, street addresses, and email addresses ofrespondents, will be available for public review at the address listed below during regular business hours, and will be included as part ofthe ROD. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. Ifyou wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom ofInformation Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning ofyour written comment. Though we cannot guarantee anonymity, such requests will be honored to the extent allowable by law. All submissions from organizations, businesses, and individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials oforganizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. Please send written comments to Bureau ofLand Management, High Plains District WY Office, Attn: Sarah Bucklin, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, 82604. Written comments may also be emailed to the attention ofSarah Bucklin at “Wright [email protected]”. Email comments must include the name and mailing address ofthe commentor to receive consideration. Written comments may also be faxed to the attention ofSarah Bucklin at (307) 261-7587. Ifyou have any questions or would like to obtain a copy ofthe supplementary information document or additional copies ofthis Final EIS, please contact Sarah Bucklin at (307) 261-7600, or at the above address. Sincerely, Stephanie Connolly District Manager lb 2-43 WRIGHT AREA COAL LEASE APPLICATIONS £OiD FINAL ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT \l- l Prepared by WWC Engineering Sheridan, Wyoming Under the Direction of U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management High Plains District Office Casper, Wyoming and Cooperating Agencies U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Denver, Colorado U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland Douglas, Wyoming Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Land Quality and Air Quality Divisions Cheyenne, Wyoming Wyoming Department of Transportation Cheyenne, Wyoming Converse County Board of Commissioners Douglas, Wyoming July 2010 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT WRIGHT AREA COAL LEASE APPLICATIONS CAMPBELL COUNTY, WYOMING ABSTRACT Lead Agency USDI, Bureau ofLand Management, High Plains District Office, : Casper, Wyoming Cooperating Agencies USDI, Office ofSurface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, : Denver, Colorado USDA, Forest Service, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland, Douglas, Wyoming Wyoming Department ofEnvironmental Quality, Land Quality and Air Quality Divisions, Cheyenne, Wyoming Wyoming Department ofTransportation, Cheyenne, Wyoming Converse County Board ofCommissioners, Douglas, Wyoming For Further Information Contact Sarah Bucklin, Bureau ofLand Management, 2987 Prospector : WY Drive, Casper, 82604; (307) 261-7541 This Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) assesses the environmental consequences of decisions to hold competitive, sealed-bid sales and issue leases for six federal coal maintenance tracts in Campbell County, Wyoming as a result ofcoal lease applications submitted by Ark Land Company, Jacobs Ranch Coal Company, and BTU Western Resources, Inc. As applied for, the Wright area coal lease-by- application (LBA) tracts include approximately 18,021.73 acres containing approximately 2.570 billion tons of federal coal. The tracts are referred to as the North Hilight Field, South Hilight Field, West Hilight Field, West Jacobs Ranch, North Porcupine, and South Porcupine. The applicants propose to mine the tracts as maintenance leases for the existing adjacent mines, if lease sales are held and the applicant mines acquire the leases. At the time of application, the adjacent mines included Black Thunder, Jacobs Ranch, and North Antelope Rochelle. This Final EIS describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic, and socioeconomic resources in and around the existing mines and the LBA tracts. The alternatives in the Final EIS consider the impacts of leasing the tracts as applied for, leasing reconfigured tracts in order to avoid bypassing federal coal or to increase competitive interest in the tracts, and not leasing the tracts. The focus for the impact analysis was based on resource issues and concerns identified during previous coal leasing analyses and public scoping conducted for these lease applications. Recent concerns related to leasing coal and its subsequent development include: impacts to groundwater, air quality, wildlife, cultural resources, paleontological resources, socioeconomics, loss of livestock grazing areas, conflicts with oil and gas development, cumulative impacts related to ongoing surface coal mining and other proposed development in the Wyoming Powder River Basin, greenhouse gas emissions, ozone, and climate change. This Final EIS, in compliance with Section 7(c) ofthe Endangered Species Act as amended, identifies any endangered or threatened species which are likely to be affected by the Proposed Action. The Final EIS is open for a 30-day review period beginning on the date that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice ofAvailability in the Federal Register. Comments that are postmarked or received on or before the end ofthe 30-day review period will be considered in the preparation ofthe Record ofDecision.