[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 167 (Thursday, August 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45677-45678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22899]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-920-00-4120-14; North Rochelle Tract, WYW127221]
Competitive Coal Lease Sale Reoffering; Wyoming
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that certain coal resources in the
North Rochelle Tract (formerly known as the North Roundup Tract)
described below in Campbell County, Wyoming, will be reoffered for
competitive lease by sealed bid in accordance with the provisions of
the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).
DATES: The lease sale will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, September 25,
1997. Sealed bids must be submitted on or before 11 a.m., Thursday,
September 25, 1997.
[[Page 45678]]
ADDRESSES: The lease sale will be held in the 1st Floor Conference Room
(Room 107) of the Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road,
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009. Sealed bids clearly marked ``Sealed Bid for
North Rochelle Tract, WYW127221--Not to be opened before 1 p.m., on
Thursday, September 25, 1997'', must be submitted to the Cashier,
Wyoming State Office, at the address given above or P.O. Box 1828,
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-1828.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Steele, Land Law Examiner, or
Melvin Schlagel, Coal Coordinator, at 307-775-6200.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This coal lease sale is being held in
response to a lease by application filed by Bluegrass Coal Development
Company (formerly, SMC Mining Company), a subsidiary of Zeigler Coal
Holding Company of Evansville, Indiana. The coal resources to be
reoffered consist of all reserves recoverable by surface mining methods
in the following described lands located approximately 46 miles south-
southeast of the City of Gillette, Wyoming, and about 13 miles
southeast of Reno Junction just north of the Reno County Road:
T. 42 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 4: Lots 5-16, 19 and 20;
Sec. 5: Lots 5-16;
T. 43 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming
Sec. 32: Lots 9-16;
Sec. 33: Lots 11-14.
Containing 1,481.930 acres.
All of the acreage reoffered has been determined to be suitable for
mining. The surface estate of the tract is controlled by Arco Coal
Company, Powder River Coal Company, and the U.S. Forest Service.
The North Rochelle Tract, located in Campbell County, Wyoming, is
adjacent to the existing North Rochelle and Black Thunder Mines and
contains surface minable coal reserves in the Wyodak seam currently
being recovered in the existing mines. The Wyodak seam averages about
57 feet thick with an additional minable rider seam above the main seam
that averages about 7 feet thick. There are no coal outcrops on the
tract.
The overburden above the rider seam ranges from 100-200 feet thick
while the overburden above the main Wyodak seam where no rider seam
exists ranges from 175-250 feet thick. The total in-place stripping
ratio (BCY/ton) of the coal seams is 2.91:1.
The tract contains an estimated 157,610,000 tons of minable coal in
the Wyodak and rider seams. This estimate of minable reserves does not
include any tonnage from localized seams or splits containing less than
5 feet of coal.
The coal is ranked as subbituminous C. The overall average quality
is 8680 BTU/lb, 4.91 percent ash, 27.72 percent moisture, and .23
percent sulfur. These quality averages place the coal reserves near the
low end of coal quality currently being mined in the far southern
Powder River Basin south of Wright, Wyoming. The tract in this lease
offering contains split estate lands. The surface is not held by a
qualified surface owner as defined in the regulations, 43 CFR 3400.0-5.
The tract will be leased to the qualified bidder of the highest
cash amount provided that the high bid equals or exceeds the fair
market value of the tract. The minimum bid for the tract is $100 per
acre or fraction thereof. No bid that is less than $100 per acre, or
fraction thereof, will be considered. The bid should be sent by
``Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested'', or be hand delivered. The
Cashier will issue a receipt for each hand-delivered bid. Bids received
after 11 a.m., Thursday, September 25, 1997, will not be considered.
The minimum bid is not intended to represent fair market value. The
fair market value of the tract will be determined by the Authorized
Officer after the sale.
If identical high bids are received, the tying high bidders will be
requested to submit follow-up sealed bids until a high bid is received.
All tie-breaking sealed bids must be submitted within 15 minutes
following the Sale Official's announcement at the sale that identical
high bids have been received.
The lease issued as a result of this offering will provide for
payment of an annual advance rental of $3.00 per acre, or fraction
thereof, and of a royalty payment to the United States of 12\1/2\
percent of the value of coal produced by strip or augur mining methods
and 8 percent of the value of the coal produced by underground mining
methods. The value of the coal will be determined in accordance with 30
CFR 203.250(f).
Bidding instructions for the tract reoffered and the terms and
conditions of the proposed coal lease are available from the Wyoming
State Office at the addresses above. The case file, WYW127221, is
available for inspection at the Wyoming State Office.
Dated: August 23, 1997.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 97-22899 Filed 8-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P