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impacts of any proposed lease and to develop mitigating measures to be included as lease <br />stipulations in the event a competitive sale is held. BLM conducts a public hearing before a <br />competitive sale is held to allow public comment on the effects of mining on the proposed <br />lease. BLM must evaluate lease proposals with respect to the unsuitability criteria developed <br />by the Department of the Interior in compliance with Section 522 of the Surface Mining <br />Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and 43 CFR 3461. This evaluation was done <br />in conjunction with the San Juan/San Miguel Resource Management Plan. Unsuitability <br />decisions affecting the lease application area have been reviewed and are determined to be <br />adequate. <br />Following completion of the final EA on competitive coal lease application COC 62920, the <br />San Juan Field Office of BLM will forward the competitive lease application, EA, Maximum <br />Economic Recovery report (MER), Record of Decision (ROD), Finding of No Significant <br />Impact (FONSI), proposed lease terms and conditions, and preliminary recommendations to <br />the BLM State Director in Denver. The State Director will make a determination on the <br />leasing action, the proposed lease terms and conditions and bonding requirements, and the <br />adequacy of the FONSI or the need for an environmental impact statement. The State <br />Director then prepares newspaper and Federal Register notices of the sale and posts a notice <br />of the proposed sale in the Public Room. The notice of the proposed sale is then distributed <br />to the public and advice of sale is sent to the Attorney General. A sales panel consisting of <br />the Deputy State Director for Mineral Resources, a BLM mining engineer, a BLM geologist, <br />and a BLM mineral economist is then designated. <br />Once the sale has been held, qualified bidders are evaluated and ranked by the sale panel <br />which would then make recommendations of acceptance to the State Director. The successful <br />bidder is then notified of additional requirements and requested to submit data and information <br />necessary for a review by the Attorney General. Once the Attorney General has completed <br />the review, the lease documents are then transmitted to the successful bidder for signature <br />and submission of the bond. The State Director then makes the decision approving the bond <br />and issuing the lease. Copies of the decision are then distributed to the BLM District Office, <br />3 <br />