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a competitive sale is held. BLNI conducts a public hearing before a competitive sale is held to allow <br />public comment on the effects of mining on the proposed lease. BLM must evaluate lease proposals <br />with respect to the unsuitability criteria developed by the Department of the Interior in compliance <br />witli Section 522 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCP.A) and 43 <br />CFR 3461. This evaluation was done in conjunction with the San Juan/San Miguel Resource <br />Management Plan. Unsuitability decisions affecting the lease application area have been reviewed <br />and are determined to be adequate. <br />Following completion of the final EA on competitive coal lease application COC 62920, the San <br />Juan Field Office ofBLM will forward the competitive lease application. EA, Maximum Economic <br />Recovery report (MER), Record of Decision (ROD), Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), <br />proposed lease terms and conditions, and preliminary recommendations to the BLM State Director <br />in Denver. The State Director will make a determination on the leasing action, the proposed lease <br />terms and conditions and bonding requirements, and the adequacy of the FONSI or the need for an <br />environmental impact statement. The State Director then prepares newspaper and Federal Register <br />notices of the sale and posts a notice of the proposed sale in the Public Room. The notice of the <br />proposed sale is then distributed to the public and advice of sale is sent to the Attorney General. A <br />sales panel consisting of the Deputy State Director for Mineral Resources, a BLM mining engineer, <br />a BLM geologist, 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 which <br />would then make recommendations of acceptance to the State Director. The successful bidder is <br />then notified of additional requirements and requested to submit data and information necessary for <br />a review by the Attorney General. Once the Attorney General has completed the review, the lease <br />documents are then transmitted to the successful bidder for signature and submission of the bond. <br />The State Director then makes the decision approving the bond and issuing the lease. Copies of the <br />decision are then distributed to the BLM District Office, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation <br />and Enforcement (OSM), and the Minerals Management Service (MMS). <br />The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) has agreed to cooperate in <br />preparing this EA. OSM has jurisdiction in recommending approval of any mining plan <br />modifications related to Federal lands and issuing any coal mining permits related to Indian lads <br />that might result from BLM's leasing decision. <br />The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) gives OSM primary <br />responsibility to administer programs that regulate surface coal mining operations on federal and <br />Indian lands and the surface effects of underground coal mining operations on federal and Indian <br />lands. Pursuant to Section 503 of SMCRA, the Colorado Division ofMinerals and Geology (DMG) <br />developed, and the Secretary of the Interior approved, a permanent program authorizing Colorado <br />DMG to regulate surface coal mining operations and surface effects of underground coal mining on <br />non-federal and non -Indian lands within the State of Colorado. In September 1982. pursuant to <br />Section 523 (c) of SMCRA, Colorado DMG entered into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary <br />of the Interior authorizing Colorado DMG to regulate surface coal mining operations and surface <br />effects of underground mining on ianas within Lite stat. 'JSivl retained the atiiiiGm, iO <br />ri f <br />regulate surface coal mining operations and the surface effects of underground mining on Indian <br />2 <br />