GENERAL44496

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 12/11/2001
• Doc Name: Federal Leases COC-56447 & C-1362 Decision Doc
• Permit Index Doc Type: Other Permits
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Following completion of the Ea for competitive coal lease application
COG-56447, the Montrose District Office of BLK would forward the
competitive lease application, the EA, maximum economic recovery report
(MER), Decision Record (DR), Finding of !:o Significant Impact (FONSI),
proposed lease terms and conditions, and preliminary recommendations to the
gLM State Director in Denver. Tne Colorado State Director would make a
determination on the leasing action, the proposed lease terms and
conditions and bonding requirements, and the adequacy of the FONSI or the
need for an environmental imoacc statecent. The State Director then
prepares newspaper and Federal Register notices of the sale and posts a
notice of the proposed sale in the Public Room. The notice of the proposed
sale is then distributed'to the public and advice of sale is sent to the
Attorney General. A sales panel consisting of the Deputy State Director
for Mineral Resources, a BLM mining engineer, a BLM geologist, and a B1M
mineral economist is then designated.
Once the sale has been held, qualified bidders are evaluated and
ranked by the sale panel which would then make recommendations of
acceptance to the State Director. The successful bidder is then notified
of additional requirements and requested to submit data and information
necessary for a review by the Attorney General. When the Attorney General
has completed his review, the lease documents are then transmitted to the
successful bidder for signature and submission of the bond. The State
• Director then makes the decision approving the bond and issuing the lease.
Copies of the decision are then distri~uted to the BIM District Office, the
Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS).
• Office of Surface Mining and the Colorado Division of Hinerals and Geology
SMCRA gives OSM primary res?onsibility to administer programs that
regulate surface coal mining operations on federal lands and the surface
effects of underground coal ^ining c?e_ations on federal lands. Pursuant
co Section 503 of SMCRA, the Ccioraco =,vision of Minerals and Geology
(CDMG) developed, and the Secretary of the Interior approved, a permanent
program authorizing CDMG co regulate s_r_°ace coal mining operations and
surface effects of underground coal mining on non-federal lands within the
State of Colorado. In September 19°2, pursuant to Section 523(c) of SMCRA,
CDMG entered into a cooperative afire=_ment with the Secretary of the
Interior authorizing CDMG co regulate surface coal mining operations and
surface effects of underground mining on federal lands within the state.
Pursuant to the cooperative asree=ent, federal coal lease holders in
Colorado must submit permit aoplicaticr, packages to OSM and CDMG for
proposed mining and reclamation operations on federal lands in the State.
The CDMG reviews the packages co ensure that the permit application
complies with the permitting recuirements and that the coal mining
operation will meet the approved oermanenc program's performance standards;
if it does comply, CDMG issues c^,e :essee a permit co conduct coal mining
operations. The OSM, USFS, 3~y, and other federal agencies review the
permit application package to ensure tier it complies with th> term; of the
coal lease; the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Acc of 15_0; the
National Environmental Policy Acc of 1969; and other federal laws and their
attendant regulations. The OSM recommends approval, approval with
• conditions, or disapproval of the mining plan to the Assistant Secretar_~ -
u