[Federal Register: December 1, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 230)]
[Notices]
[Page 69949-69951]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01de04-86]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines, Life-of-Mine Plans and Water Supply
Project, Coconino, Navajo, and Mohave Counties, AZ, and Clark County,
NV
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
and to hold public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM),
as the lead Federal agency, plans to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to analyze the effects of Peabody Western Coal
Company's proposed operation and reclamation plans for the Black Mesa
and Kayenta coal mines; the Coal Slurry Preparation Plant at the Black
Mesa Mine; the reconstruction of the 273-mile long Coal Slurry Pipeline
across northern Arizona from the Coal Slurry Preparation Plant to the
Mohave Generating Station (electrical) in Laughlin, Nevada; the
construction and operation of water wells in the Coconino aquifer (C-
aquifer) northwest of Winslow, Arizona; and construction and operation
of a water supply pipeline running about 120 miles across the Navajo
and Hopi Reservations from the wells to the Coal Slurry Preparation
Plant.
The Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA); U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service (USFS), County of Mohave, Arizona; and City of Kingman,
Arizona, will cooperate with OSM in the preparation of the EIS.
OSM solicits public comments on the scope of the EIS and
significant issues that should be addressed in the EIS.
At http://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/bmk-eis, interested persons may view
information about the proposed projects; the comment period during
which persons may submit comments; the locations, dates, and times of
public scoping meetings; and the procedures that OSM will follow at the
scoping meetings.
DATES: Written comments must be received by OSM by 4 p.m. on January
21, 2005, to ensure consideration in the preparation of the draft EIS.
Public scoping meetings will be held in:
Saint Michaels, Arizona, on Monday, January 3, 2005, from
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Saint Michaels Chapter House on Indian Route
12 about 2 miles south and west of Window Rock, Arizona.
Forest Lake, Arizona, on Tuesday, January 4, 2005, from 12
p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Forest Lake Chapter House on Navajo Route 41
about 20 miles north of Pinon, Arizona.
Kayenta, Arizona, on Tuesday, January 4, 2005, from 6 p.m.
to 10 p.m. at the Kayenta Chapter House on Highway 163 at the
intersection with Navajo Route 6485, Kayenta, Arizona.
Kykotsmovi, Arizona, on Wednesday, January 5, 2005, from 6
p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Community Center, Kykotsmovi, Arizona.
Leupp, Arizona, on Thursday, January 6, 2005, from 12 p.m.
to 4 p.m. at the Leupp Chapter House on Navajo Route 15, Leupp,
Arizona.
Kingman, Arizona, Wednesday, January 12, 2005, from 12
p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mohave County Board Room, Negus Building, 809 E.
Beale Street, Kingman, Arizona.
Laughlin, Nevada, on Wednesday, January 12, 2005, from 6
p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Laughlin Town Hall, 101 Civic Way, Laughlin,
Nevada.
Flagstaff, Arizona, on Thursday, January 13, 2005, from 6
p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Coconino County Board Room, 219 E. Cherry,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in writing or by e-mail. At the
top of your letter or in the subject line of your e-mail message,
please indicate that the comments are ``BMK EIS Comments.''
E-mail comments should be sent to: BMK-EIS@osmre.gov.
Written comments sent by first-class or priority U.S.
Postal Service should be mailed to: Richard Holbrook, Chief, Southwest
Branch, OSM WRCC, P.O. Box 46667, Denver, Colorado 80201-6667.
Comments delivered by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail or
by courier service should be sent to: Richard Holbrook, Chief,
Southwest Branch, OSM WRCC, 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320, Denver, Colorado
80202-5733.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Holbrook, Chief, Southwest
Branch, Program Support Division, OSM Western Regional Coordinating
Center, by telephone at (303) 844-1400, extension 1491, or by e-mail at
BMK-EIS@osmre.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background on the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines
II. Proposals for the Mines, Coal Slurry Pipeline, and C-Aquifer
Water Supply System
III. Decisions to Be Made by OSM and the Cooperating Agencies
IV. Public Comment Procedures
I. Background on the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines
The contiguous Black Mesa and Kayenta surface coal mines have
operated since 1970 and 1973, respectively. Peabody Western Coal
Company operates the mines on three leaseholds comprising about 65,000
acres within the boundaries of the Navajo and Hopi Reservations. The
mines are located on the Black Mesa about 125 miles northeast of
Flagstaff, Arizona, and 10 miles southwest of Kayenta, Arizona. The
Kayenta Mine produces about 8.5 million tons of coal per year, all of
which are delivered to the Navajo Generating Station near Page,
Arizona, by electric railroad. Currently, the Kayenta Mine is to
provide coal to the Navajo Generating Station through 2011. The Black
Mesa Mine produces about 4.8 million tons of coal annually, all of
which are delivered to the Mohave Generating Station at Laughlin,
Nevada, through the 273-mile long Coal Slurry Pipeline originating at
the Black Mesa Coal Slurry Preparation Plant. Currently, the Black Mesa
Mine is to provide coal to the Mohave Generating Station through 2005.
Black Mesa Pipeline, Inc., operates the Coal Slurry Preparation
Plant and the Coal Slurry Pipeline that transports coal from the Black
Mesa Mine to the Mohave Generating Station. Currently, about 3,100
acre-feet of water from Peabody Western Coal Company's wells in the
Navajo aquifer (N-aquifer) are used annually to slurry the coal.
II. Proposals for the Mines, Coal Slurry Pipeline, and C-Aquifer Water
Supply System
In the past, public concern about the mines and related projects
has centered on use of the N-aquifer water. Under the proposals, most
of the water used by the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines and Coal Slurry
Pipeline would come from the C-aquifer rather than the N-aquifer.
Peabody Western Coal Company would continue to pump some water from
wells in the N-aquifer (about 500 acre-feet per year) for domestic uses
at the mines, providing potable water for use by the local residents in
the vicinity of the mines, and to ensure that the wells are functional
in the event that they are needed for mining-related purposes or for
the Coal Slurry Pipeline if there is a temporary or emergency
disruption in
[[Page 69950]]
water delivery from the C-aquifer Water Supply System.
Peabody Western Coal Company's life-of-mine revision proposes that
the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines would continue mining through at least
2026. Mining methods would not change at either mine. The annual coal
production rate at the Black Mesa Mine would increase from 4.8 million
tons to 6.2 million tons and would remain unchanged at the Kayenta
Mine. A coal wash plant would be constructed at the Black Mesa Mine to
remove waste from the coal. The plant would extract about 0.8 million
tons of waste from the coal each year. About 500 acre-feet of water
would be used each year for washing the coal. Waste would be dewatered
and disposed in the mining pits. The wastewater would be recycled
through the wash plant. About 5.4 million tons of washed coal produced
each year would be crushed and slurried with C-aquifer water at the
Coal Slurry Preparation Plant and would be shipped to the Mohave
Generating Station through the Coal Slurry Pipeline. Because of the
increased coal production, the amount of water needed to slurry coal
from the mine would increase from about 3,100 to 3,700 acre-feet per
year. The Black Mesa Mine would use an additional 1,300 acre-feet of
water for mine-related and domestic purposes (including coal washing).
The Kayenta Mine would use an additional 800 acre-feet of water for
mine-related and domestic purposes.
Black Mesa Pipeline, Inc., would replace about 95 percent of the
273-mile long Coal Slurry Pipeline because the existing pipeline is
reaching its design life. The pipeline passes through the Navajo and
Hopi Reservations; through Federal lands administered by the Bureau of
Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service (Kaibab National Forest);
through lands owned by the State of Arizona, the County of Mohave,
Arizona, and the City of Kingman, Arizona; and through privately-owned
lands. Pipeline reconstruction would involve decommissioning the
existing buried pipeline (mostly leaving it in place) and burying a new
coal slurry pipeline adjacent to the existing pipeline. Additional
right-of-way width (about 15 feet) would be needed for construction
activities along much of the 50-foot wide right-of-way. The new
pipeline would pass under the Colorado River at Laughlin, Nevada and
under the Little Colorado River east of Cameron, Arizona. The C-aquifer
Water Supply System would provide an alternative water source to N-
aquifer water currently used to slurry coal at the Black Mesa
Preparation Plant and for mine-related uses at the Black Mesa Mine and
Kayenta Mine. The system would be capable of providing 6,000 acre-feet
per year for coal slurry and mine-related uses. Development of this
water supply system would provide an opportunity to make water
available to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe for municipal and
industrial uses by expanding the system. In anticipation of the
potential future use of the system for tribal purposes, OSM anticipates
that it would evaluate an alternative that provides an expanded
delivery system and well configuration design for up to an additional
5,600 acre-feet per year (i.e., up to a total capacity of 11,600 acre-
feet per year). The additional capacity would allow future spur
pipelines to be constructed to Navajo and Hopi communities.
Major components of the C-aquifer Water Supply System would
include:
A well field in the southwest part of the Navajo
Reservation (southwest of Leupp, Arizona) and, possibly, a well field
on Hopi-owned lands immediately south of the Navajo Reservation well
field, consisting of approximately 20 production wells (for the 11,600
acre-foot maximum capacity) and associated collector pipelines.
An approximately 120-mile long main pipeline from the well
field(s) north-northeast to the Black Mesa Mine following, to the
extent possible, existing roads.
Associated facilities (e.g., an estimated five pump
stations, access roads and electrical transmission lines).
III. Decisions To Be Made by OSM and the Cooperating Agencies
Under applicable laws, OSM and the cooperators would need to make
several decisions on whether to approve various aspects of the Black
Mesa and Kayenta Mines life-of-mine revision, the Coal Slurry
Preparation Plant, the Coal Slurry Pipeline, and the C-aquifer Water
Supply System. OSM has approval authority for the permit revision
application for the Kayenta and Black Mesa Mines and the permit
application for the Coal Slurry Preparation Plant. BLM has approval
authority for the mining plan for the Kayenta and Black Mesa Mines.
BIA, Navajo Nation, and Hopi Tribe would have various realty actions to
undertake such as granting of rights-of-way, as well as approval
authorities and responsibilities for several other components of the
project, such as C-aquifer water usage. BLM, USFS, Mohave County, and
City of Kingman also would have realty actions to undertake such as
granting of rights-of-way. USEPA has a number of responsibilities under
the Clean Water Act including section 401 certification authority,
which is a prerequisite to section 404 permit authorization. Under
section 402, USEPA issues and enforces National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permits. USEPA also is responsible for
implementing the Clean Air Act requirements on the Hopi reservation and
for implementing most Clean Air Act requirements on the Navajo
reservation. USEPA recently delegated to the Navajo Environmental
Protection Agency the Clean Air Act Part 71 Operating Permit Program
for sources located on Navajo land. Some aspects of the proposed
projects will require a Department of the Army permit from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers under section 404 of the Clean Water Act and
section 10 of the River and Harbor Act of 1899.
The EIS would evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed
project and a variety of alternatives. Alternatives that may be
evaluated include alternative alignments for the Coal Slurry Pipeline
and the C-aquifer water supply pipeline, amounts of water to be
withdrawn from the C-aquifer for tribal municipal and industrial uses
as well as mine related and coal slurry uses, and a variety of approval
and disapproval options related to the various components of the
project. Other alternatives may be evaluated based on the comments
received during the scoping comment period.
IV. Public Comment Procedures
In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's
regulations for implementing NEPA, 40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508, OSM
solicits public comments on the scope of the EIS and significant issues
that it should address in the EIS.
Written comments, including email comments, should be sent to OSM
at the addresses given in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Comments should be specific and pertain only to the issues relating to
the proposals. OSM will include all comments in the administrative
record.
If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive
future information, please contact the person listed in the section,
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above.
Availability of Comments
OSM will make comments, including names and addresses of
respondents, available for public review during normal business hours.
OSM will not consider anonymous comments. If individual respondents
request confidentiality, OSM will honor their
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requests to the extent allowable by law. Individual respondents who
wish to withhold their name or address (except for the city or town)
from public review must state this prominently at the beginning of
their comments and must submit their comments by regular mail. All
submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses will be available for public review in their entirety.
Scoping Meetings
If you wish to speak at a scoping meeting, you should sign up to
speak when you arrive at the meeting. OSM will call upon persons to
speak in the order of the sign-in. If you are in the audience and have
not signed up to speak, you will be allowed to speak after those who
have signed up. For persons who wish not to speak, OSM also will accept
written comments at the meeting.
A transcriber will be present at the meetings to record comments.
To assist the transcriber and ensure an accurate record, OSM requests
that each speaker provide a written copy of his or her comments, if
possible. OSM will end the meeting after everyone who wishes to speak
has been heard. If a large number of people wish to speak at a meeting,
OSM may limit the length of time each person has to speak in order to
give everyone an opportunity to speak.
Hopi and Navajo interpreters will be present at meetings on the
Hopi and Navajo Reservations.
If you are disabled or need special accommodations to attend one of
the meetings, contact the person under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
at least one week before the meeting.
Dated: November 17, 2004.
Allen D. Klein,
Regional Director, Western Regional Coordinating Center.
[FR Doc. 04-26439 Filed 11-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P