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NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-Eastern States-M000-2026-0001-EA
Project Name: Coal Lease at R.D. Bailey Lake in Mingo and Wyoming Counties, West Virginia

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-Eastern States-M000-2026-0001-EA
Project Name

Coal Lease at R.D. Bailey Lake in Mingo and Wyoming Counties, West Virginia
Project Type

EA
NEPA Status
Lead Office

Northeastern States District Office
Last Updated

3/27/2026 5:00:00 PM

Project Description

These mines are operated as underground mining facilities using room and pillar method mining. The facilities develop metallurgical coal, used in steel production, from the Eagle and Powellton coal seams. The Eagle and Powellton coal seams, as well as the 2-Gas coal seam, extend directly into the subsurface estate of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) managed R.D. Bailey Lake, a reservoir built primarily for flood risk management and secondarily for recreational, water quality, and wildlife management uses. On October 6, 2025, Ramaco submitted a lease application in accordance with 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Subpart 3425 to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to access and develop the federal mineral resources found in these coal seams beneath the R.D. Bailey Lake property. Ramaco’s application proposes expanding their existing Eagle and Powellton mining operations directly into the federal minerals without developing new access points. This action is possible due to the existing mining infrastructure that Ramaco already has in place at the Elk Creek mining facility. This method of expanding via existing mining tunnels reduces the need for new surface disturbance and environmental impacts.

What's New

February 23, 2026

The Bureau of Land Management will be holding an open house and informative public hearing for the Proposed Leasing of Coal Reserves at the R.D. Bailey Lake Project in Mingo and Wyoming Counties, West Virginia on Wednesday March 11, 2026 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 202 Larry Joe Harless Drive, Gilbert, WV 25621.

November 5, 2025:

On November 5, 2025, the environmental assessment that disclosed the anticipated effects to the human environment related to the Proposed Action was uploaded to this ePlanning page.

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Simon	West Virginia	24882	Wyoming County

Application Information

Applicant

Ramaco Resources, LLC
Program

Mining
Sub-Program

Coal

Project Dates

Start Date

10/6/2025

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Northeastern States District Office
Offices

Northeastern States DO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Zachary Siegert
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

Contact 2 Name

Mitchell Owens
Contact 2 Email

[email protected]
Contact 2 Phone

(208) 769-5015

Contact 3 Name

Donna Charleston
Contact 3 Email

[email protected]
Contact 3 Phone