The BLM began
preparing an environmental assessment to evaluate the LBA for Mine No. 4 under this project. Upon
further review of the potential effects of the Proposed Action for the Mine No. 4
expansion and, given the proximity to an additional, subsequent, LBA received by the applicant (Blue Creek Mine No. 1 expansion LBA), the
BLM determined that an EIS is warranted and that both LBAs will be evaluated
under a single EIS. The initiation of the EIS process for the two LBAs terminates the environmental assessment process evaluating the LBA for Mine No. 4.
The ePlanning page for the EIS is located here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031600/510
Background:
ALES- 55797 LBA Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
This project is located within the Cassidy Tract near Tuscaloosa, AL and includes the leasing of approximately 5,704.52 acres of subsurface coal mineral resources.
The legal description of this property is as follows:
All or parts of Township 18S, Range 8W, Sections 17, 18, 27, 28, 33
Township 19S, Range 8W, Sections 4, 11, 18
Township 18S, Range 9W, Sections 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35
Township 19S, Range 9W, Sections 1, 12, 14.
Introduction:
The Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC (formerly Jim Walter Resources, Inc.) Mine No. 4 Expansion Coal Lease Land Use Analysis and Environmental Assessment (LUA/EA) presents an analysis of the environmental, social, and economic effects of the Proposed Action (PA), which is to offer the coal mineral rights of approximately 5,704.52 acres of property for lease by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The No Action Alternative is to take no further action to evaluate or offer the 5,704.52 acres of coal mineral rights for leasing.
The Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC Mine No. 4 LUA/EA is tied to the analyses presented in the following programmatic document: Alabama and Mississippi Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, May 2008 (AL-MS RMP).
The analysis was initiated by the BLM in response to an application submitted by Jim Walter Resources, Inc. (JWR) of Brookwood, Alabama to the BLM Eastern States Office requesting to lease the subject property.
The BLM, under the Secretary of the Interior, is the lead federal agency responsible for leasing federally-administered coal under the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act (FLPMA) of 1976. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a cooperating agency. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC contracted the CFM Group, LLC (CFM) of Tuscaloosa, AL to prepare this analysis under the review of BLM.
This analysis is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and can be used as a basis for making a decision on the Proposed Action (PA) as it relates to the suitability for leasing and the subsequent mining of the federal coal contained in the subject property. The analysis in no way guarantees that the subject federal coal will be leased.
Proposed Action
The PA is for BLM to offer approximately 5,704.52 acres of federal coal for competitive leasing in response to the application for leasing under the Lease-by-Application (LBA) process contained in 43 CFR 3425. The subject property would be offered with BLM’s standard terms and conditions and special coal lease stipulations identified by the BLM and other federal and non-federal groups for the protection of natural resources consistent with applicable state and federal laws and BLM policy as set forth in the Alabama and Mississippi Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement.
If the PA is selected and the subject property is leased, the proposed development scenario (PDS) associated with the PA would involve underground mining of federal coal deposits. The PDS is based on the requirements in 43CFR 3420.1-4(e), which consists of four screens. The screens identify areas acceptable for further consideration for leasing. The four screens are: (1) Development Potential, (2) Unsuitability, (3) Multiple-Use Trade-off, and (4) Surface Owner Consultation. The subject area passes all four screens. The Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC Mine No. 4 expansion area is located adjacent to and northwest of the current Mine No. 4, which is not a part of this NEPA evaluation.
The No Action Alternative (NAA) is to not lease the federal coal. If the NAA is selected, the associated No Action Scenario (NAS) would involve mining of the private coal reserves that adjoin the subject property, in accordance with an existing Alabama Surface Mining Commission (ASMC) operating permit and permit revision and private leases. The NAS would render the federally owned coal non-recoverable for the foreseeable future. Privately owned coal resources on adjoining properties will have been mined by the ongoing operations of the lease applicant, making the federally owned coal less desirable for mining and, for practical purposes, bypassed.
It has been determined that the property in question is both unleased and is in conformance with the Eastern States’ Plan for Exploring For and Leasing Coal.
