Powder River Regional Coal Team to meet

— Press release

The Powder River Regional Coal Team (RCT) will meet Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at 9 a.m. at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2211 King Blvd., in Casper, Wyo. The RCT will review current and proposed activities in the Powder River Coal Production Region of Wyoming and Montana including pending coal lease applications. The meeting is open to the public.

The RCT consists of the governors and BLM State Directors from Wyoming and Montana, and the BLM Deputy State Director of Minerals and Lands in Wyoming. There are also a number of ex officio members from other federal and state agencies, county governments and Native American tribes.

Specific coal-related topics planned for the RCT meeting include:

· Update on U.S. Geological Survey coal inventory work.

· Update on progress in processing existing coal LBAs in the Powder River Coal Production Region.

· Consider and vote on processing the following new LBA filing in the Powder River Coal Production Region.

· The Spring Creek LBA II Tract was filed by Spring Creek Coal LLC in the BLM Montana State office on Feb. 15, 2013. The Spring Creek LBA II Tract is adjacent to the Spring Creek Mine located in Big Horn County, Mont.

· Presentation on potential exchange of Preference Right Lease Applications in New Mexico held by Ark Land Company, for competitive bidding rights in Wyoming, pursuant to 43 CFR Part 3435.

· Discuss updating the Data Adequacy Standards for the Powder River Coal Region.

· Update on BLM land use planning efforts in the Powder River Coal Production Region of Wyoming and Montana.

· Other coal-related issues that may arise prior to the meeting.

The meeting is a forum for public discussion on federal coal management issues of concern in the Powder River Coal Production Region. Any party interested in providing comments or data related to existing pending applications, or any party proposing other issues to be considered by the RCT, may either do so in writing to the State Director (922), BLM Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009, no later than June 17, 2013, or by addressing the RCT with your concerns at the meeting on June 19, 2013.

For more information, contact Kathy Muller Ogle, BLM Wyoming regional coal coordinator, at 307-775-6206, or Greg Fesko, BLM Montana regional coal coordinator, at 406-896-5080.

Dustin Bleizeffer is a Report for America Corps member covering energy and climate at WyoFile. He has worked as a coal miner, an oilfield mechanic, and for 25 years as a statewide reporter and editor primarily...

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