Consistent with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s priority to responsibly develop domestic energy resources and minerals, the Bureau of Land Management Price Field Office has issued the Lila Canyon Mine Draft Environmental Assessment for 30-day public review and comment. The EA analyzes the potential impacts of approving Federal coal lease modifications for Lila Canyon Mine. The public comment period closes on May 25, 2020.
The applicant, Utah American Energy, Inc. (UEI) has submitted a lease modification application (LMA) to expand two existing Federal leases to add new federal coal reserves as part of the Lila Canyon Mine, located approximately nine miles southeast of East Carbon, Utah. The LMA, submitted by UEI would be a continuation of the existing underground mining operation, and is projected to extend the life of the mine by approximately three years.
The BLM has a responsibility to ensure the coal resources it manages are administered in a responsible way to help meet the energy needs of our nation while ensuring the American public receive a fair return from the sale of public resources, through the establishment of the resources’ Fair Market Value. Coal lease sales and production from Federal lands reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy and increase American jobs and economic output, and results in collection of revenue in the form of royalties, rental payments, and bonus bids.
Interested members of the public, local governments, tribes, organizations, and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments during the 30-day public comment period to help refine the proposed action, clarify issues, and identify new issues.
The Draft EA and the opportunity to comment are available on the BLM’s NEPA register: https://go.usa.gov/xvR4k. Please submit comments by selecting the “Documents” tab and select “Comment on Document.” Comments can also be submitted via email to blm_ut_pr_comments@blm.gov, or by mail, if postmarked on or before May 25, to: BLM Price Field Office, Attn: Lila Canyon, 125 South 600 West, Price, UT 84501.
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in any comments, be aware that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. Requests to withhold personal identifying information from public review can be submitted, but the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
For additional information, please contact Mike Glasson at 435-636-3651.