West Antelope II coal lease application

This Final Environment Impact Statement (EIS) assesses the environmental consequences of decisions to hold a competitive, sealed-bid sale and issue a lease for a tract of federal coal located adjacent to an existing surface coal mine in Converse and Campbell Counties, Wyoming, subject to standard and special lease stipulations. The West Antelope II Lease by Application (LBA) tract, as applied for by Antelope Coal Company, includes approximately 4,108.6 acres containing approximately 429.7 million tons of in-place federal coal. Antelope Coal Company, the operator of the adjacent Antelope Mine, proposes to mine the tract as a maintenance lease for the existing mine, if a lease sale is held and they acquire the lease. This Final EIS describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic, and socioeconomic resources in and around the existing mine and the LBA tract. The alternatives in the Final EIS consider the impacts of leasing the tract as it was applied for, leasing a reconfigured tract in order to avoid bypassing federal coal or to increase competitive interest in the tract, and not leasing the tract. The focus for the impact analysis was based upon resource issues and concerns identified during previous coal leasing analyses and public scoping conducted for this lease application. Potential concerns related to development include impacts to groundwater, air quality, wildlife, cultural resources, climate change, and cumulative impacts related to ongoing surface coal mining and other proposed development in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.