We’re repeating last month’s note on the DOI Federal Coal Program hearings as there are still meetings being held in June.

As the next step in the Department of the Interior’s review of the federal coal program, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding a series of public meetings to solicit public input.  These meetings will provide the public with opportunities to help the BLM identify and evaluate potential reforms to the federal coal program. This announcement follows the previous publication of a Notice of Intent to conduct a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that began a formal, comprehensive review of the federal coal program. ...

Each public scoping meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. local time in the following locations:                                        

 

June 21, 2016       Sheraton Seattle Downtown

                                 1400 6th Ave.

                                  Seattle, WA 98101

 

June 23, 2016       Two Rivers Convention Center / Avalon Theater

                                 159 Main St.

                                  Grand Junction, CO 81501

June 28, 2016       Pittsburgh Convention Center

                                 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.

                                 Pittsburgh, PA 15222

 

The meetings in Seattle and Pittsburgh will be live-streamed at www.blm.gov/live, and all meetings will have a listen-only audio link via telephone. Those who attend the meetings in person and who wish to speak will be asked to sign-in.  Speakers will be called upon on a first-come, first-served basis and will be accommodated to the fullest extent possible given the space and time available.  Those interested in attending should check the BLM Coal PEIS website prior to the meeting for additional information.

Written comments may be submitted until July 23, 2016, using one of the following methods:

Email: BLM_WO_Coal_Program_PEIS_Comments@blm.gov

Mail:

Coal Programmatic EIS Scoping

Bureau of Land Management

20 M St. SE, Room 2134 LM

Washington, D.C. 20003

The Interior Department will release an interim report on the PEIS by the end of 2016. The interim report will contain a summary of substantive comments received during the public scoping period and conclusions from the scoping process about potential planning alternatives results. The comprehensive review is expected to take approximately three years to complete.

Additional information on the PEIS can be found here, and additional information on the federal coal program can be found here.