The final environmental impact statement for the Westmoreland Resources
Crow Ceded Area coal leases, pertaining to more than 30,000 acres of land in
Bighorn County, Montana, is now available to the public, Commissioner of
Indian Affairs Ben Reifel announced today.
According to the official notice published in the Federal Register, copies of the statement may be obtained from the Area Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 316 N. 26th Street, Billings, Montana 59101. Copies of the statement will also be available for inspection at the Crow Agency, the Area Office and the BIA Central Office in Washington, D.C.
This statement will serve as a primary documentary basis upon which the
Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with a District Court Order, must reconsider his approval of two leases in favor of Westmoreland Resources executed by the Crow Tribe in November of 1974.
Westmoreland Resources has submitted plans for expansion of its present
mining operations to include 2,151 acres and approximately 190.6 million tons
of coal. Action on these plans cannot be taken, however, until the leasing
issue has been decided.
