(a) The authorized officer shall prepare a document that estimates the cost of compliance with all laws, regulations, lease terms, and special stipulations intended to protect the environment and mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of mining.

(1) The costs shall be calculated for each of the various numbered subject areas contained in §3430.4-4 of this title.

(2) The authorized officer's estimated costs of compliance may be stated in ranges based on the best available information. If a range is used, he/she shall identify the number from each range that the authorized officer proposes to use in making the determination whether a particular applicant has identified coal in commercial quantities.

(b) The authorized officer shall provide for public review of the costs of environmental protection associated with the proposed mining on the preference right lease application area.

(1) The authorized officer shall send the Bureau's cost estimate document to the preference right lease applicant and provide at least 30 days for the applicant to review said document before a notice of availability is published in the Federal Register. Comments submitted by the applicant, and the Bureau's response to the comments, shall be made available to the public for review and comment at the time the cost estimate document is made available.

(2) The authorized officer then shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of the availability of the Bureau's cost estimation document.

(3) The authorized officer also shall send the cost estimation document to all interested parties, including all agencies, organizations, and individuals that participated in the environmental impact statement or the scoping process.

(4) Copies of the cost estimation document shall be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency.

(5) The public shall be given a period of not less than 60 days from the date of the publication of the notice in the Federal Register to comment on the Bureau's cost estimates.

(c) The cost estimate document and all substantive comments received (or summaries thereof if the response is voluminous) shall be part of the Record of Decision for the preference right lease application(s) (See 40 CFR 1505.2).

(1) The authorized officer shall respond to each substantive comment in the Record of Decision by modifying or supplementing his/her cost estimates, or explaining why they were not modified or supplemented in response to the comments.

(2) The authorized officer shall submit a copy of the Record of Decision with the public comments and the Bureau's response to the Environmental Protection Agency.

(3) The authorized officer shall publish a notice of the availability of each Record of Decision in the Federal Register.

(4) No preference right lease shall be issued sooner than 30 days following publication of the notice of availability required by paragraph (c)(3) of this section.

[52 FR 25799, July 8, 1987]