Federally Owned Coal and Federal Lands in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region Federally owned coal and coal from land that is federally managed, in the United States. More than 30 percent of that year’s production (about particularly from the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region, plays 330 million short tons) was produced from Federal lands. Most Federal coal a major role in the energy supply of the United States. Federally owned coal is production comes from coal basins in the Northern Rocky Mountains and coal that is located in an area where the Federal Government has subsurface Great Plains region (fig. 2 and table 1). ownership of oil, gas, and coal; coal only; or all minerals. Federal coal may or The Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region is an area that may not underlie areas where the land surface above is managed by the Federal was defined by the National Coal Resource Assessment project of the U.S. Government (see U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-012-98). In 1997, Geological Survey (Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999). The area about 1,100 million short tons of coal were produced from coal basins (fig. 1) consists of portions of the Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains coal provinces of Trumbull (1960) (fig. 1). The region consists of about 313 million acres of land, of which about 32 percent is federally surface- managed (fig. 3), and about 80 percent contains federally owned coal (as defined previously).

ND SD MT WY EXPLANATION Coal basins in the Northern Rocky Mountains Other coal basins and Great Plains region ID UT NE Figure 1. Major coal basins in the contiguous United States. (Modified from Trumbull, 1960). CO

MT Williston Basin ND NPS Bull Mountain Other 1% NM Federal Basin Tribal 8% 1% SD BLM Big Horn 9% Basin Powder River Basin Wind River NFS State and Basin 14% Private Hanna Basin 67% Greater Green Carbon NE Basin EXPLANATION River Basin WY Coal basins North and Middle Park Basins EXPLANATION CO Northern Rocky Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mountains Denver and Great Plains Basin National Forest Service (NFS) region Raton Basin National Park Service (NPS) Other Federal Agencies (Other Federal) NM 0 100 200 MILES Tribal Lands (Tribal) State and Private

Figure 2. Map showing the location of coal basins in the Northern Rocky Figure 3. Land-management status in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Mountains and Great Plains region. Plains region and chart showing land management in percent.

U.S. Department of the Interior USGS Fact Sheet FS-011-00 Printed on recycled paper U.S. Geological Survey March 2000 Most of the 1997 Federal coal production was from the States of Wyoming Department of the Interior, 1996). More than 70 percent of the State royalties and Montana (table 1). Coal from the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great in 1996 (about $75,000,000 in royalties) were disbursed to the States of Plains region is of particular interest for future development not only because Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Additionally, many of the coal-bearing of its great quantity, but also because it is low in total sulfur and ash yield areas of the region occur in federally managed land that is administered by the (table 2) and is therefore generally compliant with emission standards for coal Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (fig. 3). These to be used in electric power plants. agencies determine what areas can be leased for coal development. Knowing where the Federal coal is located, how much Federal coal exists, and the geologic setting of the coal helps land managers, planners, and mineral Table 1. 1997 Federal coal production from States in the developers to make informed land-use decisions. Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region. [Results given in millions of short tons (1 short ton = 2,000 pounds). Data Table 3. Coal beds included in the priority coal assessment shown to two significant figures. Modified from U.S. Department of Energy units for this study. (1998, p. 21). Federal coal production figures from Colorado, New Mexico, [Coal splits of the indicated coal beds are also included in the and Utah are not included in this table although portions of these States are assessment unit] in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region. Production from those States is reported in the Colorado Plateau region Fact Sheet (U.S. Priority coal Coal beds in Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-145-99, 1999)] assessment unit assessment unit

1997 coal production Powder River Basin, Wyoming State (millions of short tons) Wyodak-Anderson Anderson, Dietz, Canyon, Monarch, Werner Wyoming 250 Wyodak, Smith, Swartz, Sussex, School, and Badger Montana 25 Powder River Basin, Montana

North Dakota 3.0 Knobloch Knobloch TOTAL Federal coal from region 280 Rosebud-Robinson Rosebud, McKay, and Robinson Williston Basin, North Dakota

Harmon-Hansen Harmon and Hansen Table 2. Average percent sulfur content and ash yield for Beulah Zap-Hagel Beulah-Zap and Hagel coal included in this study. Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming [Coal quality values for assessment units in the Powder River Basin include only the Wyodak-Anderson coal. Modified from Stricker and Ellis (1999a, Deadman Deadman 1-5 and A-C 1999b, 1999c, and 1999d)] Ferris Ferris 23, 25, 31, 50, and 65

Coal basin containing Average total sulfur Average ash yield Hanna Hanna 77, 78, 79, and 81 priority coal assessment units (percent) (percent) Johnson-107 Johnson, Finch, C106, and C107 Powder River Basin 0.48 6.44 Williston Basin 0.84 7.96 Federal Coal Resources Greater Green River Basin 0.56 11.18 This report includes information on 9 priority coal assessment units within Hanna and Carbon Basins 0.96 12.48 the Powder River, Williston, Greater Green River, Hanna, and Carbon Basins. Federal and non-Federal surface and coal ownership was determined for the area of each of the study areas, and coal resources were calculated for each of the ownership categories. The assessment units and coal resource calculations in this report are Coal resources were calculated using the net coal thickness of each modified from assessment units and data generated by the Fort Union assessment unit. The net coal thickness is the sum of the thickness of each of Assessment Team (1999) for the 1999 National Coal Resource Assessment the coal beds in the unit that were greater than 2.5 ft thick at a given location. project. The priority coal assessment units are comprised of coal beds and coal The net-thickness values were used to calculate a grid containing coal- splits that were combined into coal zones that were determined to have a high thickness values that were evenly spaced throughout each study area. These potential for development in the next 20 to 30 years (table 3). The strati- values, in conjunction with the area of the study, were used to calculate the graphic correlation of coal beds and zones in each of the priority coal volume of the coal in acre-feet. To determine the tonnage of coal, the volume assessment units is given in Flores and others (1999). The boundaries in was multiplied by a conversion factor of 1,770 short tons of subbituminous which the coal resources were calculated were limited to project-defined study coal per acre-foot or 1,750 short tons of lignite per acre-foot. The coal areas determined by the availability of reliable data and the mapped extent of resource tonnages do not include coal in parts of the study area that contained the coal being assessed (fig. 4). an extrapolated coal thickness of less than 2.5 ft, clinker, coal mines, or lease The assessed coal in this region represents a huge potential source for coal areas. Federal surface management and Federal coal ownership for each of the development in the future. A total of about 660,000 million short tons were assessment units, as well as coal-resource calculations and percentages for calculated for assessed coal in the region. Of this total, about 520,000 million different ownership categories, are shown in figure 4. The Federal land and short tons of coal are federally owned. The production of Federal coal coal status, combined with other information from the assessment, can provide generates more than a quarter billion dollars in royalties annually, about half essential information for those making management decisions concerning of which is disbursed to the States in which the coal was produced (U.S. specific plots of land in the region. 106°52'30" 106°45' 106°37'30" 106°52'30" 106°45' 106°37'30" 109° 105° 101° Ownership Wyoming Wyoming ND Federal Non-Federal 6 42° 42° Ferris Williston MST, millions of short tons Basin coal assessment unit 106°45' 106°30' 106°15' 106° 106°45' 106°30' 106°15' 106° 2 Percent land surface managed 0 10 MILES by the Federal Government: 38% 5 0 10 MILES Knobloch Percent of study area underlain coal assessment unit 41° 41° by federally owned coal: 33% Montana 52' Montana Percent land surface managed 52' 4 30" 30" Federal coal tonnage: 640 MST 45°30' 45°30' by the Federal Government: 14% 0 4 MILES 0 4 MILES Percent of total coal tonnage Percent of study area underlain that is federally owned: 38% Powder River Basin by federally owned coal: 65% Surface ownership Coal ownership 3 Federal coal tonnage: 3,400 MST SD Percent of total coal tonnage ° ° 2 45 15' 45 15' that is federally owned: 57% Surface ownership Coal ownership 106°30' 106°30' MT 7 45° ° ° Hanna ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° 3 42 42 107 15' 107 106 45' 106 30' 107 15' 107 106 45' 106 30' WY Rosebud-Robinson coal assessment unit Montana Montana 0 10 MILES Percent land surface managed ° 0 10 MILES ° coal assessment unit 46 46 by the Federal Government: 25% 1 Percent land surface managed by the Federal Government: 2.7% Percent of study area underlain by federally owned coal: 28% Percent of study area underlain 41°52'30" 41°52'30" by federally owned coal: 38% Wyoming Wyoming Federal coal tonnage: 1,500 MST

45°45' 45°45' Federal coal tonnage: 5,000 MST 0 3 MILES 0 3 MILES Percent of total coal tonnage that is federally owned: 35% Percent of total coal tonnage Surface ownership NE Coal ownership Greater Green River that is federally owned: 39% Basin (part) Surface ownership Coal ownership

104° 103° 102° 104° 103° 102° ° ° 7 0 30 MILES 0 30 MILES 106 22'30" 106 22'30" 9 Hanna and 4 41°52'30" 41°52'30" 8 Carbon Basins 0 3 MILES 0 3 MILES Johnson-107 6 47° North Dakota 47° North Dakota 8 0 50 100 Miles Harmon-Hansen Wyoming Wyoming coal assessment unit coal assessment unit Percent land surface managed 41° Percent land surface managed by the Federal Government: 18% EXPLANATION by the Federal Government: 8% Assessment unit study areas Percent of study area underlain (shaded where overlapping) Greater Green River, Percent of study area underlain by federally owned coal: 22% by federally owned coal: 36% Hanna, and Carbon 41°45' 41°45' Federal coal tonnage: 210 MST Powder River Basin Williston Basin Basins Federal coal tonnage: 25,000 MST Tertiary Percent of total coal tonnage coal Wyodak-Anderson Harmon-Hansen Deadman Percent of total coal tonnage that is federally owned: 19% ° ° Coal ownership basins Knobloch Beulah Zap-Hagel Ferris 46 46 that is federally owned: 37% Surface ownership Surface ownership Coal ownership Rosebud-Robinson Hanna Johnson-107 101°30' 101° 101°30' 101°

North Dakota North Dakota 108°52'30" 108°45' 108°37'30" 107° 106° 105° ° 106° ° 41°52'30" 107 105 0105 MILES 0105 MILES 5 Wyoming Montana Montana 9 ° ° 1 Beulah Zap-Hagel 45 45 Wyoming coal assessment unit 41°45' Deadman Wyoming Wyodak-Anderson 47°30' 47°30' coal assessment unit Percent land surface managed coal assessment unit by the Federal Government: 0% Percent land surface managed Percent land surface managed by the Federal Government: 51% by the Federal Government: 13% Percent of study area underlain 41°37'30" 44° 44° by federally owned coal: 22% Percent of study area underlain Percent of study area underlain by federally owned coal: 87% Federal coal tonnage: 2,200 MST by federally owned coal: 47% Federal coal tonnage: 480,000 MST Percent of total coal tonnage 0 4 MILES Federal coal tonnage: 1,200 MST 41°30' 0 30 MILES that is federally owned: 24% Percent of total coal tonnage 0 30 MILES Percent of total coal tonnage 43° 43° that is federally owned: 87% that is federally owned: 46%

Surface ownership Coal ownership Surface ownership Coal ownership Surface and coal ownership Figure 4. Index map showing the priority coal assessment unit study areas within Tertiary coal basins and maps showing Federal coal and surface ownership. Table 4. Statistics on Federal land, coal ownership, and coal resources in study areas for the coal assessment units in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region.

PRIORITY ASSESSMENT UNITS FEDERAL LAND AREA FEDERAL COAL AREA FEDERAL COAL PERCENTAGE FEDERAL COAL TONNAGE (Percent of the surface (Percent of the surface (Percent of coal the (In millions of short tons administered by the underlain by Federally tonnage that is rounded to two Federal Government) owned coal) Federally owned) significant figures) Wyodak-Anderson 13 87 87 480,000 Knobloch 14 65 57 3,400 Rosebud-Robinson 2.7 38 39 5,000 Harmon-Hansen 8 36 37 25,000 Beulah Zap-Hagel 0 22 24 2,200 Ferris 38 33 38 640 Hanna 25 28 35 1,500 Johnson-107 18 22 19 210 Deadman 51 47 46 1,200

Table 4 shows a summary of statistics concerning Federal land and federally managed land surface; the rest of the coal occurs beneath State, federally owned coal for each of the priority assessment units, within the Tribal, or privately owned land. defined study areas. Federally owned coal tonnage was calculated for the first The federally owned coal deposits in this region currently play an important time as part of this study. Within the study areas, land that is federally role in supplying energy to the Nation. About 25 percent (about 280 million administered ranges from 0 to 51 percent; land underlain by Federal coal short tons) of the national total of coal produced in 1997 (about 1,100 million ranges from 22 to 87 percent; and federally owned coal tonnage for the short tons) was developed from Federal coal in the Northern Rocky Mountains assessed units ranges from 19 to 87 percent. and Great Plains region. Even with cultural and mining restrictions that limit The coal assessment report for the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great the amount of coal that can actually be developed, the total of 660,000 million Plains region (Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999) includes additional short tons of Federal coal, just for these 9 priority assessment units, represents information on surface and mineral ownership, coal resource tonnages, coal a very large source of coal for development in the future. United States coal quality, net coal thickness, overburden, and the geology and structure of rocks resources continue to be evaluated, and there is sustained interest in the in and around each study area. A detailed description of the coal resources for development of federally owned coal resources and in the potential of new each of the assessment units is given in Ellis and others (1999a, 1999b, 1999c, leasing of federally managed land in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great 1999d, and 1999e) and Roberts and others (1999a and 1999b). Plains region. Detailed information on Federal surface and coal ownership, and About 80 percent, 520,000 million short tons of the total 660,000 million other data included in this and other reports, will assist policy makers and short tons, of the coal from priority assessment units in the region is federally planners in making crucial decisions concerning the multiple use of Federal owned (fig. 5). About 15 percent of coal in the assessment units occurs beneath lands and the scope of future Federal coal development.

Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region Assessment Units 600,000 600,000 500,000 500,000 400,000 400,000 300,000 300,000 200,000 200,000 100,000 100,000 Millions of short tons Millions of short tons 0 0 Federal Non-Federal Federal Non-Federal Surface Management Coal Ownership

Surface Total* Percent of total tonnage Federal 98,000 15% Non-Federal 560,000 85% Grand total 660,000 Coal Total* Percent of total tonnage Federal 520,000 80% Non-Federal 130,000 20% Grand total 660,000

*Coal resources are reported in millions of short tons and with two significant figures. Totals will not sum because of independent rounding of the coal resources in each category.

Figure 5. Percentages of Federal and non-Federal assessed coal in the Northern Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region. quality, and coal resources, chap. PA in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, References Cited 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey Ellis, M.S., Gunther, G.L., Flores, R.M., Ochs, A.M., Stricker, G.D., Roberts, Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. S.B., Taber, T.T., Bader, L.R., and Schuenemeyer, J.H, 1999a, Preliminary report on coal resources of the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone, Powder River Roberts, S.B., Wilde, E.M., Rossi, G.S., Blake, Dorsey, Bader, L.R., Ellis, M.S., Basin, Wyoming and Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report Stricker, G.D., Gunther, G.L., Ochs, A.M., Schuenemeyer, J.H., and Power, 98-789-a [available at http://greenwood.cr.usgs. gov/pub/open-file- H.C., 1999b, Colstrip coalfield, Powder River Basin, Montana: Geology, coal reports/ofr-098-0789a/]. quality, and coal resources, chap. PC in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Ellis, M.S., Gunther, G.L., Flores, R.M., Ochs, A.M., Roberts, S.B., Wilde, Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey E.M., Schuenemeyer, J.H., Power, H.C., Stricker, G.D., and Blake, Dorsey, Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. 1999b, Coal resources, Powder River Basin, chap. PN in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Stricker, G.D., and Ellis, M.S., 1999a, Coal quality and geochemistry, Powder Beds and Zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, chap. PQ in Fort Union Coal U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Assessment Team, 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Ellis, M.S., Gunther, G.L., Ochs, A.M., Keighin, C.W., Gowen, G.E., Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Schuenemeyer, J.H., Power, H.C., Stricker, G.D., and Blake, Dorsey, 1999c, Coal resources, Williston Basin, chap. WN in Fort Union Coal Assessment Stricker, G.D., and Ellis, M.S., 1999b, Coal quality and geochemistry, Williston Team, 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones Basin, North Dakota, chap. WQ in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999 in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Ellis, M.S., Gunther, G.L., Ochs, A.M., Cavaroc, V.V., Jr., Schuenemeyer, J.H., Power, H.C., Stricker, G.D., and Blake, Dorsey, 1999d, Coal resources, Stricker, G.D., and Ellis, M.S., 1999c, Coal quality and geochemistry, Greater Greater Green River Basin, chap. GN in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, Green River Basin, Wyoming, chap. GQ in Fort Union Coal Assessment 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Team, 1999 Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Ellis, M.S., Gunther, G.L., Ochs, A.M., Schuenemeyer, J.H., Power, H.C., Stricker, G.D., and Ellis, M.S., 1999d, Coal quality and geochemistry, Hanna Stricker, G.D., and Blake, Dorsey, 1999e, Coal resources, Hanna and Carbon Basin, Wyoming, chap. HQ in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999 Basins, chap. HN in Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999 Resource Resource Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Assessment of Selected Tertiary Coal Beds and Zones in the Northern Rocky Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey Mountains and Great Plains Region: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM disc 1. Trumbull, J.V.A., 1960, Coal fields of the United States, exclusive of Alaska: Flores, R.M., Ochs, A.M., Stricker, G.D., Roberts, S.B., Ellis, M.S., Keighin, U.S. Geological Survey Map, sheet 1, scale 1:500,000. C.W., Murphy, E.C., Cavaroc, V.V., Jr., Johnson, R.C., and Wilde, E.M., U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, 1996, Royalty 1999, National coal resource assessment non-proprietary data: Location, Management Program, "Federal mineral disbursements by State and stratigraphy, and coal quality of selected Tertiary coals in the Northern county—Fiscal year 1996." Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region: U.S. Geological Survey Open- File Report 99-376, CD-ROM. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 1998, Coal Industry Annual, 1997: DOE/EIA-0584 (97), p. 21. Fort Union Coal Assessment Team, 1999, 1999 resource assessment of selected Tertiary coal beds and zones in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great U.S. Geological Survey, 1998, Federal coal in the United States—A digital Plains region: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A, CD-ROM database of coal ownership status: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-012- discs 1 and 2. 98, 6 p. Roberts, S.B., Wilde, E.M., Rossi, G.S., Blake, Dorsey, Ellis, M.S., Stricker, U.S. Geological Survey, 1999 Federally owned coal and Federal lands in the G.D., Ochs, A.M., Gunther, G.L., Schuenemeyer, J.H., and Power, H.C., Colorado Plateau region: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-145-99, 4 p. 1999a, Ashland coalfield, Powder River Basin, Montana: Geology, coal [available at http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/fact-sheets/fs-0145-99/].

For further information on Federal coal resources, contact: For information on the geology of the priority assessment Margaret S. Ellis [email protected] (303) 236-7775 units, contact: (USGS, This Region) Romeo M. Flores [email protected] (303) 236-7774 Carol L. Molnia [email protected] (303) 236-7769 (USGS, Project Leader) (USGS, Colorado Plateau Region) Margaret S. Ellis [email protected] (303) 236-7775 Laura H. Biewick [email protected] (303) 236-7773 (USGS, Coal Resources) (USGS, U.S. Federal Surface Management) Stephen B. Roberts [email protected] (303) 236-7788 Laura N.R. Roberts [email protected] (303) 236-7777 (USGS, Montana) (USGS, Project Leader) Gary D. Stricker (303) 236-7763 (USGS, Geochemistry) U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, MS 939, Denver, CO 80225 Allan M. Ochs [email protected] (303) 236-0104 (Consultant, Data Management) Information about the National Coal Assessment can be found at: http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/coal/index.html This fact sheet can be viewed on the Web at: http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/fact-sheets/fs-011-00/