The property is being offered following a lease application filed by Peabody subsidiary BTU Western Resources.

It is estimated to contain 721,154,828 tons of mineable coal.

The surface mineable reserves are in the Wyodak-Anderson seam, the tract’s only seam and the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone is being recovered in the adjacent existing mine.

The BLM said the seam’s thickness in the area ranges between 69 feet in the east and 96ft in the west and is under 196ft to 430ft of overburden.

The total mineable stripping ratio of the coal in bank cubic yards per ton is about 4:1.

The agency noted any potential bidders should consider the expected recovery rate of the coal, which is classified as sub bituminous C.

The tract lands are located adjacent and up to seven miles east of the main line railroad and neighbor the western and northern lease boundary of the North Antelope Rochelle mine.

Bids will be taken on June 28 at 10am local time at the Wyoming State Office in Cheyenne and the minimum bid accepted will be $US100 per acre.

North Porcupine will then be leased to the qualified bidder of the highest cash amount meeting or exceeding its fair market value estimate.

The BLM and state will respectively receive an annual rental of $3 per acre and a royalty payment of 12.5% based on the strip or augered coal’s value.