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... '" 0," , , l j 'J :...: ...J~: ~ CHAPTER FOUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Chapter Four describes the physical, biological, and economic consequences of implementing the resource management alternatives described in Chapter Three. The chapter discusses only those resources which would be impacted as a result of implementing the proposed management actions of each alternative. Both adverse and beneficial impacts were analyzed, based on the effects that management actions in the proposed management alternatives would have upon the resources/resource uses within the affected environment in Chapter Two. Mitigating measures designed to avoid or reduce environmental impacts were incorporated into the management alternatives. Impacts identified in this chapter are thus considered unavoidable, and would result from implementing the management actions and mitigation. ASSUMPTIONS FOR ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES An interdisciplinary approach was used in developing and analyzing environmental consequences. The general assumptions used during the analysis included: 1. Only significant adverse and beneficial changes or impacts, which vary by resource and alternative, would be analyzed. Some less-than-significant impacts are presented to better illustrate the scope and effect of a management action in some cases, or to differentiate between significant and non-significant impacts. 2. Changes or impacts described are short-term unless otherwise stated, and would occur within the life of the plan (10 to 12 years); long-term impacts would occur over a 2O-year period. 3. Proposed management actions would be analyzed under the assumption that the alternatives would be fully implemented and that adequate funding and staffing would be available for implementation. 4. No significant impacts would occur to prime and unique farmlands, topography, coal, air quality, climate, fire management, and waterpower and reservoir storage sites from management actions in any alternative, and are therefore not discussed in detail. 5. Effects, for the purpose of this analysis, would be the net unavoidable changes and impacts to a resource or resource use after mitigation. The stated net unavoidable effects would be monitored and continually evaluated during the life of the plan. Where necessary, adjustments in the actions would be made to achieve tbe minimum level possible of consequential effects based on the data from plan action monitoring. Effects from actions not covered in this plan or accompanying documents would be analyzed as needed through plan amendments/environmental assessments or environmental impact statements. This additional analysis would be done in accordance with Bureau planning/environmental guidance prior to BLM consideration for approval of that action. CHAPTER FORMAT Chapter Four is presented in sections, with the first five sections providing an analysis of the environmental consequences, or impacts, that would result from the implementation of management actions within each alternative. The final section, (Table 4-1) is a comparison of the alternative impacts. Each section that describes environmental consequences from implementing an alternative is subdivided by the effected resources or resource uses. Impacts are then described as (1) Impacts from Proposed Management Actions, and (2) Cumulative Impacts. (Where cumulative impacts are not presented separately, they would be the same as the impacts from proposed management actions.) 4-1