2016-12-23_PERMIT FILE - C1982056A (8)

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mule deer winter range will be upgraded to provide access to the Fish Creek shafts. This road will have no impacts on the critical winter range. Other existing roads (County Roads No. 27 and No. 33), which will be used for coal haulage, pass between the two slopes designated as critical mule deer winter range. • Elk winter range encompasses the entire Permit Area with critical winter range occurrin g g alon the northwestern boundary of the Permit Area and on southern facing slopes in the southeastern portion of the Permit Area (Map 19, Elk Biological Features). CDOW Wildlife information System Maps incorrectly show elk critical range (along the northeast boundary of the permit area) extending from the southeast - facing, shrub- covered slopes into gently rolling cropland. The correct eastern boundary of this critical winter range should generally coincide with the toe of the southeast - facing shrub- covered slopes, since the cropland portions of the permit area are completely covered by snow in the winter, and cropland is not a preferred critical winter habitat for elk. Winter aerial elk surveys performed by TCC's biologists indicate that there is little, if any, mid- to late - winter elk use of habitats occurring east of the foothills along the western edge of the permit area. The CDOW mapping and corrected boundary are both plotted on Map 19, Elk Biological Features. As shown on Map 19, Elk Biological Features, no new surface disturbances will occur within actual elk critical winter range. The southern access route to the Fish Creek Borehole /Shaft Area will run (for approximately 1 mi or 1.6 km) along the eastern edge of a designated elk concentration area and also cross an elk migration route. In addition, the coal haulage roads (County Roads No. 27 and No. 33) cross approximately 0.75 mi (1.2 km) of an elk winter concentration area, and the Fish Creek Borehole /Shaft Area extends into a small portion of elk winter concentration area. Mass Transit System. Evaluation As discussed in the previous section, at least certain segments of the access road and haul road proposed for the Foidel Creek Mine pass in close proximity to portions of big game winter concentration areas or critical winter range. Haul truck traffic will travel along existing County Roads No. 27 and No. 33, and haul truck traffic along these roads will be significantly increased by the proposed mine operation. The Fish Creek Borehole /Shaft access road will primarily follow existing dirt roads, although some widening and upgrading of the existing roads will be •necessary (see Map 19, Elk Biological Features, and Map 20, Mule Deer Biological Features, for proposed road locations). Because of the proximity of these roads to mule deer and elk winter concentration areas and critical winter range, the CMLRD and wildlife regulatory agencies have raised the concern that with increased traffic levels on these roads, the incidence of vehicle /big game collisions could become significant. Related to this concern, the regulatory agencies have requested that TCC analyze the potential need for instituting a mass transit system for its employees using the Fish Creek Borehole /Shaft Area access road and develop a plan for monitoring big game road - kills along the haul road. This section will address these requests. The benefits of a mass transit system for mine workers was evaluated on the basis of existing information on the intensity and duration of mule deer and elk migration across the proposed access routes and projected traffic levels at TCC. Timing of shift changes and corresponding peak traffic levels were also evaluated with respect to periods of increased potential for road - kills. In order to evaluate the potential need for a mass transit system, information on the actual or expected incidence of big game road -kills should be available. Since monitoring of road -kills has not previously occurred along county roads adjacent to the permit area, information on the expected incidence of big game road -kills are difficult to derive. However, certain inferences on the potential for road -kills can be made based on projected traffic levels for the mine, a general knowledge of the numbers of distribution of elk and mule deer near the areas of concern, and previous road -kill studies. Coal haul truck and erriployee automobile access traffic levels projected for the Foidel Creek Mine are provided on Table 44, Truck Haulage, and Table 45, Auto Access Traffic. Peak haul truck traffic would occur in 1987 with 90 loads per day or approximately one haul load on the road every fifteen minutes. Return travel by empty trucks would double these numbers. The auto access traffic levels are based on each employee driving his own vehicle. These levels would be reduced significantly by car - pooling. The current level of car - pooling by TCC personnel is approximately two employees for each car. If this trend continues during development and operation of the Foidel Creek Mine, a 50 percent reduction in automobile access traffic would be realized. Peak automobile access traffic would occur in 1992 at 397 round trips per day and remain constant until 2015. If one assumes car - pooling would RN08 -05 2.04 -68 03/12/10