2017-02-16_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1982056

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�oF sueFacF� r,9T of low �,� United States Department of the • ti� VT Interior Z '9l �''�RCH 7 °a9 OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING `ONalloti RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT Western Region Office 1999 Broadway,Suite 3320 RECEIVED Denver,CO 80202-3050 FEB 16 2017 February 13,2017 DMSION OF RECLAMATION Dear Colorado Division of Reclamation,Mining and Safety, MINING AND SAFETY The U.S. Department of the Interior,Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement(OSMRE), Western Region Office,is releasing an unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact(FONSI)for the Bureau of Land Management's(BLM's)Environmental Assessment(EA)for the Peabody Twentymile Coal, LLC, C0054608 Lease Modification. OSMRE is adopting the BLM's EA to analyze environmental impacts of a federal mining plan modification approval for future underground mining operations and has prepared an unsigned FONSI for public comment. OSMRE will only be accepting comments on the content of OSMRE's unsigned FONSI.The unsigned FONSI will be available for review as of February 13,2017.All comments must be received or postmarked by February 27, 2017,to be considered. Documents are available for review online at: http://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/initaitives/foidelCreekMine.shtm. The BLM's EA is publicly available online here: https:Heplanning blm.gov/epl-front- office/eplannina projectSummary.do?methodName=renderDefaultProjectSummary&projectld=41852. The Bureau of Land Management(BLM)prepared an EA to analyze the environmental effects of a coal lease modification application(LMA) submitted by Twentymile Coal,LLC(TC)for coal lease,C0054608.TC currently operates the Foidel Creek Mine which is an underground longwall coal mine located about 20 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs in Routt County,Colorado.TC has been mining at the Foidel Creek Mine by underground methods since 1983.The Foidel Creek Mine is made up of 6 federal coal leases,private coal leases, and state coal leases and produces approximately 4 million tons of coal per year.As required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,the BLM's EA discloses the potential for direct,indirect,and cumulative impacts to the environment from the lease modification. Resources analyzed in the EA include: air quality, solid minerals, special status animal species,cultural resources,paleontological resources,hazardous or solid wastes, social and economic conditions,and ground and surface hydrology. The LMA is for the Wolf Creek seam, a coal seam below the Wadge seam. It is estimated that the federal coal reserves included total approximately 340,000 recoverable tons of coal and would extend the life of the mine by approximately one to two years. In accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, OSMRE determined that the LMA for the Foidel Creek Mine requires a mining plan modification approval from the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management(ASLM)for mining and reclamation to occur on the federal coal lease. OSMRE is responsible for reviewing plans to conduct coal mining and reclamation operations on lands containing leased federal coal.Pursuant to 30 CFR 746,OSMRE must prepare and submit to the ASLM a decision document recommending approval,conditional approval or disapproval of the proposed mining plan modification.Approval of a mining plan modification would authorize the mining of up to 340,000 tons of coal from C054608.If the mining plan modification is approved,mining operations at Foidel Creek Mine would extend the life of mine by approximately one to two years. Printed version of OSMRE's unsigned FONSI and BLM's EA are available for review at the following location: