|
United States Department of the Interic
<br />IiUIMAU OF 1 AND MANAGIN N'I
<br />'I res Rios Field Office
<br />29211 11ighway 184
<br />Dolores, ('O 81323
<br />OFFI T OF SIIRFAC'I: MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCTMENT
<br />WI'.S'I FRN RI,GION
<br />1999 Broadway, Suite 3320
<br />Denver, CO 80202
<br />In Reply Refer To: 3432
<br />COC=62920 (COSO1000)
<br />OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT
<br />OPTIONAL REPLY BY JULY 10, 2017
<br />PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
<br />DOI-BLM-CO-SO10-2011-0074-EA
<br />GCC King II Coal Mine
<br />Dear Interested Party,
<br />3uN 13 Jp1l
<br />Ft& saf ty
<br />0►°n,
<br />visM 16 g
<br />The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Office of Surface
<br />Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), Western Region Office, have prepared a joint
<br />environmental assessment (EA) and separate unsigned Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSIs) to
<br />analyze the environmental impacts of related proposals submitted by GCC Energy, LLC (GCC) for the
<br />continued mining of federal coal at the King II Coal Mine in La Plata County, Colorado. The EA
<br />discloses the potential for direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts in accordance with the National
<br />Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for
<br />implementing NEPA, Departmental Manual Part 516, and additional DOI, BLM, and OSMRE policies
<br />and guidance. Resources analyzed in the EA include topography and geology, air quality and climate,
<br />social and economic, health and safety, transportation, paleontology, vegetation, wildlife, special status
<br />species, noise, visual, land use, surface and groundwater, cultural and soils. Separate decision documents
<br />will be issued by each agency.
<br />The King II Mine is located in La Plata County, approximately five miles southwest of Hesperus,
<br />Colorado. In 2014, the King II Mine was authorized to produce up to 1.3 million tons of coal annually
<br />through federal, State of Colorado, and private mineral leases, with the majority of production under
<br />Federal Coal Lease COC62920. At the present mining rate, it is estimated that the coal in the current
<br />lease area would be exhausted in less than three years. The four additional tracts would extend the life of
<br />the current mine by an estimated five to seven years. Legal description of the proposed lease
<br />modification are as follows:
<br />New Mexico Principle Meridian, La Plata County, Colorado
<br />Tract A - containing 220.00 acres more or less
<br />T. 35 N., R. 11 W., N.M.P.M., Sec. 19, NE, S2SENW, and Sec. 20, NWNW
<br />Tract B - containing 360.55 acres more or less
<br />T. 35 N., R. 1 l W., N.M.P.M., Sec. 30, lots 1-4, E2NW, and NWNE;
<br />T. 35 N., R. 12 W., N.M.P.M., Sec. 25, lots 3-8
<br />Tract D - containing 10.00 acres more or less
<br />T. 35 N., R 12 W., N.M.P.M., Sec. 26, SENENE
<br />Tract E - containing 360.00 acres more or less
<br />T. 35 N., R. 12 W., N.M.P.M., Sec. 35, NENW, S2NW, SW, and S2SE
<br />Containing 950.55 acres, more or less.
<br />As Joint Lead Agencies, the BLM and OSMRE analyzed potential impacts to the human environment
<br />resulting from, and will make separate decisions regarding, the following proposed federal actions:
<br />
|