2019-02-12_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981035 (2)

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OF SURFA f United States Department of the Interior °' TM'" 4 Z BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Tres Rios Field Office �9l��NAND EN�� 29211 Highway 184 Dolores, CO 81323 OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT WESTERN REGION 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 Denver. CO 80202 In Reply Refer To: FILE CODE (COSO1000) RE: COC -78825 NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING Public Input Requested DOI-BLM-CO-SO10-2019-0003-EA Dunn Ranch Area Lease -by -Application and Mine Plan Modification February 08, 2019 OPTIONAL REPLY: DUE MARCH 11, 2019 fro 16W 12 2019 DiV18ION OF RECLAMATION MININOMD SAFETY On January 10, 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a Lease by Application (LBA) from GCC Energy, LLC (GCCE) to expand the King II Mine, located in La Plata County, Colorado. The LBA seeks to add 2,462 acres of land lands immediately north and northwest of GCCE's existing federal lease and mine operations. The BLM and Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) are responsible for preparing an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended. The BLM and OSMRE are jointly preparing the EA to analyze potential impacts of leasing and mining the 2,462 acres of federal coal. The BLM and OSMRE are initiating the EA jointly. In accordance with the Tres Rios Field Office Resource Management Plan, the BLM will decide whether to hold a lease sale for the lands in the LBA. And, if the BLM holds a lease sale, whether or not to approve the lease. Should the BLM approve and issue the lease, OSMRE will review the proposed mining plan to mine the leased federal coal and provide the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) a recommendation to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the mining plan. OSMRE and BLM will issue separate decision documents. As part of the NEPA process, BLM and OSMRE have initiated a 30 -day scoping period on the LBA starting on February 8, 2019. Public scoping comments are being requested to identify relevant issues concerning GCCE's proposed expansion of the King II Mine, discussed in more detail below. Scoping comments are most useful when they are specific, cite relevant issues, and/or determine the extent of those issues. A more detailed description of the proposed action, along with copies of this letter, maps, and other pertinent information are available on BLM's ePlanning website at https:Hgo.usa.gov/xEKTV, and at OSMRE's website at: https://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/initiatives/kingIICoalMine.shtm. Additional documentation including review and final drafts of the EA and decision documents will be posted on these sites as they become available.