2020-06-25_REVISION - C1981035 (35)

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Environmental Assessment ■ Health and safety ■ Land use ■ Soils ■ Noise ■ Vibration ■ Cultural resources ■ Socioeconomics ■ Environmental justice Based on the internal and external scoping processes completed by BLM and OSMRE and the cooperating agencies,the following resource areas have been eliminated from detailed analysis in this EA; lands with wilderness characteristics,Wild and Scenic Rivers, social cost of carbon,fire management, floodplains and Rangeland Health/Standards for Public Lands Health. The reasoning for their exclusion are summarized below; and in most cases,were eliminated because they were not present in the project or analysis areas, or because the resource was not, or was only minimally impacted Lands with wilderness characteristics—There are no proposed or designated wilderness areas in or near the proposed project area. Wild and Scenic Rivers—There are no designated or proposed wild and scenic rivers within the proposed project area. Refer to Map A-3. Surface Water Resources in Appendix A and the TRFO RMP (USDA/USDI 2013). Fire Management—While there is no BLM surface jurisdiction or direct surface disturbance associated with the Proposed Action,the BLM is responsible for wildfire management in the region. MSHA requires fire suppression systems, firefighting plans, etc. for both underground and surface operations. Underground mines such as the King 11 Mine are regulated under the fire management regulations at 30 CFR 75.1100. There have been no fires associated with the King 11 Mine since operations began. There is no expectation of increased fire risk associated with the Proposed Action;therefore,no changes to the BLM's current fire management plans or programs are warranted. Floodplains—There are no mapped floodplains or perennial surface water resources in the proposed project area. Per Federal Emergency Management Agency flood hazard boundary data,there are no flood hazard boundaries within 3 miles of the proposed lease modification (USDHS/FEMA 2015). Rangeland Health/Standards for Public Lands Health—The proposed lease modification area is almost entirely within an area managed by the UMU Farm and Ranch Enterprise as the Hay Gulch Ranch (refer to Map A-1,Appendix A). There is a small parcel of BLM-administered land along a steep slope immediately adjacent to the mine entrance that is not part of any grazing allotments. Accordingly, consideration of Standards for Public Lands Health does not apply as no mining activities affect BLM- administered surface lands. DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2011-0074-EA September 2017 -34-