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Environmental Assessment <br /> blocks,which would run in a perpendicular direction to the mains (northwest-southeast). The lease <br /> modifications would allow development of mains, sub-mains, and panels within the lease modification <br /> area. Pillars would be removed in panels (retreat mining) and full extraction of coal would yield <br /> approximately 60 percent recovery of in-place coal reserves. The BLM estimates the recoverable federal <br /> coal reserves included in the lease modification area to be approximately 4.66 million tons. Recoverable <br /> tons represent the total coal in the lease modification area less the amount that would be left in place due <br /> to mining logistics and economic factors. <br /> The King II Mine now operates more than 2 miles of underground roadway with an interconnected grid <br /> work of nearly 6 miles of tunnels. GCC is not proposing to expand surface facilities or make <br /> modifications to current mining methods employed at the King II Mine as a result of the proposed lease <br /> modification. While no new surface disturbing activities are proposed in the mine plan revision,it is <br /> typical that minor amounts of surface disturbance will be necessary from time to time until the coal <br /> resource is exhausted. These surface disturbing surface-disturbing activities are subject to CDRMS and/or <br /> OSMRE oversight and are handled as technical revisions or minor permit revisions. Examples include the <br /> installation of five groundwater monitoring well clusters (associated with Technical Revision 426), <br /> potentially necessary surface stormwater and access road improvements, and disturbance associated with <br /> potential future exploration drilling activity within the permit and lease area. These potential surface <br /> disturbing activities are estimated to be cumulatively less than 5.0 acres for the duration of mining under <br /> the proposed mine plan revision. Both CDRMS and OSMRE require cultural and biological clearance <br /> surveys and reports when proposed disturbance locations are known. GCC has submitted an updated <br /> Reclamation Plan in anticipation of the possible future surface-disturbing activities. It is expected that <br /> ventilation of the new mine workings would be provided by the existing fan and ventilation system. <br /> 2.1.3 Coal Production and Transport <br /> Annual coal production at the King II Mine has fluctuated from a low of 392,348 tons/yr. in 2008 to a <br /> high of 970,790 tons/yr. in 2014. From 2007 to 2016,the mine has produced on average, 629,785 tons/yr. <br /> as shown in Table 1-1. Coal produced at the King II Mine is hauled by truck to regional rail loading <br /> facilities where it is loaded for shipment by rail to cement production facilities in the southwestern U.S. <br /> and Mexico. Presently,trucks hauling coal from the King II Mine use La Plata CR 120 and SH 140 for <br /> both inbound and outbound trips to the mine (see Alternative Coal Haul Routes on Map A-4,Appendix <br /> A). The distance from the mine to the SH is 6.4 miles,approximately 3.9 miles of which are currently <br /> unpaved gravel surface. Due to the condition of CR 120 and the requirement that the mine be compatible <br /> with surrounding properties,the mine's LUP RIA requires imposition of phased limits on the average of <br /> outgoing trucks based on a monthly average (with Sundays excluded) and a maximum number of <br /> outgoing trucks on any single day. This fluctuation was allowed by LPC to accommodate matters such as <br /> inclement weather. <br /> Accordingly, coal production at King II is limited by their LPC LUP and the associated RIA. Table 2-2 <br /> shows the loaded coal truck traffic allowed along CR 120 through each phase of the RIA. Following the <br /> completion of Phase 5 road improvements (scheduled for April 2022) GCC is authorized by LPC for an <br /> average daily loaded truck volume of 120 trucks per day,which equates to approximately 1,067,040 <br /> tons/yr. starting in 2022. <br /> DOI-BLM-CO-S010-2011-0074-EA <br /> September 2017 <br /> -37- <br />