2020-10-27_PERMIT FILE - C1981035 (23)

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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT CY. CDRMS is currently processing a permit revision to modify the waste bank, and the final design would accommodate up to 1,100,000 CY. GCCE also expects that, in addition to the approximate 10 acres of land that would be disturbed to construct the low-cover crossing in the Gulch, small additional and scattered surface areas would need to be disturbed over the life of the mine. Examples of such disturbance would typically include, but would not be limited to drilling new groundwater monitoring well clusters, installing new erosion control structures for stormwater, improving access roads, and conducting future exploration drilling within the permit and lease area. However,the specific types, locations and sizes of such disturbances are not known at this time. GCCE estimates these combined potential future activities would disturb about 10 acres over the duration of mining. Therefore cumulatively, this EA analyzes a total surface disturbance of 20 acres for the Proposed Action, including the 10 acres for the low-cover crossing construction in the Gulch and the additional 10 acres for future potential activities that would occur in scattered and currently unknown locations. The future potential activities described above would be subject to prior CDRMS, OSMRE, BLM or LPC approval and oversight as appropriate and would be handled as technical revisions or minor permit revisions. For any future proposed disturbance areas, the federal agencies would determine if the activities require cultural and biological surveys prior to approval. GCCE would submit an updated Reclamation Plan in anticipation of the possible future surface disturbing activities. The conceptual mine plan in the Project Area (Appendix A, Figure 2-2) follows the topography (and coal seam), which is defined by mesas bounded by deep drainages. Once the inclines are developed into the new lease area,the access mains would be driven to the north-northwest(Appendix A, Figure 2-2). Mining of the new lease would progress generally according to the sequence as shown in Appendix A, Figure 2-2 and in the associated timeframe it would take to mine each area. Starting at the end of the panel once the room and pillars in each mining panel are complete, the pillars would be removed allowing the roof to collapse.This is typically called retreat mining and would allow for the most efficient extraction of coal. All the proposed mining areas are shown in Appendix A, Figure 2-2. BLM calculations indicate that there are 9.54 million tons of recoverable federal coal in the proposed LBA area; approximately 1.3 mt of recoverable private coal reserves that would be mined during development of access to the federal coal;and approximately 2.5 mt of recoverable existing federal coal reserves still to be mined within the current mine permit area, for a total of 13.4 mt. Based on the mining sequence shown in Appendix A, Figure 2-2 during years 1-7 of mining existing federal reserves in the lease modification areas would be blended with reserves mined from the new lease and private reserves to improve overall coal quality. GCCE also believes there are an additional 3.6 mt of privately- owned coal resources that may be recoverable beneath private lands surrounding the new lease that could also potentially be mined when the new lease is mined, for a total of approximately 17 mt proposed to be mined. Dunn Ranch Area Coal Lease by Application COC-78825 and Mine Plan Modification EA 2-7