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Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment <br /> Royal Gorge Field Office DOI-BLM-CO-F020-2019-0056 EA <br /> methods by which comments on the Draft EA might be sent to the BLM, and noted a 30-day <br /> formal public comment period in which comments must be received. A summary of the Draft EA <br /> public comment process, including substantive comments received, and responses to those <br /> comments, is provided in Appendix C. <br /> 2. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES <br /> 2.1. PROPOSED ACTION <br /> MINE PROPOSAL <br /> General <br /> The operator proposes to mine approximately 10 acres of BLM managed lands. The application <br /> for a mineral material sale's contract would account for future federal mineral production and all <br /> reclamation requirements. The production rate is anticipated to be 40,000 tons per year with an <br /> estimated 0 to 5 haul trucks per day depending upon demand for material. There would be <br /> between 2 to 3 persons onsite during active operations and an employee present during hauling <br /> periods. Active mining is seasonal; however,production would be year-round with product <br /> material stockpiled for use during winter months. Seasonal operations would occur from Monday <br /> to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The aggregate would be used for roadbase and other similar type <br /> construction uses. These mineral material reserves would help sustain uninterrupted supplies of <br /> aggregate to meet future demands in Fremont County and surrounding communities. <br /> Reserves and Mine Life <br /> Due to the mountain and valley type topography, a maximum total mining depth is projected at <br /> 35 feet. The bottom elevation of the mine extent is 6,588 feet and the top elevation at 6,811 feet <br /> for a total discrepancy of 223 feet. All mining would occur within the granitic deposit which <br /> ranges in thickness from 50 to 500 feet thick in the Texas Creek Area. The operator does not <br /> plan to mine below the bottom elevation; therefore, groundwater is not anticipated to be <br /> encountered during the active mining operations. Mining would commence in 2 phases with <br /> progression trending from north to south (Figure 3). Progression would gradually continue until <br /> either the mineral material reserves are exhausted or are no longer economically viable. With a <br /> maximum mining depth of 35 feet and total proposed disturbance of 10 acres (435,600 ft2), <br /> approximately 900,000 short tons (400,000 yd3)of federal mineral reserves would be available <br /> for production within the proposed boundary. The operator predicts that the quarry could <br /> produce material for at least 30 years;however, the extent of the mine life would strongly <br /> depend upon the future demand and viability of the material. <br /> 7 <br />