Laserfiche WebLink
Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment <br /> Royal Gorge Field Office DOI-BLM-CO-F020-2020-0036 EA <br /> directly correlated to population growth; therefore, as the area's population increases,the <br /> demand for these materials increases as well. If supply is limited,then these commodities would <br /> need to be imported from other areas and states to meet the increasing demand. This would then <br /> cause project delays, increased market values and consumer costs, and road impacts and truck <br /> traffic from hauling beyond the typical 45 to 50-mile transport range.As the obsidian deposit is <br /> geologically unique (refence section 1.2 Background),the materials produced are rare <br /> commodities not only in Colorado,but the U.S.,with only one other similar deposit found in the <br /> State of Oregon. Therefore,a no-action decision is dynamic and would affect not only the <br /> applicant's goals but the economic growth of the state and local governments. The applicant's <br /> goals are a primary objective for conducting the EA and should be considered in depth when <br /> determining a No Action Alternative decision(reference section 1.3.2). <br /> Under the No Action Alternative, Colorado Quarries Inc.would continue to operate the mine on <br /> private interests only or cease operations completely.Either scenario would require immediate <br /> initialization of final reclamation, as described in the current reclamation plan on file with <br /> CDRMS and Custer County. The applicant could solely operator within the private land <br /> boundaries; however, due to the complex land and mineral estate patterns it would be an <br /> additional strain on the operation to accurately mine the private minerals, increasing the <br /> likelihood of a federal mineral material trespass. <br /> 2.3. OTHER ALTERNATIVES <br /> None <br /> 2.4. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT ANALYZED IN DETAIL <br /> Colorado Quarries Inc. initially proposed an expansion of approximately 225 acres with 100 <br /> acres of interspersed BLM managed lands(Figure 6). This boundary was initially proposed <br /> before taking into consideration lands incorporating man-made structures and a privately owned <br /> mine along the south and southeastern boundaries. These areas were then excluded from both the <br /> expansion proposal and potential reserves boundary. <br /> 23 <br />