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Bureau of Land Management Finding of No Significant Impact <br /> Royal Gorge Field Office DOI-BLM-CO-F020-2020-0036 EA <br /> Finding of No Significant Impact <br /> (FONSI) <br /> DOI-BLM-CO-F020-2020-0036 EA <br /> Based on review of the EA and the supporting documents, I have determined that the project is <br /> not a major federal action and will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human <br /> environment, individually or cumulatively with other actions in the general area. No <br /> environmental effects from any alternative assessed or evaluated meet the definition of <br /> significance in context or intensity,as defined by 43 CFR 1508.27. Therefore, an environmental <br /> impact statement is not required. This finding is based on the context and intensity of the project <br /> as described below: <br /> RATIONALE: <br /> Context: <br /> This EA was prepared by BLM to analyze the applicants request for a mineral material contract, <br /> which would authorize the production and expansion of reserves surrounding the existing <br /> Colorado Quarries Inc., Black Obsidian Quarry, located in Custer County, Colorado. Per 43 CFR <br /> 3600 regulations,this proposed disposal would be administered under a mineral materials' <br /> competitive sale contract, with option of renewal. <br /> The proposed action area is located less than 1.0 mile north of Silver Cliff, Colorado. The <br /> topographic relief within the proposed project area is low ranging from 8,000 to 8,120 feet in <br /> elevation and is located down gradient from any major surface water resources. Vegetation has <br /> been classified by the 2004 Colorado Gap as Southern Rocky Mountain Montane-Subalpine <br /> Grassland and Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. Geologically,the action <br /> area primarily consists of a Tertiary silica-rich latitic lava with a massive interstitial volcanic <br /> glass deposit known as obsidian. This area is primarily dominated by active and historic mining <br /> operations with sparsely populated rangelands and rural farming properties. <br /> On April 10, 2020, BLM received a complete mineral materials application from Colorado <br /> Quarries Inc. (Appendix A). The application proposes to initiate production of federal minerals <br /> within the current 9.0-acre mine footprint and expand reserves outward to an additional 40 acres <br /> (Figure 2). This expansion proposal includes an additional 7.75 acres of BLM managed lands, <br /> resulting in a proposed 10.75 acres of total BLM disturbance. The remaining 38.14 acres are <br /> privately owned. The operator proposes to expand the current CDRMS-permitted boundary to a <br /> 112(c)permit,which requires BLM action, as well as updates to all existing federal, state,and <br /> county permits prior to the issuance of the mineral material contract.No mining or other activity <br /> 1 <br />