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<br />skunks, waterfowl, grouse, a;nphihians, and reptile. Two ac[lve gulde^ mole <br />nests are located on sandstone cliffs less ti,nn 1 mile from t~ne permit a-ea. <br />No [nrea[ened or endangered species have ~ en identified on t'ne nine-plan <br />ar_a. <br />The area adjacent to the permit area (0.~5 mile `rum permit area) is a <br />critical habitat for sage gouse (strut[lPg ~'.rouccl, and the Permit area is a <br />critical winter habitat for 200 elk (figure 31, Ti,e permit area is also a <br />migration corridor fnr ell: moving south to national forest land in the spring <br />and returning xo [he lease site in winter. In addition, [iie:e are el~ cal~~ing <br />grounds on :he lease site and in two additional areas (adjacent to the site <br />and 2 miles southeast of the sit=_). <br /> <br />Two crushing and loadout facilities are associated with Energy 1;ines 1 and ~. <br />Both facilities are located alongside the ;2-mile rail spur of the Denver and <br />Rio Grande «'estern Railroad. Since 1974, tipple ] has been used as a standby <br />facility only, and tipple_ has been used exclusi:el; for Energy `lines 1 and <br />?. The tipple ? conplex consists of a dump poinc fnr haul trucks, a small raw <br />coal surge stockpile, and a primary and secondar-: crushing unit. From the <br />secondary crusher, coal is transported by an enclosed belt conveyor to [he <br />overhead staci;inr tube where i[ is dumped onto the 10 ,000-ton open stockp`_le. <br />The coal is flood loaded onto unit trains iron a tunnel `acility under [he <br />stockpile. <br />The company employs 4b5 wor4;ers, Waking i[ [~ne largest year-round employer in <br />Routt County. Emplocees live in Craig (pop. 1'),`i00), Hayden (pop. ?,000), <br />Stear,.boat Springs (pop. 5,000), Oa4; Creek (pop. 1,00), and Yampa (pop. 350). <br />Energy Fuels p'_ans to shift workers and equipment employed in the present <br />mining operation to the proposed expansion area nn mining progresses to [hr <br />new area; consequently, no additional emnlo~ees or equipment '.ill be required. <br />Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action <br />The following information is condenseri from ecyirnnmenCal inpncc <br />analyses repo_-ted in OSPIs technical analysis (Feb. 198Cj; the applicant's <br />mine plan (Sept. 1979); BL'9s i:orthwest Colorado Coa] regional and sitP- <br />specific EIS (FES 77-1, Jan. 197) and supplemental environmental re nor[ <br />(Dec. 1978); and °L:1s. environmental assessment report, "Short-term Cnal <br />Lease Application (C-_644, C-_b9i3, C-_Zti7) Routt County, Colorado" <br />(Jan. 19'9). <br />Air Qualit}• <br />Energy reels is onera[in2 presently under air-unllntinn control perai[s issued <br />by the Colorado De, artment of lle::lth, Air Pollution Control [iiyisinn. In <br />addition, the U. S. Environmental Protec*_ion A.gen~}' (?: PA) has issued a <br />condition.il Prcventinn of Si~nificnnt Detrriora;imi (PSD) permit fur [he ]case <br />area based nn a minir~l; limit o.` 4 million Inns ~~•:~r }•car. <br /> <br />_ F, _ <br />