APPCOR11713

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Name: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

1604H
PURPOSE AND NEED
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Mt. Gunnison No. 1 Mine
West Elk Coal Company Inc.
October 1987
1111 Illillll11111111
999
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) received a
permit application package (PAP) involving the mining of leased Federal coal
at the West Elk Coal Company Inc. CWECC) Mt. Gunnison No. 1 mine on January
17, 1986. OSMRE recommended approval by the Assistant Secretary-Land and
Minerals Management of a mining plan, as modified, to incorporate new
information and to consolidate the three existing mining plan approval
actions for the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 mine. The Assistant Secretary may
approve, approve with conditions, disapprove, or take no action on the
mining plan, as modified, for the mining of the Federal coal in Federal
leases C-1362, C-0117192, and D-044569, as proposed in the PAP. This
document assesses the effects of the proposed mining and reclamation
operations and alternative actions available to the Assistant Secretary to
determine if taking no action, approval, approval with conditions, or
disapproval of the mining plan, as modified, will have a significant impact
on the human environment.
The proposed Mt. Gunnison No. 1 underground coal mine is located in Gunnison
County, Colorado. The mine has been in operation since 1981. The permit
renewal area associated with the proposed mining plan area contains
approximately 4,240 acres, approximately 3,500 acres of which are leased
Federal coal in the mining plan approval area for Federal leases C-1362,
C-0117192, and D-044569.
The underground mining operations will utilize room and pillar mining
methods. The F coal seam will be mined at an average production rate of
approximately 2,800,000 tons per year, and mining is expected to continue
for 40 years.
In conjunction with OSMRE's review of the PAP, OSMRE also reviewed the
previously approved mining plan modifications, and the Federal permit number
CO-0021, issued on July 12, 1981, for the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 mine. All
necessary terms and conditions of the Federal permit will be included in the
Colorado permit number C-80-007 and the mining plan approval document.
Because the Secretary of the Interior and the State of Colorado have entered
into a cooperative agreement which provides for the full delegation to the
State of the permitting responsibilities for operations on Federal lands
pursuant to Section 523 of SMCRA, the Federal permit will not be renewed.
On April 28, 1987, OSMRE received Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division's
<MLRD) final decision and findings of compliance for its action on the PAP
pursuant to the cooperative agreement and the Colorado State program. In
accordance with the Colorado cooperative agreement and the guidelines of the
Council on Environmental Quality, Colorado MLRD's decision and findings of
compliance contains the State's analysis of environmental impacts of the
proposed operations to assist OSMRE in the preparation of this Environmental