APPCOR12620

• Permit No: C1981047
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Date: 3/5/1981
• Doc Name: CONTENTS OF RECOMMENDATION PACKAGE
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Environmental Assessment
Modification to
U.S. Steel Corporation's Somerset Ftining and Reclamation Plan
(Sunflower Energy Corporation-operator)
Proposed Action
The IJ.S. Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is
recommending approval with stipulations of the U.S. Steel Corporation's
request to modify an existing coal mining and reclamation plan. The action
would permit the Sunflower Energy Corporation, having entered into a sublease
agreement with U.S. Steel, to extend the Rlue Ribbon underground coal mine
into Federal coal. The modification will permit Sunflower Energy to mine the
E Seam of Federal Ccal Lease C-033301 on U.S. Forest Service land. Coal would
be removed through the existing Dortal facilities of the 61ue Ribbon Mine.
The surface facilities of the Blue Ribbon Mine are located on non-federal
lands on Hubbard Creek, approximately eight miles east of Paonia, Delta
County, Colorado. An area of appror,ima[ely 80 acres of coal would be mined by
underground methods. Production will continue to remain approximately 90,000
tons per year. No additional surface disturbance is proposed by this action.
Alining of the E seam by Sunflower Energy has been approved by the Colorado
Alined Land Reclamation Division.
The Rlue Ribbon Mine was included in the Bureau of Land Management's
west-Central Colorado Environmental Impact Statement as Hart of baseline
information and cumulative impacts. T'he issues addressed in the EIS are coal
production (vol. I, p•7), acreage disturbed (vo 1. I, p.13), and employment and
markets (vol. I, p.i8). Also [he sublease agreement with U.S. Steel
Curnora tion is discussed (vol. I, p. 25).
Alternatives
Approval: This alternative is approval with the stipulations necessary to
meet the requirements of SMCRA (P.L. 95-87), the permanent program of the
State of Colorado under SMCRA, the conditions of Che lease, and all other
applicable Federal laws including the following:
1) applicable terms and conditions of the federal coal lease;
2) Mineral Leasing Ac[ and implementiny~ regulations;
3) National Environmental Policy Act and implementing regulations including
40 CPR 1500 et. seq.;
4) Endangered Species Act and implementing regulations includ.in,g 50 CFR 402;
5) Federal Land Atacagement Policy Act a~~d implementing regulations;
6) Iational Historic Preservation Act and implementing regulations including
36 CFR 800 and executive orders;
7) Clean Water Act and implementing regulations;
8) Clean Air Act and implementing regulations;
9) The Archeologtca.l and Historic Preservation Act;
IO) Executive Order 11988 for flood plain management and wetlands protection;
and
II) "Resource Consei^aa lion AcC" and implementing regu l.a ttnns.