Laserfiche WebLink
~ u <br />6 <br />protect the human environment in the pursuit of a sound <br />~ anergy policy. The President clearly did not exempt this effort <br />from the requirements of the ?rational Environmental Policy Act <br />and other laws and regulations aimed at establishing fair and <br />orderly procedures for tivise utilization of the nation's resources <br />and the protection of the environment. rde question whether it <br />is in keeping with sound use of the nation's energy resources to <br />mine only about 12 feet of coal from a seam that contains as <br />,much as 27 feet of very higi quality coal. It appears that <br />this action would irretrievably commit a great deal of high <br />quality coal to remain in the ground, inaccessable under <br />present underground mining methods. In such cases, coal should <br />not be leased until either the technology or L`~e financial <br />commitment exists to achieve maximum recovery. <br />In summary, we believe that the requirements of Sec. 102(2)(c) <br />of PL 91-190 apply to the proposed action. 'r7e believe that the <br />Bureau of Land :d anaaement should change the recommendation of <br />the State Director that no further environmental review is <br />..~ necessary before proceeding with a short-term lease sale at the <br />levels contemplated in alternative leasing actions A through C <br />of the State Director's memorandum. These proposed actions <br />represent not merely expansion of an existing underground mine <br />in an established ccrmni:nity primarily using local labor; they <br />represent a significant expansion of coal production in an area <br />fiat is already showing signs of difficulty in coping with <br />the effacts of energy development. Therefore, ~.ae recommend <br />that the proposed lease sale be limited to reserves sufficient <br />~' to produce no more than 700,000 tons per year for three years <br />as specified in alternative leasing action D of the State <br />~"' Director's memorandum. In addition, we recommend that <br />•. stipulations be added to the lease that address the environ- <br />mental concerns raised in this letter and our conuients of <br />""1 August 11, 1977. he also recommend that any lease include <br />stipulations requiring compliance with any additional mitigating <br />measures that :nay be included in tite :4est Central Colorado Coal <br />Environmental Statement or a site specific EIS and t!ie require- <br />ments of 30 CBR 700 et seq, soon to be published. <br />~. If you ~:~ould like additional information or would like to <br />discuss these ccnmen a , please contact this Office or <br />,. _~ir. =.1 an !!arson, 2egional :administrator, cPz ?egion VIII, <br />