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Environmental Assessment <br />Bowie Resources, L.L.C. <br />August 2005 Spruce Stomp Federal Coal Exploration License (150- 2005 -43) <br />1 INTRODUCTION <br />The U.S. Department of Interior (USDOI) - Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Uncompahgre <br />Field Office, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Forest Service (USDA -FS) Grand Mesa - <br />Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) are cooperating agencies in the <br />preparation of this environmental assessment (EA) on a federal coal exploration license <br />application submitted by Bowie Resources L.L.C. (BRL). BRL submitted the application for the <br />Spruce Stomp Federal Coal Exploration License (COC- 67644) (SSCEL) to the BLM Colorado <br />State Office for lands near Paonia, in Delta County, Colorado. The surface lands of the SSCEL <br />are National Forest System (NFS) lands administered by GMUG. Figures 1 -1 and 1 -2 show the <br />general location and vicinity of the SSCEL. <br />1.1 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action <br />The Proposed Action is based on the need for baseline data on federal coal reserves including: <br />coal quality, thickness and extent, and geologic constraints through the implementation of a <br />drilling program. Implementation of the Proposed Action would meet multiple purposes <br />including: <br />1. Coal data gained from the exploration drilling proposed in the SSCEL would be used to <br />evaluate if mineable coal reserves exist adjacent to the existing federal coal leases held by <br />BRL. Evaluation of the quantity and quality of coal seams in the lower part of the <br />Williams Fork Formation member of the Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group. <br />2. The BLM Minerals Management objective to achieve maximum economic recovery of <br />Federal recoverable coal reserves. <br />3. The USDA -FS commitment to meet the objectives of the Amended Land and Resource <br />Management Plan (GMUG 1991) that encourages environmentally sound energy and <br />mineral development, and emphasizes mineral exploration and development outside <br />wilderness areas. <br />1.2 Background <br />The Proposed Action consists of drilling eleven coal exploration holes, new construction of drill <br />pads and temporary roads, and reconditioning of existing roads within the SSCEL. Section 2.1 <br />provides a detailed description of the Proposed Action. <br />The SSCEL covers approximately 3830.7 acres in Delta County, Colorado, approximately eight <br />miles north of Paonia, CO (Figure 1 -1), and lies within portions of Township 12 South, Range 91 <br />West, 6 Principal Meridian (P.M.), Section 29 (S' /2 only), Section 31 (S' /2: Lots 7 through 26 <br />only), Section 32, and Section 33 (W rh and NW r /4 only); and Township 12 South, Range 92 <br />West, 6 th P.M., Sections 35 and 36. The moderately rugged terrain of the exploration license <br />area consists primarily of the East and West Forks of the Terror Creek drainages and the ridges <br />that separate them. The SSCEL is located along the north side of the present BRL Bowie #1 and <br />Bowie #2 approved coal mining permit areas. National Forest Service Road (NFSR) 701 <br />1 -1 <br />