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• CHAPTER 8 <br />• ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION <br />SHORT-TERi•1 COAL LEASE APPLICATION C-27432 <br />No Action Alternative <br />This alternative rill explore the impacts of not authorizing the <br />lease sale in response to' lease application C-27432, submitted by <br />Colorado l•lestmoreland, Inc. (CIJI). <br />If a 5°cretarial decision ~•rere made not to authorize a lease sale, <br />Clli v:ould continue its present Wining on federal coal lease C-25079 <br />until the reserves lying in the second and third east panels are ex- <br />hausted. C;dI estir:ates that at the present rate of mining they ~:~ill <br />begin exhausting these reserves in June 1979. By Septe,:;ber :979 the <br />reserves trill be cempietely exhausted. At that point a ti+ork force for <br />periodic maintenance t:ould prebably be retained at the mine. C:•JI has <br />1ndiCoted that the mine t•:ould remain 1naCtiVe ds iOnG aS the ComC•any Y+aS <br />• unable to obtain additional reserves; C'rJI r;ould not jeopardize its <br />established access into the D seam by mining crest of its existing north <br />mains. <br />• Ongoing recla:;,ation of existing disturbance at the-mine site and <br />'rail loadout facilities ~•rould probably be continued. In addition, the <br />use of the rail loadout facilities on High~•+ay 133 by other n;ininn, <br />companies in the i;orth Fork Valley trho also have contracts ;rich Northern <br />Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) a+ould continue. <br />Air quality at the mine site, along the Stevens Gulch road, High- <br />way 133, and at the rail loadout vrould improve as fugitive dust emis- <br />sions associated vrith mining operations were reduced. Visibility in the <br />area would probably improve. <br />All of the coal reserves lying <br />unaffected and available for future <br />tons of coal tha*_ Cl•JI proposes to m <br />and could not be used to supply the <br />its customers. C'wI ~•rould be forced <br />its existing contract. <br />in-place on this tract t•rould be <br />mininc. however, the 5.6 million <br />ine by 1987 ~:~ould not be recovered <br />existing energy needs of ';IPSCO and <br />to seek a cancellation or delay of <br />By 1465 this alternative would prevent 1.6 acres of disturbance for <br />an access road and ventilation shaft and could eventually prevent an <br />estimated 200 acres of potential subsidence. As a result, the associ- <br />ated increased so;l erosion, loss of vegetation and ~•+ildlife habitat, <br />and decrease in grater quality o-rould not occur. Ho~tiever, the chaining <br /> <br />