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Hovrever, if a decision is made not to lease the area at this time, <br />the pooping mining operation would bypass the area and the reserves <br />would be ur;recur:erabie in the foreseeable future. According to US 3S <br />estir.~ates,"a pp re xir.~ately 956,300 tons of recoverable coal reserves lie <br />in the E seam on the 300 acre tract. This alternative vrould mean that <br />recovery of all of the 955,300 tons vrould be abandoned and the revenues " <br />and royalties generated by the mining of those reserves ti:ould be fore- <br />gone. <br />There arould be no measureable impact from the decision not to <br />conduct a lease sale on the existing operation of the Ha,,;k's hest East <br />Mine. 4!SC has indicated it will pursue a contract for the sale o° a <br />million tons or' coal per year to be produced at the ha~,~k's (lest East <br />Jline regardless c` the decision on the leasing of .the federal coal in <br />the short-term lease application and the results of the lease sale. In <br />order to support this conten±ion, 4:SC has indicated tha'. the approved <br />' mining permits under :rhicn they nor: operate will aileo-: they„ to produce <br />approximately 600,000 tens annually from four continuous minino sections <br />operating in the E Seam on their existing leases, Ire addlt'Or~, they <br />vriii seek to ar,end their ex.istino mininc permit re cardiess of the <br />proposed short-tern lease to begin mininc of the underlyir,c ';;ild and D <br />seams on their three existing federal leases. The CSGS :has indicated <br />that these plans do net violate rreil-accepted principles of miring and, <br />if successfully it:plea°~nted, could aliovr 4!SC to produce approxirately <br />• one million tcn.s of coal per year. <br />In addition, ;•;SC has indicated if they do not obtain the short-term <br />lease they vrili construct tiro net;~ ventilation shafts on their existing <br />leases in order to increase their current ventilation capacity to <br />support the operation of additional continue us mininc sections. (The <br />requirements for ventilation of underground coal vines are contained in <br />30(CFR}: 75.300.) The impact of constructing these shafts vrould be the <br />loss of mountain shrub vegetation, increase in soil erosion, a potential <br />decrease in the visual aesthetics of the landscape, and a minimal loss <br />.of wildlife and livestock forage. - <br />Future air quality is expected to deteriorate at the Ha~•rk's ?lest <br />East (line ti;~ithout the proposed action. Associated with the increase in <br />production, particulate emissions vrould reach amourts o` i3.1 tons per <br />year in 1980 and 121.8 tons by 1935. This increase in fucitive dust <br />emissions vrould be due to the increased activity at the mine with <br />greater quantities of coal being hauled, crushed, conveyed, loaded, <br />transferred, and stored. The area affected by particulate e~~,issions <br />from the mine is expected to be limited to ~~~ithin a few miles of the <br />site. • <br />• <br />