PERMFILE72798 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Western States Coal Company .-~; 4Jestern States Goal Company owns G00 acres of private coal reserves '• at the old Fairview F1ine east of Cedaredge, Colorado, in Gelta County. The company has preliiainary plans tc develop the property in the earl; to mid 1980s and has projected production at 250,000 tors per year. At that production level 00 people r;ould be employed. The coal :rculd be .used to supply a local industrial r-arl;et. Anchor Coal Company Anchor Coal Company has acquired federal lease D-C525G1 in Gunnison County east of Somerset, Colorado. The company has indicated that it plans to develop a 125,000-ton=per-year raining operation at trio site or' the old Ed~,~ard's tine. The mine r;ould employ 30 people at full production. Priming erould be by conventional roo~,~-and-pillar r,ethods. The coal would be used to supply t;orthern indiara Public Service Cor;pany, Ham;•,ond, Indiana, znd would be trucked to C'I 1 oadout facilities located 2 miles east of Paonia. In addition to the ten existing, planned, and projec*_ed mininn, operations listed in the tables tI.S. Steel Corporation, Ctah International, and Gulf t;ineral Corporation hold currently inactive federal coal leases in the area. The Federal Coal Leasine A~.endment Act cf 1g75 requires tr:at inactive federal coal leases be devaieped or forfeited. Dilicent and continuous development criteria must be r;:et by June '_, 1°c5. . Development of these leases could increase the mining activities in the area. At least one cer~~pany also o,rns private coal resew°s in the area and has expressed their intention to expand any future operations onto adjacent federal coal.. • All of the operating mines currently ship most of the coal produced out of the area by way of the Di,2C1d rail spur in the .io w h For% :raiiey. An average of seven unit trains and numerous multiple coal-car trains leave the trorth fork Valley each Neek. Production associated with the proposed actions •~vou]d not increase the number of unit trains. Other Devel op;ient Coal development in the tk~rth Fork Palley is by far the cost important activity in the korth Fork Valley. Ho~.rever, uranium and oil and gas exploration are also occurring in the area. These activities are discussed in the Final 4(est-Central Colorado Regional Coai En vironme~tal Statement.