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rate from the tract would be about 3 to 4 million tons per yE:ar, <br />but: could vary with market demand and/or production being <br />satisfied in greater or smaller quantities from other federal <br />lee:ses. Mining on the tract could be completed in 3.5 years but <br />may take longer because mining would occur in conjunction with <br />the: adjacent lease tract. Production at the 3.5 million tons per <br />year ravel would sustain a 20 to 25 year mine life for the West <br />Elk Mine. Expected employment at the mine, at the 3.0 to 3.5 <br />million ton:a per year and at full production level of 4 million <br />tons per year is 19o persons. in 1992, 1.4 million tons were <br />produced with 180 to 185 persons employed. <br />com~pLiance With the Land IIse Plan <br />This application is in compliance with the existing land use <br />plan. The Uncompahgre Basin Resource Management Plan (RMP) wtis <br />completed and approved in July, 1989. The land use plan <br />determined that the application area was to be managed for both <br />existing and potential coal development. The area is acceptak~le <br />for coal development and coal production could occur without <br />conflicting other land uses with a minimum of multiple use <br />restrictions as described in the RMP. <br />B. Alterna1tive Two - Reject Application (No-Actionl <br />The second alternative is to not authorize a lease sale in <br />responsE: to the competitive coal lease application submitted by <br />Mountain Coal Company. If the decision was to reject the <br />application, Mountain Coal Company would continue its present <br />mining of the B seam bypassing the Jumbo Mountain Tract. <br />However, because access to the coal on the application lands <br />could be: reached at the outcrop, the tract could be mined in tt~e <br />future. Until the coal is mined in the future, not mining the <br />coal would represent a loss of revenue to the federal government <br />and a loss of potential energy (coal) to the nation as well. <br />Future mining from the outcrop is unlikely for the reasons stated <br />above fn Part II. Not offering the federal coal reserves for <br />lease would shorten the West Elk Mine life by 3.5 years. <br />III. AFFECTED EN ~RONMENT <br />A detailed description of the ezistinq environment can be found in t]he <br />West Elk Mine and Reclamation Plan, 1991, West Central Coal BIS, 197:9, <br />Uinta Southwe:st Utah Coal EIS, 1983 Coal Unsuitability Report for the <br />Bookcliff and.Paonia/Somerset Coal Planning Areas within the <br />Uncompahgre Beisin Planninq~Area, 1989, and the Uncompahgre Hasin <br />Resource: Management Plan EIS, 198.9. <br />A brief description of the specific resources that are within the <br />Jumbo Mountair: Ttact is detailed below. <br />A. 'ne als <br />The Jumbo Mountain Tract lies <br />which contains medium to high <br />deposits. The main coal beds <br />in the Paonfa-Somerset coal field <br />coal development potential <br />within the area are found in the <br />Page 5 <br />