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g. Renewable resources and unique agricultural values <br />Following mining, the disturbed areas will be reclaimed <br />to support livestock grazing. Short-term losses of <br />available rangeland will occur while lands are being <br />mined. However, reclamation should return the <br />productivity of the disturbed lands to pre-mining <br />levels. Thus the proposed mining plan modification <br />would have a minimal impact on the area's agricultural <br />values. <br />h. Recreational Resources <br />Due to the private ownership of most of the surface <br />lands within the proposed amendment area, recreational <br />opportunities are limited to a relatively few number of <br />people. Thus the impact from permitting additional <br />acreage would have a minimal impact upon the area's <br />recreational resources. <br />Social and Economic Values <br />Approval of the proposed mining plan modification and <br />continued operation of the Colowyo Mine would be a <br />positive impact on those individuals and businesses <br />that rely on the mine operation for their livelihood. <br />Federal, state, regional, and/or local land use <br />plane, programs, and policies <br />The proposed amendment area is located within BLM's <br />Eastern Yampa River management unit. The management <br />objective for this unit is to realize the development <br />potential for coal and oil and gas resources. Thus, <br />approval of the proposed mining plan modification would <br />be consistent with the Little Snake Resource Management <br />Plan. <br />2. Cumulative Impacts <br />The Green River-Hams Fork Coal Region Round Two <br />Environmental Impact Statement (BLM, 1983) examined the <br />impacts from development of 24 proposed coal lease tracts in <br />northwestern Colorado, and southwestern and southcentral <br />Wyoming. Impacts from the proposed leases were also <br />compared with existing and previously proposed mining <br />operations in the region (baseline operations). The <br />projected disturbed area from the baseline operations <br />totaled about 236,725 acres, with a combined production of <br />about 1.0 billion tons of coal. The Colowyo Mine <br />represented about one percent of the baseline projected <br />disturbed area and 17 percent of the projected coal <br />12 <br />