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Criterion 1
<br />• All Federal lands included in the following land systems or categories shall be considered
<br />unsuitable: National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National System of Trails,
<br />National Wi{derness Preservation System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, National
<br />Recreation Areas, lands acquired with money derived from the Land and Water Conservation
<br />Fund, National Forests, and federal lands in incorporated cities, towns, and villages.
<br />1. Exceptions. (il A lease may be issued within the boundaries of any National Forest if
<br />the Secretary finds no significant recreational, timber, economic or other values which may be
<br />incompatible with the lease; and IA) surface operations and impatts are incident to an
<br />underground coal mine, or (81 where the Secretary of Agriculture determines, with respect to
<br />lands which do not have significant forest cover within those National Forests west of the
<br />100th Meridian, that surface mining may be in compliance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield
<br />Act of 1960, the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976 and the Surface Mining
<br />Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
<br />Analvsis
<br />The lands within Sections 14, 22, 23, and 26, T.13S., R.90W., 6th PM were proclaimed
<br />National Forest on May 12,' 1905 and are within the Gunnison National Forest. Conditions
<br />under which coal leasing may occur are listed in the Amended Land and Resource Management
<br />Plan ILRMP), Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests -General Direction on
<br />pages III-62 through III-70 and in tfie Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
<br />OiI and Gas Leasing Environmental Impact Statement to which the LRMP tiers.
<br />The stipulations set forth in these.documents will protect specific resources which are found on
<br />the. tease, and thereby satisfy the condition that the "Secretary finds no significant recreational,
<br />• timber, economic or other values which may be incompatible with the lease." In addition,
<br />surface operations and impacts are incident to an underground coal mine.
<br />Criterion 2
<br />Federal lands that are within rights-of-way or easements or within surface leases for residential,
<br />commercial, industrial, or other public purposes, on federally-owned surface shall be considered
<br />unsuitable.
<br />Exceptions. A lease may be issued, and mining operations approved, in such areas if the
<br />surface management agency determines that li) all or certain types of coal development
<br />le.g., underground mining) will not interfere with the purpose of the right-of-way or
<br />easement, or lii) the right-of-way or easement was granted for mining purposes, or (iii)
<br />the right-of-way or easement was issued for a purpose for which it is not being used, or
<br />(ivl the parties involved in the right-of-way or easement agree, in writing, to leasing, or
<br />(vl it is impractical to exclude such areas due to the location of coal and method of
<br />mining and such areas or uses can be protected through appropriate stipulations.
<br />Analvsis
<br />There are three rights-of-way (POwerline, Stare Highway 133 and spring developments) on
<br />federal and fee surface within the review area, totalling 18 acres; they are identified on Map 1.
<br />Lands involved in these rights-of-way are suitable for coal leasing after applying the exceptions
<br />to the criteria. The corridor for powerline COC-36666 is located adjacent to Colorado State
<br />~~,;hway 133 and the North Fork of the Gunnison River. No mining will occur in this corridor
<br />• because State Highway 133 SCOC-315891 is a public road pursuant to the Federal Aid Highway
<br />°'~%ect and will be c~otected from mining impacts by a stipulation described in Unsuitability
<br />Appendix ?, Page 2
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