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iii iiiiiiiiniiiiii 999 Coal mining to continue in interim according to impact statement An environmental impact statement (EiS) will be prepared to analyze the impacts of explo- ration, leasing and development of public coal resou~ces~in the North Fork Valley, said Allan Belt, spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USES). Bell said coal mining on exist- ing leases will continue while the EIS is being prepared. "1 want to assure coal mine employees in the North Fork Valley that mining operations can cominue on exist- ing leases and exploration licens- es," he said. "This is not an effort to shut down coal mining in the North Fork." Belt said the EIS will provide a forum for the local community to tell the a ~encies how coal min- ing fits into the overall picture of life in the North Fork. "During the next year, the residents of the Nof[h Fork are going to have an incredible opportunity [o deter- mine the social, economic and environmental future of the North Fork;' he said. "We're hoping that the local community can come together with the coal companies and develop a common vision of what the North Fork should look like ]0 years from now. BLM and [he Forest Service don't believe the federal agencies should be mak- ing those kind of social and eco- nomic decisions, so we wan[ [o encourage the mining companies, county commissioners, communi- ty leaders and local residents to sit down at the table and work together for the common good of the North Fork -we'll provide the forum, but they'll need to provide the answers," he said. Belt said the agencies had committed to a "fast-track" EIS. "Our objective is to be able to make decisions on exploration and lease applications by December 1999;' he said. "ln order to make that date, we're going to all have to work together -the mining companies, federal agencies and the residents of the North Fork." The agencies will provide regu- lar updates on the progress of the EIS, and Belt encouraged people to contact him if they had any questions. He can be reached a[ 240-5300, or by a-mail at abet[@co.blm.gov, or at 2505 South Townsend Montrose. ^_ b ~~ VMw~` l~f4 Y/~/N~ I~/~/~O~