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after lease issuance if they were the successful bidder. No <br />new surface facilities would be required at the King Coal site. <br />National King Coal has the equipment in place that is required <br />• to operate at the specified level of production. <br />Under this scenario the life of the Kinq Coal Mine would be <br />extended a-10 years and approximately 46 people would remain <br />employed. Over $1,000,000 annually in payroll would continue <br />to be spent for goods and services in the area. Federal, <br />state, and local governments would share approximately $574,000 <br />in tax revenues. <br />Miners would be able to have well paying jobs and live in their <br />home towns. Local people dependent upon coal for home heating <br />would have a dependable local supply. Two tourist trains <br />important to the area would have a local source of coal for <br />their operation. <br />C. Alternative 2 - No Action <br />There are no known additional impacts to the following <br />resources: climate, air quality, recreation, soils, geology, <br />mineral resources, water resources, vegetation, wildlife, land <br />use, cultural or visual resources. <br />OCZOECONOMICS <br />The impacts associated with not leasing the Hay Gulch Tract are <br />the same impacts that would occur with the eventual shut down <br />of the present operating mine. If the lease was not issued, <br />• National Kinq Coal would continue mining the coal currently <br />leased. Within 2-3 years, at their current rate of production, <br />National King Coal would be forced to retreat from the mine <br />possibly denying access to the Hay Gulch Tract. National King <br />Coal would then have to reorient their operations to one or all <br />of several other locations. <br />In addition, the present Rinq Coal Mine's recoverable coal <br />reserves will be exhausted resulting in the closure of the <br />portals. National King Coal's extraction of the main and <br />submain pillars could result in a possible by-pass of the <br />unleased coal. <br />The socioeconomic impacts described above would be postponed, <br />but not prevented, approximately 8-10 years if the Hay Gulch <br />Tract were to be leased. <br />D. Unavoidable Adverse Impacts <br />Surface expressed subsidence is not expected to occur. However, <br />if subsidence occurs, there would be minor unavoidable adverse <br />impact to soils. <br />CJ <br />17 <br />