GENERAL40881

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 8/4/2003
• Doc Name: Letter Seeking on EA‎(COC-67011)‎
• From: Forest Service Grand Mesa Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forest
• To: DMG
• Permit Index Doc Type: Other Permits
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

J
,,~`®""fk United States
,~ Department of
Agriculture
Forest Grand Mesa,
Service Uncompahgre and
Gunnison
AU6 0 4 2003
Dear Interested Party:
Givision of Minerals end Geology
File Code: 2820-4
Date: Angnst 1, 2001
The Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) and the BLM-Colorado State Office
are seeking comments for an environmental analysis that will consider an application to lease federal coal.
The environmental analysis will be prepared as required under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). At this time the agencies are anticipating disclosing the affects of the proposed coal leasing in
an Environmental Assessment (EA).
Ark Land Company (Ark Land) filed a competitive lease-by-application (LBA) with the United States
Department of the Interior (USDI) $ureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Mineral Leasing Act of
1920, as amended, 30 U.S.C. Section 201, as implemented by regulatory provisions found at 43 CFR
3425.
The LBA is for lands adjacent to Mountain Coal Company's (MCC) West Elk Mine, and the tract has
been named the West Flatiron Lease Tract. The BLM has assigned the West Flatiron Lease Tract with
tract serial number COC-67011. The application was made for the following lands:
Township 13 South, Range 90 West. 6°iPrincioal Meridian
Section 12 Lots 8, 9 and 10
Section 13 Lots 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15
Section 24 Lots 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, I2, 13 and 14,
in Gunnison County, Colorado.
The West Flatiron Tract contains approximately 923 acres of federal coal with an estimated 2.3 million
tons of recoverable coal. These lands are being proposed for leasing for underground coal mining.
The West Flatiron Lease Tract lies east of the Box Canyon area, and abuts an existing federal coal lease
as shown on the attached figures. The lands involved encompass approximately 800 acres of National
Forest System lands administered under the GMUG, approximately 40 of pablic lands i-, fl]c BLS.".
Uncompahgre Basin Resource Area, and approximately 80 acres of land owned by Ark Land.
MCC, a company affiliated with Ark Land, would plan to extract coal from this lease tract as part of a
logical extension of The company's cmTent underground mining activities. MCC presently operates with
a longwall system of underground mining at the West Elk Mine, which is permitted with the Colorado
Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG) for a production rate of 8.2 million tons of coal per year. The
mine was opened in 1981 and presently produces coal from several existing federal coal leases. The 2,3
million tons of projected coal reserves in the ]ease tract would represent about three months of pern~itted
production for the West Elk Mine.
Approval of the West Flatiron Lease Tract would cause no increase in production from the West El(c
Mine. No additional coal transportation facilities are needed, and there would be no change to the
existing coal handling plan. No surface disturbance (such as new roads or surface facilities) associated
with the underground mining of coal fiom this lease tract is proposed. The lease area would be subject to
surface subsidence following coal extraction by the longwall mining system.
2250 Highway 50
Delta, CO 81416
Voice: 970-874-6600
U~S
Caring for the L:md and Serving People nrm~ea o~ Recrdea vane, ~~