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S '~ III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 999 'BLM looking for balance between ~ • c T..~ _!!Z~ p Sy Robyn Iwa~. "For one reason or another, the SIaM Wnter_ _ ___ The Bureau of Land Manage- ment is trying to find a balance between coal mines and the pub- lic's concerns. The issue was dis- cussed at the Resource Advisory Committee Thursday, Jan. 14, in Montrose. The RAC acts as an advisory committee for the BLM about issues which concern public lands throughout southwest Col- orado. Allan Belt of the BLM said the process has changed because an environmental assessment (EA) for Bowie Resource Limited was appealed. wrong tonnage of coal was ana- lyzed;'Belt said. The BLM vacated the decision to approve the EA because it did not want to tie it up for another year, when the information was inA,orrect. An environmental impact slatgg- meni (EIS) will now be done on all coal mines applying for an EA. "This is a soft decision, if you will, to be able [o listen [o the pub- lic," Belt said. One of the goals of the EIS is to recognize how important the coal mines are to the economy. it was important to determine the BLM had the lead in the process, he said. "One of the initial things that had [o happen, because of the high tensions, was everyone needed [o start talking," Belt said. It was important to find a bal- ance so everyone could continue mining, and the quality of life would not be adversely affected. This cannot be done unless every- one works together, he said. The cumulative impacts will be addressed in the EIS, such as how coal mining impacts the valley and how to ge[the coal mined out of the valley. "We want to do a fair and good environmental look. We don't want coal mines, people's concerns to muddle around with that," he said. Jane McGarry, who represents dispersed recreation on the RAC, said the events of the last month have been divisive and difficult for the community. She feels the efforts have been community breaking, rather than community building. Alan Staehle, who is a Ouray public official serving on the RAC, said the tensions can lead to people getting killed. It is not just the livelihoods or quality of life. The railroad industry is on shaky ground anyway, so that is why the RAC should work to relieve them. McGarry wanted more informa- tion about who was to blame for the wrong numbers ott Bowie's EA. "We aze trying to bring together. not tear apart. We took the applica- tion on good faith. To point fingers is a continuation of that," Belt said. McGarry asked what the BLM is doing to insure such an error will not happen again. The penalty was great for Bowie. Everyone is now in a posi- lion of delay until it is completed, Belt said. "So that is a good incen- tive [a get it right the fYsT t'ime," he said. Staehle asked if the mistake occurred because technology has improved. Belt said, "Yes. This is an example where [he process works. Steve [Hinchman] brought the BLM new numbers. It doesn't feel good to have egg on your face, but it works." Hinchman, who sits on RAC ac a representative of the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council, said when the EA was revoked, the mine had an accident, adding to the tension. Most of this has been alleviated. "[f you wam [o solve the prob- lems, you have [o bring all the players to the table and make it a community process," Hinchman said. llp until now, the policy has been to promote energy extraction and to make i[ efficient. With the changes in technology. leases and exploration the growth in the mines could reach 700 percent. The valley is being faced with technology never seen before. The community is concerned about being able to deal with the growing capacity. "So now we are coming [o BLM and asking, can we still afford to permit every- thing. That is a different question. Nobody has ever said let's limit it;' Hinchman said. He said all mines are spending more money to make more money right now by adding longwalls. "The impacts are such that maybe one of the mines won't make it in the mid- or long-term, which is why we don't want to go too fast;' Hinchman said. Public comment has been miss- ing. It is important to have simulta- neous community impacts, said Art Goodtimes, an elected official of Norwood, who sits on the RAC. Christine Johnston, a RAC member who represents the coal mining industry, said, "One thing to consider is just because we have the lease does not mean we will mine it" The infrastructure needs to be See BLM, page 28