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'000 Febmary 2000 Summary Pa a S-5 >gY The Elk Creek Coal Lease Tract would also be mined by longwall techniques. The production on this tract would also be at 5 million tons per year from the D coal seam. - Under Altemative D, the applicant proposed to drill 25 exploration holes. Holes would be rotary drilled ifs to predetermined depths, cased as necessary, and the coal zone would be cored. Since the release of the Draft EIS, the applicant requested shifts on some of the drill hole locations. These proposed relogtions were nol received in time to analyze in the EIS, or for the public to review and comment on 1 them. However, the EIS examined the broader effects of exploration in the delineated license area, and pn be relied upon to assess granting the license and approve specific hole locations originally submitted that were unchanged. S-2.3 Altemative C -Multiple Seam Mining This altemative is similar to Altemative B, with the inGusion of additional B seam coal reserves in the Iron Point Coal Lease Tract, as well as additional surface area and reserves that are located between rve the Iron Point and Elk Creek Coal Lease tracts. An area was also added to the Iron Point Coal Lease Tract in the Terror Creek drainage to facilitate flexibility in locating entries beneath Terror Creek for ns access to coal in the Bowie No. 1 'pod." In Altemative C, mining would be completed by longwall techniques, and coal production would be the same as outlined in Altemative B. S-2.4 Alternative D -Subsidence Protection This altemative would be essentially the same as Altemative C, with the limitation that there would be no subsidence under Terror or Hubbard creeks, or the Curecanti-Rifle 230/345 kV electric transmission line. Based on continuing geologic analysis for the area, since the issuance of the Draft EIS, the boundaries of the proposed Iron Point Coal Lease Tract have been modified. It appears that the B and D coal seams thin and split into seams of unmineable thickness toward the northwest part of the tract. In addition, the continuing analysis indicates that the igneous intrusions may have "burned" portions of the B and D coal seams, leaving no mineable coal. Based on this re-evaluation of the lease tract, there are approximately 5 million tons of coal less in Alternative D than originally estimated in the Draft EIS. The re-alignment of the boundary also provides additional protection to Terror Creek Ditch and Reservoir. S-2.5 Preferred Alternative m rhis e ~d The responsible agencies have identified Altemative D as the a preferred altemative. Altemative D provides for leasing with standard special coal lease stipulations, subsidence protection under perennial drainages, and additional seams and acreage. In particular, the agencies have decided that protection of perennial drainages would be necessary to maintain watershed integrity and ecosystem health, so provisions in Altemative D offer protection for perennial drainages by eliminating subsidence in those areas. Coal recovery for Altemative D would be estimated at approximately 60 million tons for the two lease tracts. For the Iron Point Coal Exploration License, the preferred Altemative is D with the exceptions addressed in S-2.2, Alternative B -Proposed Action. Alternative B for the exploration license would provide standard and special surface use stipulations to reduce potential surface impacts. S-3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS This section of the EIS describes both the existing conditions of and the environmental consequences to the area and its resources. Resource descriptions locus on areas which would likely be affected by reasonably foreseeable mining and exploration activities. Final Environmental Impact Statement