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Coal Mebane Drainage Projeet - Pame¢ 16-24 WetJ E!k Mime • Pape 1-7 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED This chapter describes the project proposal, the purpose and need for the proposal, conformance with applicable land use designations and plans, and the required authorizing actions and decisions. 1.1 INTRODUCTION Mountain Coal Company, LLC (MCC), a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Arch Western Resources, LLC, owns and operates the West Elk underground coal mine (Mine). The Mine, located neat Somerset, Colorado on the North Fork of the Gunnison River, as shown by Figure Fl, General Location, currently produces approximately 6 million tons annually oflow-sulfur sub-bituminous coal using high-capauty longwall mining methods. Land ownership (surface} in the mine and project azea includes both privately owned lands and National Forest lands, managed by the Paonia Ranger District -USDA Forest Service (USES), Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests (GMUG). MCC has two federal coal leases issued by USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the project area. The coal leases aze issued pursuant to the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, 41 Star. 437, 30 U.S.C. 181-287. Coal leases aze issued by the BLM following consent by the surface land management agency. The surface management agency is responsible for providing lease stipulations necessary to protect surface resources. Coal leases C-1362 and COC-56447 describe activities required by MCC to develop the federal coal and each contain surface resource protection stipulations. MCC operates the West Elk mine under their Mining and Reclamation Plan, Permit No. C-80-007, issued by Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG). CDMG has permanent program authority from the USDI Office of Surface Mining to implement the Federal Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act. All proposed activities by MCC to implement their Mining and Reclamation Plan are reviewed and approved by the surface land management agenry (USES) and CDMG. Mining and Reclamation Plans, and accompanying permits, often have to be revised or amended to account for operational changes necessary to develop the leased coal. Permit revisions aze submitted to CDMG by MCC. When surface activities aze proposed, MCC also submits a project proposal to the USES for review and approval as the federal coal lease surface management agency. The USES conducts a public review and environmental analysis process as required by the National Environmental Polity Act (NEPA) of 1968. Following completion of the NEPA process, the USES transmits their decision to CDMG for inclusion in thew permit revision process. The USES decision includes terms and conditions required for project approval. CDMG incorporates the USES terms and conditions in the approved permit revision. MCC may implement their permit revision when approved by CDMG. MCC informed the GMUG on March 21, 2001 that they were experiencing problems with excessive methane gas build-up in the underground mine workings. Methane (CH4) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that generally occurs in a relatively pure state. Elevated methane levels can result in potentially dangerous conditions, with the potential for underground ignitions, and more seriously, explosions at methane concentrations in the range from 5 to 15 percent. Given the potential danger, the federal Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires that production operations be suspended and mine personnel be immediately removed from working azeas if methane levels exceed 1.5 percent. The underground none ventilation system was operating at full capacity relative to airflow through the mine workings, but was unable to adequately remove or dilute the methane in the active workings to keep methane levels within a safe operating range. In the summer of 2001, MCC initiated an extensive program of horizontal drilling inside the mine in an attempt to liberate and control the methane gas. While partially successful in reducing gas levels, the horizontal drilling program did not prove adequate to keep methane levels in an acceptable range. Environmental.4.rte.rrmenJ IP.~p/M/J~C/GU/fh.% )/~/OIEI USPS 3/f/03 tlv