Laserfiche WebLink
<br />United titsas P'onst C:rand Mesa, :250 Highway 50 <br />U~JUt~ Department of tiers•tce t~ncmnpahgre and Detlx, CO 81416 <br />Agriculture Gunnison Voice: 970-874-6600 <br />Nalionrl Forests TDD: 970-R74-6(iti0 D <br />File Cntlc: 7~?U..:~ RECE <br />uatc: Angnst 3, 2007 AUK 162001 <br />Division of Reclamation, <br />Dear hncrestcd Party: Mining and Safety <br />"I"hc Grand i1~[csa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (G\1UG) together with the <br />BL41-Uncumpahgrc Field Office (l3LM), and Office of Surface \lining Reclamation and <br />Enforecntcnt (USM) have prepared a final environmental impact statement (Final EIS) lirr Uc•er <br />C'rerk Slurf! unJ E Srcun A1etlrurre DruinaKa {{'ells Prnjecr That discloses the effects of installing a <br />ventilation shaft, nrcthanc drainage wells and access needs to support on-going undcrgrouud coal <br />mining activities at Mountain Coal Company's ~1%cst Elk Mine. "1'he GMUGs prcfcn•ed <br />alternative would approve surface operations associated with accessing, drilling, constructing, <br />operating, and reclaiming lfi8 methane drainage wells on 1:i7 drilling locations; constntction, <br />operation and reclamatioir of one ventilation shall ;md escapeway shaft and construction, use, <br />and appropriate decommissioning of about 22.fi miles of new and existing roads. This approval <br />would contribute to having safe working conditions in the underground mine quid would facilitate <br />safe and efficient recovery of leased federal coal reserves. The general legal description of Innds <br />im~olvcd is: <br />• Decr Creek ventilation shatZ'escapeway in NEY, Section 32, "township 13 South, Range <br />JO Wcst, 6`" PM, <br />• L• scam mcthanc drainage well development in Sections 2G-J and 32-35, Township 13 <br />South, Range 9t7 R'cst and in Sections 1-5, and 4-I1, Township 14 Souls, Range 90 <br />West, 6`~' PM, <br />The project area lies in Gunnison County, Colorado (approsimatcly 7 to t0 miles c;tst and <br />nunheast of Paonia, Colorado). <br />The Final ElS is enclosed for your information. No comment period is being otTcrcd with release <br />of the Final EIS. The Final Els is not a decision document, `the GMUG will issue decision <br />documents under sep.tratc cover alter the Em~ironmentai Protection Agency publishes of the <br />Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final EIS in the Ferl~rul Ret{iever. Once a decision is issued, <br />a 45-clay appeal period will begin according to 3G CFR 215.x. <br />If you have any questions regarding this project or need additional intirrniutiun, please contact <br />Niccoic Mortcnson, Engineering and Minerals NC•PA Project Specialist at (i~70) 87a-b(ilG or <br />nmortensorrii'~ fs. fed. us. <br />Sincerely, <br />Ck~IARLES~. RICHMOND <br />Furest Supervisor <br />tl~s ~" <br />Caring for the Land and Sen•ing people rrioieJ ~ am~iM r~co. <br />