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CHAPTER 3 <br />AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND <br />ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES <br />3.1 INTRODUCTION <br />This chapter describes the existing condition of the <br />physical, biological, and social resources within the <br />project azea that may be affected and the direct, <br />indirect, and cumulative effects of the alternatives <br />described in Chapter 2. The descriptions are based <br />on the geographic scope of the project described in <br />Chapter 1. The Analysis Methods section under <br />each resource contains an explanation of the <br />methods and sources of information used in the <br />analysis. More detailed information on each <br />resource can be found in the project file. <br />This chapter also contains the regulatory <br />requirements that management activities must meet <br />or move towards meeting (primarily Forest Plan <br />standards and other Federal and state laws and <br />policies). <br />2, including proposed stipulations, and assumes all <br />would be implemented as described. <br />For the EIS, each resource area will be discussed in <br />terms of effects from subsidence and effects from <br />post-lease surface use related to mine development <br />(see Section 1.8 Reasonably Foreseeable Mine <br />Operations Plan and Foreseeable Surface Use). <br />3.1.3 Cumulative Effects <br />Cumulative impacts are impacts on the environment <br />that result from incremental impact of the action <br />when added to other past, present, and reasonably <br />foreseeable futwe action. For each resource, an <br />analysis area was defined to adequately measure <br />cumulative effects of each ahemative. Reasonably <br />foreseeable surface use described in Section 1.5.2 is <br />considered in the direct and indirect effects analysis <br />and in the cumulative effects section. <br />Direct, indirect, and cumulative effects are analyzed <br />in context of the geographic and temporal scope of <br />the project discussed in Chapter 1. <br />3.1.1 Short-term and Long- <br />term Effects <br />Unless otherwise specified, short-term is the life of <br />the project (or lease) through the 10-year post- <br />mining bond liability period used by CDMG and <br />the Office of Surface Mining. Long-term effects are <br />defined as those that would occur after the <br />lessee/operator is no longer liable. <br />3.1.2 Direct and Indirect Effects <br />Direct effects are caused by the action and occur at <br />the same time and place as the action. Indirect <br />effects are caused by the action and occur later in <br />time or farther removed in distance, but are still <br />reasonably foreseeable. <br />Direct and indirect effects analysis for each <br />alternative and each resource are based on <br />description of the alternatives provided in Chapter <br />3.1.3.1 Past, Present and Reasonably <br />Foreseeable Actions <br />West E-k Coal Mine <br />1981 to present <br />The mine has been operating for 22 years and holds <br />about 11,000 acres of Federal coal leases. <br />Subsidence on the GMUG and BLM lands has <br />occurred immediately north of the Dry Fork LBA <br />tract. Minor surface tension cracks are visible in <br />places on the surface. Topography has lowered <br />between two and ten feet across the existing <br />subsided areas. Mine life is currently projected for <br />15 additional years. <br />MCC is in the process of adding lands directly west <br />of the Dry Fork LBA to their active permit area. <br />The area, locally referred to as the South of the <br />Divide area, was leased in the 1960s, however no <br />mining has occurred there. These leased lands add <br />E Seam reserves to the West Elk Mine operations <br />plan. The mining plan extends existing longwall <br />panels onto the LBA tract. <br />Dry Fork Lease-By-Application FEIS 3-1 <br />