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Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Chapter 3 decommissioning techniques such as blocking the routes have not been as effective as complete obliteration and reclamation of temporary roads by eliminating the use of these road prisms. About 13 miles of temporary road have been constructed since 2001 for MDW access. As of summer 2004, about 5.5 miles of road had been decommissioned by obliteration and reclaimed. User-created off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails have proliferated in the area in the last 10 years. MCC assisted Forest Service in closing routes in the methane drainage project area north of the Dry Fork lease between 2002 and 2004. A route down Deep Creek was closed to motor vehicles in 2003. About 5.3 miles of user-developed OHV routes were closed in 2003 in the MDW project area. Next 5 Years A planned and designed motorized recreation trail will be implemented at the end of the currently approved methane drainage project (about 2008). The [rail will exist north and west of the Dry Fork LBA tract area and will offer about 6 miles of motorized trail. Ahalf--mile of the trail will lie along the western boundary of the LBA tract. Natural Gas Development Future This area was made available for oil and gas leasing in the 1993 GMUG Oil and Gas Leasing EIS ROD. There has been interest in obtaining gas leases to use the methane resource; however, processing of the parcels has been hampered by the need for analysis of impacts on the Federally-listed lynx. The BLM has officially designated mineral resources to be primarily managed for coal. There is no gas pipeline in the area. MCC and BLM are currently working on potential areas for gas leasing. MCC is also working with the Environmental Protection Agency on possible methane use. Methane Emissions Past 5 years MCC began draining methane from the underground mine via methane drainage wells in 2001. Monitoring since then shows the wells have an average active life of about six months. Gas flow averages 600,000 cubic fee[ per day (assuming an average methane concentration of 70 percent). About 10 drainage wells are actively draining methane at any time, and produce between 2 and 5 million cubic feet of methane per day. 3.2 TOPOGRAPHY, SOILS AND GEOLOGY 3.2.1 Regulatory Framework Authorities specifically governing Forest Service soil management include the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 and the Forest and Rangelands Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA). The GMUG Forest Plan authorizes and governs management of mineral resources and surface uses over them. With respect to soils management, the GMUG Forest Plan establishes limits on ground-disturbing activity on unstable slopes and highly erodible sites. The Forest Plan further directs using site preparation methods to keep fertile topsoil intact, revegetating areas disturbed during road construction, and design mitigations and restoration to ensure that 80 percent original ground cover occurs within 5 years after disturbance. Regulations adopted pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the State of Colorado's OSM-approved permanent program for coal mining per the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act as administered by the CDMG with oversight from the OSM, govern all direct effects of coal mining, including those that may impact soils. These acts and attendant regulations require that topsoil be removed, stockpiled, and replaced on reclaimed surfaces associated with construction or mining disturbance. Other impacts to the soil resource that may occur as a result of mining, including landslides and erosion, must be mitigated to stabilize the surface and return the land to an approved post-mining land use. 3.2.2 Analysis Methods and Area For topography, soils, and geology, the impact area is the Dry Fork LBA tract area. The cumulative 3-4 Dry Fork Lease-By-Application FEIS