GENERAL49575 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

CNAPTERTW O Proposed Action and Alternatives ' This chapter describes the Proposed Action submitted by American Soda and alternatives to this action, including a No Action Altemative. The Proposed Action is to construct and operate a commercial solution mine producing 1.4 million tons per yeaz (tpy) of nahcolite that would subsequently be processed into soda ash and sodium bicazbonate. In addition, two subaltetnatives have been considered for natural gas lines that would serve the Piceance Site. The Accelerated Development Altemative is similaz to the Proposed Action, except that the proposed mining operations would be completed in ] 0 yeazs rather than 30 yeazs. The No Action Altemative would deny American Soda's permit application as currently proposed to develop the Yankee Gulch Joint Venture Leases for nahcolite solution mining. ' American Soda has evaluated a number of potential designs and configurations for the project. Most of the altematives identified were eliminated from further consideration due to the potential for greater environmental impacts, technical infeasibility, or economic infeasibility. This chapter f contains a summary of the potential envirotmental effects of each of the reasonable altematives and identifies the Bureau of Land Management's (BEM's) preferred altemative. 2.1 OVERVIEW The Yankee Gulch Project Area is located in western Colorado north of the Interstate 70/Colorado River corridor (Figure 1-1). The Project Area extends from the Piceance Site south- southeast to the Pazachute Site for a distance of approximately 43.4 miles. The Piceance Site is ' located approximately 22 miles southwest of Meeker, Colorado, in Rio Blanco County on the Yankee Gulch Joint Venture Leases. The Piceance Site occupies portions ofT1S, R97W, Sections I S through 22, 28, and 29 of the Sixth Principal Meridian. The pipeline corridor is ' approximately 43.4 miles long and extends from within the Piceance Site to the Pazachute Site. The Pazachute Site is located approximately 2.5 miles northwest of the town of Pazachute, Colorado, in Garfield County, and would occupy the former Unocal facility in the southern half of T6S, R96W and the northern half of T7S, R96W. American Soda is currently conducting limited exploration drilling and experimental solution t mining activities at the Piceance Site under previously permitted plans (Exploration Plan, BLM approved December 1996; Test Mine Plan, BLM approved May 1997). The exploration program is providing site-specific information on geologic and hydrogeologic conditions and data on chemical and physical chazacteristics of the nahcolite mineral resources. The experimental solution mining program is providing data on the feasibility of vertical cavity solution mining of nahcolite and experience with the actual performance of equipment in extracting and processing ' nahcolite. The experimental test mine facility occupies 13 acres and is located in the north-central portion of the Piceance Creek Basin in T1S, R97W, Sections 20, 21, and 29. If the Proposed Action is approved, the experimental test mine facility would be retained and operated in a research capacity. However, mining solutions from this facility would be routed to the normal processing stream along with solutions from the main commercial production. The existing cooling/retention ponds would remain in place and would be used for emergency storage in the event that the well field piping needed to be drained. The existing experimental test mine ' facilities would remain in place for the life of the project. ' 2]