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Summary ' Summary Description of Proposed Actions in Inventoried Roadless Areas Portions of the Proposed Action would occur on the federal coal leases that are in the West Elk IRA. Approximately 3.2 miles of road construction (including a 0.6 mile re-route) is proposed on these leases within the IRA. The road construction is necessary for access to 35 sites for methane drainage wells. Seventeen of these sites would be located in the IRA. Roads associated with accessing methane drainage wells may be constructed or reconstructed in the West Elk IRA under two of the exceptions stated in the Roadless Area Conservation Rule of 2001 (RACR), those being: Exception No. 1 -protection of public health and safety in the cases of imminent threat that without intervention would cause loss of life or property, and Exception No. 7 -roads are needed for the continuation, extension, renewal of a mineral lease on lands that were under lease as of 1112/2001. Additional details regarding the use of these exceptions are given in Chapter 2. In compliance with the RACR, conditions attached to the Forest Service concurrence to the state permitting action would be consistent with provisions at 36 CFR 294.12 (b) (7) which requires road construction and reconstruction on mineral leases to "be conducted in a manner that minimizes effects on surface resources, prevents unnecessary or unreasonable surface disturbance, and complies with all applicable lease requirements, land and resource management plan direction, regulations, and laws." Also consistent with that provision of RACR, the Forest Service will require the operator to decommission all roads by obliteration when no longer needed for the purposes of the leases. Roads proposed in the IRA would be for project and administrative use only, and would not be available for public use. Issues The Forest Service separated the issues into two groups: significant and non-significant issues. Significant issues were defined as those directly or indirectly caused by implementing the proposed action. Non-significant issues were identified as those: 1) outside the scope of the proposed action; 2) already decided by law, regulation, Forest Plan, or other higher level decision; 3) irrelevant to the decision to be made; or 4) conjectural and not supported by scientific or factual evidence. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations explain this delineation in Sec. 1501.7, "...identify and eliminate from detailed study the issues which are not significant or which have been covered by prior environmental review (Sec. 1506.3)...." Significant Issues The Forest Service identified the following issues which will be analyzed in detail in the EIS. In most cases, a design criteria has been developed to minimize impacts (see Error! Reference source not found. of the EIS), one was used to develop another alternatives (Inventoried Roadless Areas), and the remainders were addressed through impact analysis in Chapter 3. • Socioeconomic • Wildlife • Soils and Geologic Hazards • Vegetation • Cultural Resources • Land Uses, Including Recreation Inventoried Roadless Areas • Roads and Facilities LJ ~ SpeciSc information about the individual federal coal leases involved in the project is described in the section, Federal Coal Leases. Visual Resources • Livestock Management • Air Quality S-4 Deer Creek Ventilation Shaft and E Seam Methane Drainage Wells DEIS '