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1linina htethod ~ The projected mine workings would be underground using the room-and- pillar method of mining. The mining plan consists of development of main and submain entries off of which panels are driven for pillar extraction. The pillars in panels will be square or rectangular in shape and developed on 60- or 70-foot centers with the entries 18 feet wide. This allows for better ventilation and systematic pillar recovery. This tract would be mined as an extension of the existing National King Coal Mine. There are no surface disturbances proposed for the lease application tract, nor have there been any mine related disturbances, such as surface facilities or roads in the past. AUTHORIZING ACTIONS Bureau of Land Manaoement (BLM BLM, in consultation with the USGS, reviews emergency coal lease appli- cations submitted under the criteria for emergency leasing defined by the July 19, 1979 regulations 43 CFR 3400. In coordination with USGS, . BLM prepares an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze the potential impacts of any proposed emergency lease which. meets the above criteria and to develop mitigating measures to be included as lease stipulations in the event a competitive sale on th~~ tract is held. BLM conducts a public hearing before a competitive sale is held to allow public comment on the effects of mining on the proposed lease. BLM must also evaluate emergency lease proposals with respect to the unsuitability criteria developed by the Department of the Interior in compliance with Section 522 of SMCRA and 43 CFR 3461. See Appendix II for the Unsuitability Criteria. .Following completion of the final EA on Emergency Lease Application C- 29125, the Montrose District Office of BLM will forward the emergency lease application, the unsuitability criteria report, the EA, and preliminary recommendations to the BLM State Director in Denver. The State Director will make a preliminary determination of the need for an environmental impact statement, publish the determination, and receive comments from the public and other local, state, and federal agencies for a period of 30 days. After the comment period has closed and the comments have been reviewed and considered in the final EA, the State Director will either decide that an environmental impact statement is needed or will forward the case file, including the final EA, the unsuit- ability reports, and his recommendation to the Director, BLM, after the USGS completes a fair market evaluation of the proposed lease area. The Director then forwards the case to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Water Resources for his decision.