Laserfiche WebLink
March 2000 Record of Decision Page 2 <br />I. INTRODUCTION <br />Background <br />In November of 1997, Oxbow Mining (Oxbow) filed a coal lease application with the U.S. <br />Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office for lands <br />located in Delta and Gunnison counties, Colorado. Oxbow's coal lease application was <br />amended by the BLM during tract delineation. The Elk Creek Coal Lease Tract contains a <br />mixture of federal (BLM and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Grand Mesa- <br />Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests (Forest Service)) and private surface ownership. Tha <br />coal is federally owned. Figure 1, General Location Map, shows the general location of the <br />lease area. Figure 2, Elk Creek Coal Lease Tract, shows the area in more detail. <br />Three federal coal applications were pending before the agencies: the Iron Point Exploration <br />license application (COC-61945), the Iron Point Coal Lease Tract Application (COC-61209) and <br />the Elk Creek Coal Lease Tract Application (COC-61357). The BLM and the Forest Service <br />determined that the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) would be <br />best served by preparing a consolidated Environmental Impact :statement (EIS) on the three <br />actions. The BLM and Forest Service are joint lead agencies for the document. The <br />Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining is a cooperating agency. <br />The North Fork Coal Draft EIS was made available to the U.S. Environmental Protection <br />Agency (EPA) and the general public on September 3, 1999, and Notice of Availability for the <br />Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register on that same date. The formal comment <br />period on the Draft EIS ended on November 3, 1999. The Final EIS was made available to <br />EPA and the public on February 25, 2000. The Notice of Availability for the Final EIS was <br />published in the Federal Register on that same date. <br />Decisions to be Made/Authorities <br />This Record of Decision (ROD) documents findings specific to actions related to leasing <br />Federal coal reserves on National Forest System Lands administered by the Grand Mesa, <br />Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) as analyzed in the North Fork Coal <br />Final EIS. This ROD documents Forest Service decisions including terms and conditions of any <br />consent for the BLM, Colorado State Office, to lease lands on the GMUG for underground coal <br />mining. <br />The BLM participated in the analysis as a joint lead agency. Th<; Colorado State Director (BLM <br />Responsible Official) will document the BLM decisions with regard to this leasing in a separate <br />and distinct ROD. The Forest Supervisor of the GMUG is the NEPA Responsible Official for <br />the Forest Service. The Forest Supervisor must decide whether or not to consent to the BLM <br />the leasing of National Forest System Lands according to the Federal Coal Leasing <br />Amendments Act of 1975 (MLA)(Final EIS Section 1.5). The Forest Supervisor must also <br />prescribe terms and/or conditions (through lease stipulations) with respect to the use and <br />protection of non-mineral interests. The decisions made by the Forest Service are site-specific. <br />Such decisions are not programmatic and do not change Forest Plan direction for management <br />of minerals or other resources in the lease tract area. <br />This decision does not encompass all resource management practices that may occur within <br />the project area. Previous environmental documents, past and ongoing activities, and <br />Forest Service -Elk Creek Coal Lease <br />