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Executive Summary <br />could be accomplished without exceeding the Ambient Air Quality Standazds (AAQS). <br />However, Class II increments may be exceeded at this level of development. <br />Noise. The Proposed Action would cause increases in noise during construction and operation <br />from vehicles, heavy equipment, well-drilling, processing facilities, and well field operation. <br />Estimated noise levels would be within industrial zone standazds on-site and would be attenuated <br />by distance off-site. No residences would be significantly affected. The Accelerated <br />Development Altemative would have similaz impacts. <br />Vegetation. For the Proposed Action, 1,546.5 acres of vegetation would be removed or <br />disturbed during construction and operations. t Disturbed azeas would be reclaimed, and <br />successful revegetation is expected to take 3 to 5 yeazs. Restoration of big game browse species <br />may take longer than 5 yeazs, and impacts to 660 acres of pinyon-juniper woodland and chained <br />pinyon juniper would be along-term impact. Vegetation impacts would be significant if <br />revegetation were unsuccessful. Significant impacts from noxious weeds aze unlikely. Impacts <br />of the Accelerated Development Altemative would be similaz, with a slight increase in affected <br />azea, but the duration of project activities would be reduced to 10 years. <br />Wildlife. For the Proposed Action, construction at the Piceance Site would remove about 553 <br />acres of foraging and thermal cover within mule deer critical winter range. Mule deer would also <br />be displaced from areas of human activity, which would result in a loss of 953 to 1,613 acres of <br />habitat during the life of the project. Aboveground pipe racks and other facilities would interfere <br />with mule deer migratory movements through the mine panels, and there would tre increased <br />mortality from collisions with vehicles. Impacts would be reduced by reclamation, habitat <br />enhancement, and other activities to be identified in a Wildlife Recovery and Replacement Plan. <br />Pipeline construction would cause short-term loss of forage production on 667 acres of habitat. <br />Some inactive raptor nests within the mine panels would either be removed or would remain in <br />place but in unsuitable habitat. Waterfowl would be attracted and may suffer injury or mortality <br />at saline evaporation ponds; effects would be monitored and mitigation (such as stetting) would <br />be implemented if needed to address the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Effects of t}ie Accelerated <br />Development Altemative would be similaz, except adverse impacts would be concentrated into a <br />shorter period of time, the azea of mule deer displacement would be increased to 1,328 to 1,870 <br />acres, and the surface azea of saline evaporation ponds would be increased, which may make <br />them more amactive to waterfowl. <br />Wetlands. Pipeline construction would cause short-term modifications of soils and vegetation at <br />three wetlands, for both the Proposed Action and Accelerated Development Alternative. The <br />affected area would be less than one-third acre. No wetlands would be affected at the Piceance <br />or Pazachute Sites. <br />Threatened and Endangered Species. Several species may be affected by the Proposed <br />Action. Populations of two threatened plant species occur within and neaz propo<.;ed mine panels <br />at the Piceance Site. Adverse impacts would be avoided by restricting ground-di~:turbing <br />Acres of disturbance is greater than that for soils because approximately 449 acres of vegetation along the pipeline <br />right-of--way (ROW) would be crushed or trampled due to construction traffic; however, this would not affect soils. <br />See Sections 4.2 and 4.7 for additional explanation. <br />ES-4 <br />