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1. PURPOSE AND NEED By decision dated April I5, 1983, consolidated sodium lease C-0118326 was reformed to comply with the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920 by reestablishing the three original leases and a new lease (1,200 acres out of C-0119985). These leases, as shown in Map 1-2, are legally described as follows: C-0118326 Township 1 South, Range 98 West, 6th Principal Meridian Section 13: All Section 14: All Section 15: Lots 1 to 13 inclusive Section 2l: NEI/4NE1/4, SI/2NE1/4, , NEI /4S W I /4, SE 1 /4 Section 22: Lots l2, l3, and 14 Total area = 2,159.64 acres C-0118327 Township I South, Range 98 West, 6th Principal Meridian Section 23: All Section 24: All Section 25: All Section 26: All Total area = 2,483.16 acres C-0119986 Township 1 South, Range 98 West, 6th Principal Meridian Section 21: SI/2SWl/4 Section 27: All Section 28: All Section 29: SEl/4NE1/4,51/2Sl/2, NEI/45E1/4 Section 33: All Section 34: Lots 3, 4, 5, and 6 Total area = 2,379.60 acres C-37474 (out of C-0119985) Township 1 South, Range 98 West, 6th Principal Meridian Section l6: NI/2NE1/4,SW1/4NEI/4, W I /2, N W l /4SE l /4 SeMion 17: All Section 20: NEI/4NE1/4 Section 2L NWI/4NW1/4 Total area = 1,200.00 acres In February 1983, WRC contracted Cliffs Engineering, Inc., in RiOe, Colorado, to provide engineering designs and financial analyses for a nahcolite solution mine on their sodium leases. The result of this effort was development of a three-phase plan to bring the project into commercial development. The first phase of development was a 3-ton per day bulk sampling operation, which was approved by BLM through an exploration plan. This testing phase, which ran From November 1983 to February 1984, produced in excess of 165 tons of high purity sodium bicarbonate. WRC believes that this program was successful in demonstrating the effectiveness and feasibility of their solution mining technique. The second phase of development involves conswction and operation of a 6-ton per hour pilot-scale mine. Although the original pilot mine plan was approved by BLM in February of 1984, no associated development occurred. In the summer of 1985, WRC submitted revisions to the approved pilot plan[ mine plan. An environmental assessment (EA No. CO-017-86-07) was completed by BLM to evaluate,the revised mine plan. [t was approved on May 2, 1986, subject [o certain wnditions. WRC projects a production start-up date in the first or second quarter of 1986. For a detailed description o(the approved picot-scale (Phase If) project, please refer to the description of the No Action Alternative in Chapter 2. The third phase of development is [he Proposed Action (125,000 TPY Commercial-Scale Nahcolite Solution Mine), which is the focus of this environmental impact statement (E[S). Far a detailed description of the Proposed Action, please see Chapter 2. 1.6 Interrelationships with Other Projects As previously stated, WRC submitted a mine plan for its second phase pilot plant development in October of 1983. Although an environmental assessment (EA) was completed and approved in February of 1984, no development ever occurred. In the summer of 1985, WRC submitted revisions to the approved pilot plant mine plan. Since the revised plans involved significant changes, including development on a different physical location than that analyzed in the original EA, a new EA was completed. This revised pilot- scale project was approved, subject to conditions, by BLM on May 2, 1986. The Proposed Action, the 50,000 TPY, and [he 500,000 TPY alternatives would all involve expansion of the approved pilot-scale project. As such, many of the facilities analyzed and approved in the Pilot Plant EA are common to the commercial-scale alternatives. Those facilities [hat are common to both, such as the access road, water pipeline, plant site and initial evaporation pond, are addressed and analyzed under [he No Action (Pilo[ Plant) Alternative. All new development (expansion) of the approved Pilot Project (No Action) will be addressed and evaluated under each alternative in this EIS. 1-4