Laserfiche WebLink
J<'~~~STq~ lbtllt 1. ~iJ ~U~ ~~,~U ! tt3l~i. <br />5 +~1~f/J- Q UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AG~~SI'fP I I Pt9 2:15 <br />S~ ~~.~,c't`O= _ REGION 8 <br />99918TH STREET -SUITE 300 ' <br />~" ~ ~ DENVER, CO 80202.2486 ~ ~ - <br />Phone 800-227-8917 <br />http:l/www.epa.gov/region08 " <br />SEP - 8 2006 <br />Ref: 8EPR-N <br />Mr. David Lehmann <br />Project Manager <br />Bureau of Land Management <br />2815 H Road <br />Grand Junction, CO 81505 <br />RE: Scoping Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact <br />Statement for the Proposed Red Cliff Coal Mine and <br />associated facilities, Garfield and Mesa Counties, Colorado. <br />Dear Mr. Lehmann: <br />The Region 8 Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed the <br />Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact <br />Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Red Cliff Coal Mine near Loma, Colorado, including Right-of- <br />Way and Land Use Applications for facilities on Federal Lands. In accordance with our <br />responsibility and authority under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section <br />309 of the Clean Air Act regazding the proposed RMP amendment, we offer the enclosed <br />comments for your consideration as you proceed with the Draft EIS. <br />The project proponent, CAM-Colorado, LLC (CAM), filed aRight-of-Way application <br />with BLM for the proposed Red C[iff Mine facilities, and subsequently submitted a Land Use <br />Application to the BLM for other facilities supporting the proposed coal mine project. The <br />project is for the development of surface facilities for coal mining associated with CAM's <br />proposed underground Red Cliff Mine including: roads, a water pipeline, coal stockpile and <br />waste disposal areas, a coal preparation plant, the mine portal, other administrative and <br />operations facilities, and a railroad spur line that would connect to the existing Union Pacific <br />Railroad line near Mack, Colorado. The proposed Red Cliff Mine is located approximately 11 <br />miles north of the towns of Mack and Loma, Colorado, and 1.5 miles east of Colorado State <br />Highway 139. CAM is proposing a new portal and associated facilities to extract low-sulfur coal <br />from Federal Coal Leases C-0125515 and C-0125516 and from several potential new Federal <br />leases as well as a small amount of private coal. The proposed railroad spur line would traverse <br />approximately 9.5 miles of Federal land, and include one crossing of State Highway 139 and <br />approximately 5 miles of private land. Cooperating agencies include the U.S. Army Corps of <br />Engineers, the Office of Surface Mining, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Mesa <br />County, and Gazfield County. <br />a~ Printed onRecycled Paper <br />