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CaalMethane Drainage Asojrtt- Panek 16-24 lP/ert E!k Mine • PaRe 2-7 <br />2.3.5 Alternative 5 -Modify Plan to Comply with Lease Stipulations without <br />Exception <br />In Alternative 5 any proposed surface disturbance (access roads and drill pads) would not requite an <br />exception from the existing USFS lease stipulations. Under this alternative, the Sylvester Gulch, Box <br />Canyon, and East Fork of Sylvester Gulch roads and the associated roads to drill pads, except for the <br />Sylvester Gulch Spur to drill pad 16-08 would not be constructed. The drill pads specifically <br />associated with these roads and other drill pads located within areas restricted by lease stipulations <br />would also not be constructed. A total of 45 drill pads would be constructed under Alternative 5 and <br />57 1~IDWs would be completed. The existing mine ventilation system, underground horizontal <br />degasification boreholes, and the IvII~Ws that will be installed would allow full scheduled production <br />through 2005. Production beyond 2005 in the Box Canyon area would not be economically viable, <br />with methane venting limited to the existing mine ventilation system and underground horizontal <br />degasification boreholes. If the mine closes, approximately 6 to 7 million tons of coal per year would <br />not be developed or produced and approximately 13.0 million tons of production reserves would be <br />lost. Under a care and maintenance scenario, a small workforce would be maintained (less than 20) <br />and expenditures would be minimal The decision of whether to close the mine ox go on care and <br />maintenance status would be dependent on prevailing market conditions and company Financial <br />considerations. Alternative S is premised on no exceptions to lease stipulations, so no exceptions <br />would be required. <br />Under Alternative 5, approximately 17.5 miles of existing roads would be used to access the project <br />area, 11.4 miles of existing road would be used within the project area, 6.8 miles of previously <br />constructed toad or trail would be reconstructed and used as temporary roads, and 2.7 miles of new <br />temporary roads would be constructed. The maximum total length of existing, reconstructed, and <br />new roads in the project area under Alternative 5 would be approximately 20.9 miles. The network of <br />roads that currently exist or would be constructed in the project area under Alternative 5 is shown on <br />Figure F8, Existing and Proposed Roads - Alternatives 5. <br />On completion of all project activities, approximately 5.9 miles of existing roads would remain open <br />to public access, approximately 1.4 miles of road would be reclaimed and converted to ATV nails, <br />and approximately 14.5 miles of roads would be obliterated (all within the project area). <br />Approximately 7.3 miles of roads and trails would remain in the project azea at the end of the project <br />in 2007. <br />2.3.6 Public ATV Use Option <br />All of the action alternatives reflect closure of the project roads to public motorized access for the <br />duration of the project and reclamation of most new project road disturbance to obliterate the roads. <br />As a management option, this EA considers the environmental effects of maintaining public All <br />Terrain Vehicle (ATV) access on G.2 miles of temporary roads throughout the project duration. In <br />addition, the public ATV use option would involve reclaiming the West Flatiron, West Bench, and <br />East Bench roads by converting them to ATV trails that would be open to public access rather than <br />obliterating these roads on completion of project activities. Under this option, G.2 miles of public <br />ATV trail would be available in 2008 under each of the action alternatives. <br />2.3.7 Summary Comparison of Alternatives <br />Table T2, Summary Comparison of Alternatives, summarizes the actions and effects of each of the <br />project alternatives analyzed. The summary is organized to briefly present quantitative effects as a <br />partial basis for direct comparison of the alternatives. Detailed descriptions of environmental effects <br />and consequences aze provided for each resource or subject in Chapter 3.0. <br />Envisonmentafftrrrrrment <br />worn/q...,a. r... rair /o~p i/4aeer WFr <br />r/r/w m <br />