2008-02-22_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2008086 ‎(46)‎

• Permit No: C2008086
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Date: 2/22/2008
• Doc Name: PDEIS Chapter 2 Alternatives
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

CHAPTERTWO
Alternatives
2.10.10 Summary of Alternatives
Table 2-14, Alternatives Examined in Detail, summarizes the action alternatives by project
component that will be examined in detail in this EIS. The No Build alternative will be
examined as a baseline case.
Table 2-14
ALTERNATIVES EXAMINED IN DETAIL
Project Components Alternatives Examined in Detail
Means of transporting coal Proposed Action
Coal transportation routes and delivery locations • Proposed Action with modifications (Alternative 5)
• CR M 8 grade separation
• Noiseless crossings
Electrical power transmission • Proposed Action
• Alternative A
• Alternative B
• Alternative C
Sources and routes of water supply Proposed Action
Means/locations of waste rock (gob) disposal Proposed Action with modifications
Coal lease area Proposed BLM Action
Notes:
BLM = Bureau of Land Management
CR = County Road
The "proposed actions with modifications" could be separated into two or more alternatives.
However, because these modifications reduce environmental impacts and CAM has adopted
them as their proposed actions, there is no reason to further examine the originally proposed rail
route/configuration or gob pile.
2.11 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE
Under the No Action Alternative, BLM would not grant ROW easements to CAM or GVP,
would not approve CAM's land-use application, and would not grant additional coal leases.
CAM would continue to mine coal from the McClane Canyon Mine and haul the coal by truck to
the Cameo Power plant as long as it is in operation. (Note: Xcel Energy has announced that it
will be shutting down the CameoPower plant).
If the No Action Alternative is selected, this proposed project would not be built and operated,
and production of the 8,000,000 tpy of coal, with the resulting increased local, state, and federal
revenues, would be foregone, and the environmental impacts described in Chapter 4,
Environmental Consequences, would not occur.
The No Action Alternative must be considered pursuant to CEQ requirements, to provide a
baseline for comparison with the other alternatives.
2-59