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

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CHAPTERTWO Alternatives Conveyor System A conveyor system could be constructed to deliver clean coal from the mine facilities to a loadout facility at Mack or north of the Highline Canal in the vicinity of Highline Lake State Recreation Area. The conveyor would be 72 inches wide, covered, and fenced. Right-of--way (ROW) for the conveyor would be 42 feet wide. The conveyor would be constructed mainly on the ground, with aerial construction over SH 139 and the county roads, and other natural and man-made features (e.g., Highline Canal). Due to elevational changes, it may be necessary to construct several drop (transfer) stations along the route. An access road would be required for the length of the conveyor system. A secondary screening analysis (Table 2-1, Alternatives -Secondary Screening) was performed on this alternative. 2.2.1 No Transport of Coal -Use of the Coal at the Mine Site Rather than transporting the coal to a market, an alternative was considered to use the coal at the mine site by constructing a power plant onsite. This alternative would not meet the purpose and need of the proposed action and would create a new project and set of potentially significant environmental impacts that are not being considered by any applicant at this time. Additionally, it would require a power plant capable of generating approximately 2,000 megawatts to burn 8,000,000 tpy of coal. By comparison, the Cameo power plant generates 73 megawatts and the Craig power plant, the state's largest, generates 1,274 megawatts. 2.3 COAL TRANSPORTATION ROUTES AND DELIVERY LOCATIONS 2.3.1 Roads If the coal were to be transported by truck, a dedicated haul road for off-road trucks could be developed that would cross over SH 139 and the county roads with shorter approaches than the railroad. The road would need to be wider than the railroad bed to accommodate two-way traffic by the large trucks and might require fencing to prevent use by unauthorized vehicles. A secondary screening analysis (Table 2-1, Alternatives -Secondary Screening) was performed on this alternative. 2.3.2 Railroad Alignments Several different conceptual rail routes from the mining area to the UPRR have been reviewed since 1979. All the routes considered (see Figure 2-1, Rail Alignment Revisions and CR 10 Realignment) have ended at the UPRR at essentially the same location in Mack. This is primarily due to the residential, agricultural, and other private land constraints around Mack, Loma, Fruita, and farther east. In addition to these routes, a route that utilized the abandoned Uintah Railroad grade was briefly examined. From an economic standpoint, it is not feasible to extend the railroad west to connect with the grade and then build back to the east and south to connect with the UPRR. This would add approximately 5 to 10 miles, depending on how far east the line would be extended. Also, the proposed location at which the rail spurs would join the UPRR is the northernmost point along the railroad alignment in this area. The railroad grade 2-5