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h <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT <br /> WESTERN FUELS-UTAH, INC. <br /> DESERADO <br /> MINING PLAN, AS MODIFIED <br /> APRIL, 1986 <br /> 1. Purpose and Need <br /> Western Fuels-Utah, Inc. (Western Fuels) submitted a permit <br /> application package (PAP) involving the mining of Federal coal at <br /> the Deserado mine. Pursuant to 30 CFR 746.14, the Secretary of the <br /> Interior must approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the <br /> mining plan, as modified, for the mining of the Federal coal as <br /> proposed in the PAP. This document assesses the environmental <br /> effects of the proposed mining and reclamation operations and <br /> alternative actions available to the Secretary including approval <br /> without conditions, approval with conditions, and disapproval of the <br /> mining plan. <br /> The PAP was submitted on October 24, 1985, to Colorado MLRD as a <br /> revision to permit application number C-81-081 and to the Office of <br /> Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) on November 6, <br /> 1985. <br /> The Deserado mineiis located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, <br /> approximately 9 miles north of Rangely and has been operating since <br /> 1981. The mine was permitted under the approved Colorado State <br /> program in July 1981. The mining plan for the Deserado mine was <br /> originally approved under the Federal lands program in July 1981. <br /> Since the original approval of the mining plan, there has been one <br /> permit revision (determined not to be a mining plan modification) <br /> which was approved in June 1985. Colorado MLRD approved the <br /> addition of a sanitary landfill to the permit area. This involved <br /> the addition of 317.2 acres owned by the company to the 5,955 acres <br /> approved in 1981. <br /> Including the permit revision area associated with this mining plan, <br /> as modified, the Deserado permit area will contain approximately <br /> 9,152 acres, of Which 8,730 acres are Federal lands including. 6,440 <br /> acres of leased Federal coal. Surface ownership in the permit <br /> revision area is'all Federal, administered by the Bureau of Land <br /> Management (BLM) Upon approval of this mining plan, as modified, <br /> the approved mining plan area for the Deserado will contain <br /> approximately 8,730 acres including Federal leases D-047201, <br /> C-023703, C-8424, C-8425 and C-0126669. <br />