1986-06-13_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981018

• Permit No: C1981018
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 6/13/1986
• Doc Name: Permit Application Approval Package Fed Leases C-023703, D-047201, C-8424, C-8425, C-0126669
• From: OSM
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

B. Impacts of Alternative 2, Disapproval
Disapproval of the mining plan modification would result in 8.2
million additional tons of Federal coal not being mined unless and
until an alternative mining plan is developed, submitted by the
applicant, and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. The
Deserado mine would continue to operate under the terms and
conditions of the mining plan approved in July, 1981; the impacts of
which are described in the Technical and Environmental Analysis for
the Deserado Mine, OSMRE, June 3, 1981. In addition, disapproval of
the mining plan modification would result in the failure of Western
Fuels-Utah to meet a contractual commitment to supply the Desert
Power Generation Cooperative with fuel and the loss of employment
for about 280 workers at the Deserado mine.
C. Impacts of Alternative 3, Approval with Conditions
The preferred alternative is approval with conditions. The
impact analysis of Alternative 1, Approval Without Conditions,
identified certain impacts that could and should be mitigated by
the addition of special conditions to the mining plan approval.
Those special conditions are discussed below.
Special Condition No. 1 deals with the potential impact to a
threatened and endangered species, the black-footed ferret. No
ferrets were found during baseline wildlife studies conducted at
the mine site in 1980, or during a search conducted by the
Colorado Department of Wildlife in 1985 when the permit area was
revised to include a 320-acre privately-owned parcel of land
being used as' a landfill. However, there are white-tailed
prairie dogs, a primary food item for ferrets, present in the
vicinities of the refuse disposal surface disturbance, so
black-footed 'ferrets could move into these areas. Therefore,
the applicant must conduct surveys of all concentrations of
prairie dogs for black-footed ferrets one year prior to any
surface disturbance. The applicant must use U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) approved survey methods, and the results
of the survey must be submitted to the FWS and OSMRE for review
and evaluation before any disturbance can proceed.
Special Condition Nos. 2 and 3 deal with the protection of
cultural resources. The applicant must perform surveys for
cultural resources on lands which have not been previously
surveyed. The timing, magnitude, and extent of the survey will
be determined in consultation with the Colorado State Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), and OSMRE. The applicant must also submit a mitigation
plan dealing,,with the potential impacts from subsidence on
cultural resource sites eligible for the National Register of
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