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CHAPTER 1
<br />PURPOSE AND NEED
<br />1.1 INTRODUCTION AND
<br />BACKGROUND
<br />This final environmental impact statement (FEIS)
<br />documents the environmental analysis pertaining to
<br />offering the Dry Fork Federal Coal Lease-by-
<br />Application (LBA) tract for competitive bid. This
<br />EIS was prepared in accordance with the National
<br />Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and provides a
<br />forum for public review and comment on the
<br />proposed leasing. This FEIS also documents the
<br />process used to analyze the LBA submittal, the
<br />environmental impacts, and possible stipulations for
<br />protection of non-coal (i.e., surface resources) in the
<br />event the lease is issued.
<br />In September 2003, Ark Land Company (Ark Land)
<br />filed a competitive coal lease application with the
<br />U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI)-Bureau of
<br />Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office
<br />under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as
<br />amended, (30 U.S.C. Section 201), as implemented
<br />by regulations found at 43 CFR 3425. The lands
<br />subject to this LBA are located near Somerset, in
<br />Gunnison County, Colorado. The tract is adjacent to
<br />the existing underground workings of the West Elk
<br />Mine operated by Mountain Coal Company, LLC
<br />(MCC). Ark Land and MCC are wholly owned
<br />subsidiaries of Arch Coal, Inc. of St. Louis,
<br />Missouri.
<br />The location of the Dry Fork LBA tract is shown on
<br />Figure 1-1. The surface lands involved are National
<br />Forest System (NFS) lands administered by the
<br />USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) within the
<br />Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National
<br />Forests (GMUG). The coal resources in the Dry
<br />Fork Tract are administered by the BLM through
<br />the Uncompahgre Field Office in Montrose,
<br />Colorado.
<br />The BLM accepted the application, prepared a tract
<br />delineation report (BLM 2004), and has assigned
<br />the Dry Fork LBA tract with Serial Number COC-
<br />67232. The legal description for the Dry Fork LBA
<br />tract as applied for by MCC, and accepted by BLM
<br />through the tract delineation process is as follows:
<br />T. 13 S., R. 90 W., 6" P.M.
<br />1. Sec. 35, lots 5-7, inclusive, and lots 9-16,
<br />inclusive, less and except land in leases C-
<br />1362, and COC56447, as modified;
<br />2. Sec. 36, W1/2 SW'/4NW'/4, and W`/2SW`/a, less
<br />and except land in lease COC-56447, as
<br />modified;
<br />T. 14 S., R. 90 W., 6" P. M.
<br />1. Sec. 1, lots 3, 4, S'/zNW'/4, SW`/4,
<br />W'/2NW'/4SE`/4, and SW'/4SE'/4;
<br />2. Sec. 2, lots 1-4, inclusive, S`/2NN'h, and S'/2,
<br />3. Sec. 11, NI/2N'/2;
<br />4. Sec. 12, N'/2NW'/4, and NW'/4NE'/4.
<br />The tract contains about 1,517 acres.
<br />The BLM estimates that the tract contains 17
<br />million tons of recoverable coal (BLM 2004). The
<br />coal resource within this LBA tract is limited to
<br />coal recoverable by underground mining methods.
<br />The Dry Fork LBA tract lies to the southeast of
<br />MCC fee (private) coal and fee surface property,
<br />south of existing Federal coal leases COC-56447
<br />(Box Canyon Lease), and to the east of the southern
<br />extension of Federal coal lease C-1362 both held by
<br />MCC. Ark Land applied for all the coal seam
<br />reserves within the Dry Fork LBA tract. MCC
<br />currently extracts coal from the B Seam in the West
<br />Elk Mine, to the north of the tract. The existing
<br />West Elk Mine operations plan calls for mining
<br />both E and B Seam reserves to the west and north
<br />of the Dry Fork LBA tract, and MCC intends to
<br />mine E Seam reserves within the Dry Fork LBA
<br />tract (see Section 1.8 Reasonably Foreseeable Mine
<br />Operations Plan and Foreseeable Surface Use).
<br />The BLM-Colorado State Office and the USDI-
<br />Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
<br />Enforcement are participating in this EIS as
<br />cooperating agencies.
<br />Dry Fork Lease-By-Application FEIS
<br />1-1
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