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Response to Comments <br /> <br /> <br />• <br />Table 5-1 <br />DEIS Comments and Responses <br />Commenter Comment Comment/Response <br /> <br /> which a temporary road is to be decommissioned to a motorized trail when no <br /> longer needed for MCC's activities (USDA-FS. 2002b). The decision to <br /> maintain this one motorized trail ("Bomb Rock" area) in portions of the IRA <br /> was made by Regional Forester, Rick Cables in the Coal Methane Drainage <br /> Project Panels 16-24 Decision Notice in 2002. <br /> Under RACR (January 12, 2001) there is no prohibition from having a <br /> motorized public trail in an Inventoried Roadless Area as long at it is under 50 <br /> inches wide and managed as a trail (36 CFR 294.11). Roadless area <br /> characteristics also include the resources/features of "Primitive, semi- <br /> primitive non-motorized and semi-primitive motorized classes of dispersed <br /> recreation" (36 CFR 294,11). <br />Colorado Wild, et 30 First, the DEIS fails to evaluate the impacts of the release of methane from <br />al. vents. The purpose of the project is to facilitate safe recovery of coal by <br /> venting methane so it does not build up to dangerous levels inside coal mines. <br /> This means that significant amounts of methane, a "greenhouse" gas that is <br /> likely to increase global warming, would be released into the atmosphere. <br /> RESPONSE: Additional information has been added to the FEIS regarding <br /> release of methane (Chapter 3, Air Quality Section) <br />Colorado Wild, et 31 The public and decisionmakers should know, or be able to determine, how <br />al. much methane would be released. The DEIS only discusses what the <br /> concentration of this gas in the "breathing zone" near to wells would be (id. at <br /> 39). It further dismisses the issue of greenhouse gas emissions as a "non- <br /> significant issue" without any explanation or justification whatsoever. DEIS <br /> at 11. It does not disclose how much would be produced per well annually, or <br /> over the life of the project. That information must be included in the FEIS. <br /> There should also be a discussion of possible methods to reduce such <br /> emissions. <br /> RESPONSE: See Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action Responses # 1, 2 & 3. <br />Colorado Wild, et 32 Second, the 75 million tons of coal that will be mined due to the Forest <br />al. Service's approval of this project will be burned at U.S. power plants, further <br /> contributing to global warming. The Forest Service must analyze the impact <br /> on global warming of burning the coal supplied by the mine. <br /> RESPONSE: See Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action Responses # 7. <br />Colorado Wild, et 33 Third, it is highly likely that not only methane, but other pollutants also, will <br />al. be vented out of the bore holes. Yet the DEIS assesses only the impacts of air <br /> pollutants emitted from engines by construction vehicles. See DEIS at 38-39. <br /> The Forest Service must analyze and disclose the emission of pollutants other <br /> than methane from the vents. <br /> RESPONSE: See Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action Responses # <br />Colorado Wild, et 34 CONCLUSION. Road construction on at least lease 67232, and likely on the <br />al. other two leases, in roadless areas would be illegal and must not be <br /> authorized. A full range of alternatives must be analyzed, including one or <br /> more that would not require road construction in roadless areas. Well pads <br /> must not be constructed in or near ri arian areas. Sti ulations rotecting <br />Deer Creek Ventilation Shaft and E Seain Methane Drainage Wells FEIS 183 <br />