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land health and relate to all uses of the public lands. Findings pertaining to whether the project <br />area public lands are achieving these standards are included in the pertinent resource sections <br />below. <br />Implementation of the No Action Alternative would allow for continuation of the existing gravel <br />extraction operations until the permit expires in 2010 or when the resource expires, with no new <br />surface disturbance. The pit would be reclaimed in a manner to best meet post-minerals land <br />uses. Under the No Action Alternative on-going impacts to area resources on BLM lands from <br />authorized activities would continue. <br />a ea re v e r era <br />Mitigation measures and design criteria are required or voluntary elements that address site- <br />specific conditions and are intended to reduce specific environmental effects. They are used to <br />provide additional guidance for those implementing the Proposed Action. Mitigation measures <br />were evaluated by BLM resource specialists and the following criteria were developed to assist <br />in identifying and designing mitigation measures. <br />Mitigation measures should: <br />• minimize the environmental impacts from an action; <br />• have a demonstrated effectiveness in past use or a reasonable rationale for <br />effectiveness if being used for the first time; <br />• not be controversial in terms of effectiveness; <br />• be specific, measurable, and enforceable. <br />Design criteria are measures taken in the design phase of a Proposed Action to avoid or minimize <br />a foreseeable effect to a resource. When implemented, design criteria reduce the potential impact <br />to the resource. A mitigation measure may be implemented in order to reduce an impact to a <br />resource when a design criterion has not reduced the impact to an acceptable level. <br />r al le e <br />r al <br />Regulatory Background <br />As mandated by Congress in the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, the U.S. Environmental <br />Protection Agency (EPA) established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six <br />criteria air pollutants to protect the public from the potential adverse affects associated with air <br />pollution. These criteria pollutants include: <br />• Carbon monoxide (CO) <br />• Sulfur dioxide (S02) <br />• Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) <br />• Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) <br />• Ozone (03) <br />• Lead (Pb) <br /> <br />Grandview Gravel Pit Expansion Environmental Assessment 12