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United States Forest Grand Mesa, <br />2250 Highway 50 <br />USDA Department of Service Uncompahgre and <br />Delta, CO 81416 <br />Agriculture Gunnison <br />Voice: 970 - 874 -6600 <br />National Forests <br />TDD: 970 - 874 -6660 <br />%!ap File Code: 2820 -4 <br />QR ,� 1010 Date: April 14, 2010 <br />Opportunity to Comment <br />Modifications to Federal Coal Leases COC -1362 and COC -67232 <br />Paonia Ranger District, Gunnison County, Colorado <br />The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) are inviting you to <br />comment on two federal coal lease modifications. <br />The Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office (BLM) notified the GMUG that <br />ArkLand Company applied to modify existing federal coal leases, COC -1362 and COC- 67232, <br />by adding about 800 and 922 acres, respectively, to theirs. Coal in the existing leases is mined by <br />Mountain Coal Company (MCC) from their West Elk Mine near Somerset in Gunnison County, <br />Colorado. The applications were made to prevent bypass of federal coal reserves. <br />The coal lease modification areas lie in portions of sections 10, 11, 13, 14, 22, 23 of T.14S., R. <br />90W., 6"' PM. The modification areas include National Forest System (NFS) surface lands <br />managed by the GMUG. The coal estate is administered by the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office. <br />The BLM is required by law to consider leasing Federally -owned minerals for economic <br />recovery. With respect to lands managed by the Forest Service, the agency considers consenting <br />to the BLM leasing coal reserves underlying lands under its jurisdiction, and prescribes <br />conditions (as stipulations) for the protection of non - mineral resources. In this instance, the <br />Forest Service is considering consenting to BLM modifying ArkLand's existing federal coal <br />leases COC -1362 and COC -67232 by adding 1,722 cumulative acres to them. The FS will also <br />identify any needed stipulations to protect non -coal (surface) resources. If FS consent is given, <br />the BLM would offer the modifications by non- competitive bid. <br />If the lease modifications occur, the coal in this area would be accessed and recovered by <br />underground longwall mining methods. The coal would be transported using MCC's existing <br />coal transportation system and surface facilities. At the leasing stage, the federal agencies <br />evaluate the effects of subsidence (i.e. the land surface lowered as a result of mining) on surface <br />resources, and identify where surface resources may require specific protection from subsidence <br />or foreseeable surface uses. Under a foreseeable mine plan scenario, surfaces uses on these <br />modifications may include methane drainage wells (MDWs) and associated access roads <br />required to safely mine the coal resources. Specific locations of the MDWs and roads are not <br />lalown at the leasing stage, and will not be known until the time specific mine plans are approved <br />by the State, BLM, MSHA and the federal Office of Surface Mining during the subsequent <br />permitting process. However, the surface uses are reasonably projected for cumulative effects <br />analysis purposes in the NEPA at the leasing stage. <br />U�S Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper i"� <br />