2010-12-20_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981022

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G-L991--02Z. USDA ii USDA Forest Service Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & 2250 Highway 50 USDI Bureau of Land Management Gunnison National Forest Delta, CO 81416 Uncompahgre Field Office http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/gmug/ http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo.html File Code: 2820 N% Date: December 14, 2010 0 Opportunity to Comment Modification to Federal Coal Lease COC-61357 Paonia Ranger District & Uncompahgre Field Office Gunnison County, Colorado The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) and Uncompahgre Field Office of the _ Bureau of Land Management (UFO) are inviting you to comment on a'federat coal-lease modification`. The BLM Colorado State Office notified the GMUG and the UFO that Oxbow Mining LLC (OML) has applied to modify existing federal coal lease COC-61357 by adding 157 acres. Coal in the existing lease is mined by OML from their Elk Creek Mine near Somerset, Colorado. The application was made to prevent bypass of federal coal reserves both within the existing lease and the lease modification. The coal lease modification area is within portions of Sections 32 and 33 of T. 12S, R. 90W, 6 h PM, in Gunnison County. The modification area includes National Forest System (NFS) surface lands managed by the GMUG. The coal estate is administered by Uncompahgre Field Office. The BLM is required, by law, to consider leasing federally-owned minerals for economic recovery. With respect to NFS lands, the agency considers consenting to the BLM leasing coal reserves underlying lands under its jurisdiction, and prescribes conditions (as stipulations) for the protection of non-mineral resources. In this instance, the GMUG is considering giving consent to BLM to modify OML's existing federal coal lease COC-61357 by adding 157 acres to it. The GMUG will also identify any needed stipulations to protect non-coal (surface) resources. If GMUG consent is given, the BLM would offer the modification by non-competitive bid. If the lease modification is issued, the coal in this area would be accessed and recovered by underground longwall mining methods. The coal would be transported using OML's existing Elk Creek Mine coal transportation system and surface facilities. At the leasing stage, the federal agencies evaluate the effects of subsidence (i.e. the land surface lowered as a result of mining) on surface resources, and identify where surface resources may require specific protection from subsidence or foreseeable surface uses. Under a foreseeable mine plan scenario for this lease modification; there would be no anticipated surface disturbance from either facilities or subsidence. All acres of the modification are within the Springhouse Park Inventoried Roadless Area. The proposed lease modification has been reviewed by USDA's Office of the Secretary, which informed the GMUG to begin environmental analysis. This leasing action itself does not authorize actual mining or any surface disturbing activities; however, it does evaluate the need for conditions for possible subsequent use of the land surface. In this case, conditions on the existing lease would also apply to the modification which includes a condition for activities in roadless areas. The GMUG Forest Supervisor is the Authorized Officer for this discretionary consent decision on this coal lease modification. Given the purpose and need, the Authorized Officer will review the proposed action, the other alternatives, and the environmental consequences in order to decide the following: • Whether or not to consent to the BLM modifying existing federal coal lease COC-61357 by 157 acres; • Prescribe conditions (stipulations) needed for the protection of non-coal resources. For BLM, the Colorado State Director is the Authorized Officer and will decide whether or not to modify the existing coal lease under the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended, and the federal regulations under 43 CFR 3400 based on the recommendation of the UFO Field Office Manager FS-6200-12a