2011-12-06_REVISION - C1981019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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'Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers, L.LC Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of Colorado programs that have state primacy of federal programs. 1.4.1 Bureau of Land Management Under both FLPMA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM is required to evaluate proposed actions relative to compliance with existing land management decisions and to determine whether or not the actions would result in unnecessary or undue degradation of the potentially affected federal lands. This EA provides the necessary information to allow the BLM to make the required determinations on the potential environmental impacts of lease issuance. The NEPA requires that this evaluation be completed prior to granting the coal lease. The BLM will also review the lease application and associated development plans in the context of the existing Little Snake Resource Area Resource Management Plan (BLM 1989) and the Colorado Public Land Health Standards (BLM 1995). The BLM provides for public review and comment before a competitive lease sale is held. Lease approvals may be conditional on coordination with other resource values and land uses, and appropriate mitigation and rehabilitation of disturbed lands. In response to the coal lease application submitted by ColoWyo, the BLM will review the application in accordance with regulations promulgated in 43 CFR 3425. The BLM Little Snake Field Office will prepare, or have prepared, several documents in response to an application for a coal lease sale, including: • This EA to assess potential impacts of the proposed lease and to develop mitigation measures, which may be included as lease stipulations. • A Maximum Economic Recovery report (MER). • A Decision Record (DR) containing: (a) comments received by BLM from the public and from other agencies related to the potential effects on the proposed lease and subsequent related activities; and, (b) BLM's evaluation of the proposed lease with respect to the unsuitability criteria developed by the Department of the Interior in compliance with Section 522 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and 43 CFR 3461. • A "Finding of No Significant Impact" (FONSI) or a recommendation that the proposed lease should be further evaluated by requiring preparation of an EIS. These documents will be forwarded by the Little Snake Field Office to the Colorado State Director for determination of BLM's response to the coal lease application. If all of the documents meet the established criteria enabling the coal lease sale to occur, the State Office will prepare notices of the sale for distribution in a variety of forums: • Publication in local newspapers and The Federal Register P' PROJECTS Colarn.,.61SS• EA Final -RI AI -c -EA C611o61O8 61 Oh .d. 3