2011-12-06_REVISION - C1981019

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: REVISION
• Doc Date: 12/6/2011
• Doc Name: Environmental Assessment for Lease by Application Collom Lease Tract ‎(COC-68590
• From: Jennifer Maiolo- BLM
• To: DRMS
• Type & Sequence: PR3
• Email Name: JHB
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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'Walsh
Environmental Scientists and Engineers, LI.C'
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 BACKGROUND 1
1.2 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 2
1.3 AUTHORIZING ACTIONS 2
1.4 AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES 2
1.4.1 Bureau of Land Management 3
1.4.2 Office of Surface Mining 4
1.4.3 Other Agencies 5
1.5 CONFORMANCE WITH CURRENT LAND USE PLAN 6
1.6 RELATIONSHIP TO STATUTES, REGULATIONS, OR OTHER PLANS 7
1.7 SURFACE OWNERSHIP AND COAL OWNERSHIP 8
2 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 9
2.1 PROPOSED ACTION 9
2.1.1 The Coal Reserve Base 9
2.1.2 Current Activity 9
2.2 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE 9
2.3 OTHER ALTERNATIVES EVALUATED 10
2.3.1 Reduced Lease Tract Acreage 10
2.3.2 Increased Lease Tract Acreage 10
2.3.3 Incremental Leasing of Smaller Lease Tracts 10
2.4 REASONABLY FORESEEABLE RELATED FUTURE ACTIONS 10
2.4.1 Anticipated Results 11
2.4.2 Surface Coal Mine Construction, Operation and Reclamation 11
2.4.3 Conceptual Description of Surface Facilities 12
2.5 LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FEDERAL COAL LANDS 13
2.5.1 Township 3 North, Range 94 West, 6th Principal Meridian, Moffat County, Colorado
13
2.5.2 Township 4 North, Range 94 West, 6th Principal Meridian, Moffat County, Colorado
13
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 14
3.1 GENERAL SETTING 15
3.2 CLIMATE AND AIR QUALITY RESOURCES 15
3.2.1 Climate 15
3.2.2 Air Quality 17
3.3 GEOLOGY AND MINERALS 18
3.3.1 Geology 18
3.4 MINERALS 19
3.4.1 Coal 19
3.4.2 Oil and Gas 19
3.5 SOIL AND ALLUVIAL VALLEY FLOOR RESOURCES 19
3.5.1 Soil 19
3.5.2 Alluvial Valley Floor 21
3.5.3 Floodplains 25
3.6 HYDROLOGY RESOURCES 25
a 6.1 Surface Water 25
3.6.2 Groundwater 3 /
3.7 VEGETATION RESOURCES 33
3.7.1 Plant Communities 33
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