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Environmental Scientists and Engineers, LLC <br />and gut piles in and near the lease area. Bald eagles would also be displaced from the <br />lease area during the life of the mine due to noise, traffic and an increase in human <br />presence. These impacts would be minimal, as sufficient winter and fall habitat exists <br />adjacent to the Collom tract, and are unlikely to influence populations of bald eagles in <br />the Little Snake Field Office. <br />The approval and issuance of a federal coal lease for Collom Lease Tract "may affect, but <br />is not likely to adversely affect" bald eagles. Section 7 consultation was conducted with <br />the USFWS to obtain written concurrence for this determination. The LSFO received a <br />comment letter from USFWS on July 5, 2006. The Service concurred with the "not <br />likely" determination for bald eagles. <br />Approval and issuance of a federal coal lease as defined in the proposed action would not <br />adversely affect the four federally endangered fish species. However, environmental <br />impacts from any surface mining activity authorized under that lease may affect these <br />species. <br />Disturbances associated with coal mining include alteration of topography associated <br />with removal of overburden and road construction. Surface soil disturbance can increase <br />the sediment load of nearby streams. The concentration of total dissolved solids can <br />increase in nearby streams as a result of coal mining. Coal mining can impact surface <br />water quality by increasing salinity and solubility of many toxic metals. Because the <br />Collom tract is 11 miles from the Yampa River, surface mining activities associated with <br />this lease are unlikely to increase sediment load, total dissolved solids, or salinity of the <br />Yampa River. <br />For the purposes of this analysis, water depletion is the use of water in a manner that <br />makes it no longer available to endangered big river fishes in the Colorado River system. <br />Surface mining of the Collom tract has the potential to result in minor water depletions to <br />the Yampa River. Alteration of surface water flow would occur with surface mining. <br />Ephemeral and intermittent drainages within the proposed lease area would be potentially <br />altered or removed by surface mining. The water flow from higher elevations that these <br />drainages would typically transport through the lease area would need to be diverted or <br />impounded during mining operations. The impounding or diversion of water would <br />result in water depletions to the Yampa River during the time period when the lease area <br />is being actively mined. After mining operations are completed, the area will be re- <br />contoured to previous conditions as required by Federal and State regulations. <br />A Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper <br />Colorado River Basin (Recovery Program) was initiated on January 22, 1988. The <br />Recovery program was intended to be the reasonable and prudent alternative to avoid <br />jeopardy to the endangered fish by depletions from the Upper Colorado River. In May <br />1994, BLM prepared a Programmatic Biological Assessment (PBA) that addresses water <br />depleting activities in the Colorado River Basin. In response to BLM's PBA, the <br />USFWS issued a Biological Opinion (BO) ( #ES /GJ- 6- CO -94 -F -017) on June 13, 1994, <br />which determined that water depletions from the Colorado River Basin are likely to <br />P`PROJEI TS Cokm∎0oISki' E1 Final'BL \I -, -EA Collom 08 01 u. dot: <br />52 <br />