1986-12-11_PERMIT FILE - C1981017

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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MID-CONTINENT RESOURCES, INC. COAL BASIN MINES MINING PLAN, AS MODIFIED APRIL, 1986 1. Purpose and Need Mid-Continent Resources, Inc. (Mid-Continent) submitted a permit application package (PAP) involving the mining of Federal coal at the Coal Basin mines. Pursuant to 30 CFR 746.14, the Secretary of the Interior must approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the mining plan, as modified, for the mining of the Federal coal as proposed in the PAP. This document assesses the environmental effects of the proposed mining and reclamation operations and alternative actions available to the Secretary including approval without conditions, approval with conditions, and disapproval of the mining plan. The PAP was submitted on November 27, 1985, to Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division (MLRD) as a revision to permit application number C-81-017 and to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) on October 29, 1985. The Coal Basin mines are located in Pitkin County, Colorado, approximately 4 miles west of Redstone, which, in turn, is 31 miles south of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and has been operating since 1956. The mine was permitted under the approved Colorado State program in June 1983. The mining plan for the Coal Basin mines was originally approved under the Federal lands program in July 1983. Since the original approval of the mining plan, there has been one revision to the permit which was approved by Colorado MLRD in September 1984. Including the permit revision area associated with this mining plan modification, the Coal Basin mines permit area will contain approximately 11,340 acres, of which 5,585 acres are Federal lands including 5,425 acres of leased Federal coal. Surface ownership in the permit area is Federal, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, and non-Federal. Upon approval of this mining plan, as modified, the approved mining plan area for the Coal Basin mines will contain approximately 5,425 acres including all or portions of Federal leases C-012457, C-011646, C-09004, C-09005, C-0115606, C-0125436, C-030345, and C-012640. Under this approval, mining is anticipated to proceed until 2023. The PAP indicated that mining operations for the life of the Coal Basin mines would cease around the year 2023 and would affect approximately 11,340 acres, of which 5,425 acres are leased Federal coal lands.