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Alternatives <br /> Alternative #1 - no action The Federal Mineral Leasing laws require that <br /> the Secretary of the Interior respond to permit applications and approve, <br /> disapprove, or conditionally approve mining operations on Federal leases. <br /> Therefore, the Alternative to take no action is not viable and will not be <br /> discussed further. <br /> Alternative #2 Proposed Action (preferred alternative) OSM's preferred <br /> alternative is to approve the proposed mining plan as amended by <br /> conditions (see Attachment I) . <br /> The Coal Basin operation includes five adjacent underground mines which <br /> currently produce approximately 800,000 to 1,300,000 tons per year. The <br /> potential tonnage which could be extracted is 2,450,000 tons per year. <br /> The Coal Basin life of mine is 40 years at the present mining levels. <br /> The Coal Basin lease boundary encompasses over 10,000 acres of which 7,220 <br /> are included in this permit and mining plan area. There is 413 acres of <br /> land disturbed by surface facilities. The amount of disturbance is not <br /> expected to increase during this permit term. <br /> The Coal Basin operations include five adjacent underground mines. All <br /> are drift mines, driven from the outcrop down-dip through the western <br /> flank of Coal Basin and under Huntsman Ridge. These mines are inter- <br /> connected underground and actually make up one mine complex with five <br /> entries. When the rock tunnel is completed in about 1984, all coal from <br /> both minable seams will be brought to the surface through one bore of the <br /> tunnel. At that time the Coal Basin operation will, in fact, be a single <br /> mine. <br /> The present mines or entries, from north to south, are: <br /> Coal Basin (# 5) Mine <br /> L. S. Wood (# 3) Mine <br /> Dutch Creek (# 2) Mine <br /> Dutch Creek (# 1) Mine <br /> Bear Creek (# 4) Mine <br /> Coal is produced from two seams: the Coal Basin Seam or B Bed, in which <br /> the Coal Basin (No. 5), L. S. Wood (No. 3), Dutch Creek No. 1 and Bear <br /> Creek (No. 4) mines are located; and the Dutch Creek Seam or Middle Bed, <br /> which lies stratigraphically 450' above the B Bed, and in which the Dutch <br /> Creek No. 2 mine is located. <br /> B Bed: Approximately 12 million tons of coal have been mined from the B <br /> bed since 1956. The thickness of this seam ranges from 6 to 9 feet. <br /> Occasionally the B seam converges into the A seam, but for the most part <br /> the seams are separated by as much as 39 feet of interburden. The <br /> remaining reserves, though substantial, are found at depths between 2,000 <br /> and 3,000 feet. <br /> Middle Bed: This seam lies stratigraphically about 450' above the B bed. <br /> Extensive underground mining development in the Middle bed over mined out <br /> areas in the B bed have indicated that interaction between the beds is <br /> minimal. The thickness of the Middle bed ranges from 4 to 20 feet. <br /> Approximately 1.5 million tons of coal have been mined from this seam. <br /> -2- <br />