Laserfiche WebLink
Environmental Consequences of the No Action Alternative: <br />Direct and Indirect Effects: The recoverable deliverable coal resource of approximately <br />21.3 million tons would not occur. Denial of the LBA would indirectly reduce recovery of coal <br />resources on adjoining leases due to the configuration of leases and the layout of mine <br />development preventing the maximum economic recovery of the coal resources on existing <br />leases. These conditions and the requirement of a 50 foot barrier pillar along lease boundaries <br />could create a by -pass situation and a loss of recoverable coal resources on existing coal leases. <br />Overall losses would be a combination of the 50 foot barrier pillar and the loss of coal resources <br />due to less efficient mining methods, i.e. room and pillar mining compared to longwall mining. <br />The BLM estimates the losses of recoverable reserves on existing adjacent coal leases would be <br />approximately 2.5 million tons of coal. Not leasing the coal resources would also shorten the <br />Deserado Mine's life by approximately 10 years or more. <br />It is unlikely these coal reserves would be recovered at a future time since there is no logical <br />competitive interest based upon utilization of the lands or mining of the deposits due to the <br />following: <br />• The applicant is the lessee of record holding the Federal leases adjoining and adjacent to <br />the modification area. <br />• This LBA would allow a continuum of an existing mining block and would not represent <br />an economic venture based on a stand -alone development of the property. <br />• The adjacent lands are managed by BLM or State of Colorado and the impacts associated <br />with developing a new mine portal would be significant. <br />• The economic investment required in order to mine the LBA independent of the current <br />leases held by BME would be unreasonable. <br />• The only logical access is from the applicant's existing adjacent leases and underground <br />mine with its associated coal handling and processing surface facilities. <br />This would create a potential coal bypass situation with the effective loss of approximately 23.8 <br />million tons of deliverable coal. <br />Cumulative Effects: None. <br />Stipulations to he Applied as Mitigation: <br />None. <br />SOIL RESOURCES <br />Affected Environment: <br />New surface disturbances associated with drilling of boreholes would be needed to support <br />mining within the proposed new Red Wash Tract. Based on projected coal development within <br />the proposed lease 30 degas holes, 30 nitrogen injection holes, and 10 ventilation shafts would be <br />necessary for coal recovery. An estimated 56 acres of new disturbance would occur to build <br />access roads and pads within the project boundaries. The exact location of these facilities cannot <br />be determined but all surface disturbances would occur within the project boundaries. Soils <br />within 98 feet (30 meters) of the lease expansion area and 98 feet around areas outside the lease <br />boundary impacted by access roads are shown in the Table 10. <br />DOI- BLM -CO -110- 2012 -0023 -EA 35 <br />