2013-07-01_PERMIT FILE - X201322801 (3)

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BLM Uncompahgre Field Office Sunset Trail Area Coal Exploration Plan EA . Bowie Resources, LLC (Bowie No. 2 Mine) applied for a lease by application adjacent to current leases to the north under private, national forest and public lands and are in NEPA analysis. Pending oil and gas activity includes 19 total permits. . 6 shale well permits; . 8 coal -bed methane wells; and . 5 coal mine methane wells. . Total estimated disturbance based on current permits — approximately 130 acres (based on 6.8 acres of disturbance per well). In addition, the Forest Service is currently reviewing a proposal for Petrox LLC, involving up to 50 gas wells on 24 drilling locations within the Somerset Unit. This Master Development Plan has not yet been released for scoping. SG Interests I, Ltd (SG) has proposed a 150 gas well Master Development Plan to develop mineral leases they hold within the Bull Mountain Unit located in Gunnison County, Colorado. SG is proposing to drill and produce 150 wells from approximately 41 individual well pads and associated infrastructure. Approximately 50 percent of the wells are targeting coalbed methane production and the other 50 percent will be exploring other potentially productive natural gas zones encountered by drilling into other geologic zones in the area of the Bull Mountain Unit. The Sunset Trail Area Coal Exploration Plan could contribute minor cumulative impacts. None of them will exceed the impacts stated in the FEIS (Section 3.37 starting on page 193). Impacts resulting from the proposed exploration could add incrementally to impacts from the other activities discussed above, resulting in a low -level increase in noise, human presence, soil erosion, invasive weeds, wildlife habitat loss, and vegetation loss or conversion. Cumulative impacts associated with coal mining activities in the area were analyzed in greater detail in the Uncompahgre Basin RMP Environmental Impact Statement (BLM, 1988), as well as in the North Fork Coal EIS (USFS and BLM, 2000). 3.2 Air Quality 3.2.1 Affected Environment Based on a review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported non - attainment areas (EPA, 2012), the project area is in an attainment area for all reported state and federal air quality standards. There are no non - attainment areas in Gunnison County or any of its adjoining counties. The closest Class I airsheds to the project area include the West Elk Wilderness (located about 0.25 miles southeast of the project area), and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (located about 18 miles southwest of the project area). The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set standards for air pollutants to protect the public health and welfare. Criteria pollutants are those for which national ambient air quality (NAAQ) standards have been set; non - criteria pollutants do not have set NAAQ standards. Criteria pollutants include: ozone (03), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NOA sulfur dioxide (SOA lead (Pb), and carbon monoxide (CO). There are standards for two categories of particulate matter -one for June 2013 14