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U.S. Department of the Interior <br />Bureau of Land Management <br />Uncompahgre Field Office <br />2465 South Townsend Avenue <br />Montrose, CO 81401 <br />Decision Record <br />(DOI- BLM- CO -S050- 2013 -0027 EA) <br />CASEFILE /PROJECT NUMBERS: COC -1362 & COC -67232 <br />LOCATION: Township 14 South, Range 90 West, 6th P.M., <br />Portions of Sections 10, 11, 14, and 15 <br />PROJECT NAME: Sunset Trail Area Coal Exploration Plan <br />APPLICANT: Ark Land Company (ALC) on behalf of Mountain Coal Company (MCC) <br />DECISION: <br />It is my decision to approve the Sunset Trail Area Coal Exploration Plan as described in DOI- <br />BLM- CO -S050 -2013 -0027 EA; the associated coal lease stipulations will be followed. The <br />action allows temporary disturbance of approximately 30 acres on the existing modified coal <br />leases subject to the lease stipulation measures referenced below. This decision to approve the <br />exploration plan will allow exploration to evaluate the coal reserves and quality of coal seams <br />within the Mesa Verde Formation in the portion of federal coal leases COC -1362 and COC- <br />67232 that was added through lease modifications in March 2013. <br />A total of 10 pads and exploration holes will be located within the lease boundary. Access to the <br />drill holes will be from improved jeep trails or new roads. Surface disturbance will be temporary <br />and will include approximately 30 acres. Most effects will be short-term. <br />RATIONALE: <br />The decision to allow the proposed action does not result in any undue or unnecessary <br />environmental degradation and is in conformance with the 1989 Uncompahgre Basin Resource <br />Management Plan. It has been made in consideration of the impacts to the affected resources. <br />The surface area is managed by the US Forest Service, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and <br />Gunnison National Forest (GMUG). This activity is consistent with the GMUG Forest Plan, the <br />Gunnison National Forest Travel Management Plan (U SFS, 2010), and Forest Service Handbook <br />(FSH) 2800. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) consulted with the US Forest Service and <br />