2013-06-25_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - P2011012 (2)

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the proposed action to statutes, regulations or other plans is discussed in section 1.7 of the EA (Eat at 7 and 8). Alternatives Considered: The EA considered the Proposed Action with design features (Section 2.2.8 of EA) and the No Action Alternative. The No Action alternative would not meet the purpose and need for action. No other alternatives were needed to address any unresolved conflicts of resources. Applicable design features have been incorporated into the Proposed Action to avoid and minimize effects to resources present within the proposed Project Area (Section 2.4 of EA). Rationale for Decision: • The decision to approve he Proposed Action and deferral of drill site 6 and associated design features will meet the purpose of and need for action, and will respond to the applications submitted by RM Potash under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (MLA) and Federal Land Policy Management Act. • In addition to meeting the purpose and need for action, the Proposed Action was selected because it was designed to minimize and/or avoid effects to resources. • The Proposed Action is in conformance with the San Juan /San Miguel Resource Management Plan (1985), as amended (1991) and as described in section 1.6 of EA. The authority for this decision is contained in Department of the Interior regulations found in Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 3500 (43 CFR §3500 Leasing of Solid Minerals other than Coal and Oil Shale). Public Involvement: A Notice of Scoping was posted on the BLM Newsroom web page on June 28, 2011. In addition, a public scoping letter was mailed to 74 addresses on June 24, 2011. The scoping mailing list is provided in the RM Potash Exploration Project Scoping Report (BLM 201 la). A public scoping meeting was held at the Dove Creek High School Commons in Dove Creek, Colorado on July 12, 2011. During the scoping meeting, 16 people registered their attendance. Written scoping comments were accepted via mail, e-mail, the website, and fax resulting in a total of 15 scoping responders. Resource issues for the Proposed Action were identified through public and internal scoping. On October 26, 2012, a request for comments was posted on the BLM Newsroom web page and the EA was posted for public review on the BLM