GENERAL56468

• Permit No: C1981022
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Name: NEWSPAPER CLIPPING COAL MINING TO CONTINUE IN INTERIM ACCORDING TO IMPACT STATEMENT
• Permit Index Doc Type: NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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Coal mining to continue in interim
according to impact statement
An environmental impact
statement f.E1S) will be prepared
to analyze the Impacts of explo-
ration, Itasing and development
of public coal resources in the
North Fork Valley, said Allan
Belt, spokesman for the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) and
[he U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Belt said coal mining on exist-
ing leases will continue while the
Ef5 is being prepared. "1 want to
assure coal mine employees in
the North Fork Valley that mining
operations can continue on exist-
ing leases and exploration licens-
es," he said. "This is not an effort
to shut down coal mining in the
North Fork."
Belt said the EIS will provide
a forum for the local community
to tell the agencies how coal min-
ing fits into thz overall picture of
life in the North Fork. "During
the next year, the residents of thz
North Fork are going to have an
incredible opportunity [o deter-
mine the social, economic and
environmental future of the Nonh
Fork;' he said.
"We're hoping that the local
community can come together
with the coal companies and
develop a common vision of what
thz North Fork should look like
10 years from now. BLM and the
Fores[ Service don'[ believe the
federal agencies should be mak-
ing those kind of social and eco-
nomic decisions, so we want to
encourage the mining companies,
county commissioners, communi-
ty leaders and local residents to
sit down at the [able and work
together for the common good of
the North Fork -we'll provide
the forum, but [hzy'll need to
provide the answers," he said.
Belt said the agencies had
committed to a "fast-track" EIS.
"Our objective is to be able to
make decisions on exploration and
lease applications by December
1999:' he said. "{n order to make
that date, we're going to all have
to work together -the mining
companies, federal agencies and
the residents of the North Fork."
The agencies will provide regu-
lar updates on the progress of the
EiS, and Belt encouraged people
to contact him if they had any
questions. He can be reached at
240-5300, or by a-mail at
[e-mail], or at 2505
South Townsend Montrose.
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