BLM announces decision for coal proposal in La Plata County
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Dolores, Colo. – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office released the final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Decision Record (DR) for a Lease-by-Application (LBA) for GCC Energy, LLC’s (GCCE) King II Coal Mine, approximately 14 miles due west of Durango, Colorado.
“Jobs in the coal industry matter,” said Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond. “The Department of the Interior supports working landscapes across the West, and the coal reserves in this proposal will play a major role in infrastructure projects beneficial for all Americans.”
This lease includes 2,462 acres of Federal coal under a parcel referred to as the “Dunn Ranch” property, which holds approximately 9.54 million tons of recoverable coal. A total of up to 12 million tons of combined Federal and privately owned coal will be mined.
“This decision will keep 150 mine employees and their families in the La Plata County area, generating millions of dollars to the Colorado economy through coal production,” said Tres Rios Field Manager Connie Clementson.
The final EA, DR and associated documents are available online on the BLM ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xEKTV.
Mining coal from BLM Colorado lands and minerals generated $742.5 million in total economic output in 2017. Coal mines in Colorado generated $35 million in Federal royalties in 2017. This revenue is split with the State of Colorado. There are 49 coal leases covering 80,675 acres in Colorado, with six producing coal mines (two are surface mines, the remaining four are subsurface mines) totaling 60,000 acres with an estimated economic output of $1.2 billion.
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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.