A company is proposing to lease over 14,000 acres for coal mining near the border of Garfield and Mesa Counties, and a public comment period goes until March 12, 2014.

CAM-Colorado, LLC applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), asking them to consider leasing the Book Cliffs Tract. If the BLM decides to make lands available for leasing, the agency says it “would be offered through a future open competitive sale”. The proposed Book Cliffs Tract is estimated to contain approximately 78 million tons of in-place federal coal. Construction of a new mine would be required to access the coal, and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required.  Click here and here to learn more about the proposal.

Send Your Comments by March 12!

Bureau of Land Management, Grand Junction Field Office
Attn: Christina Stark
2815 H Road
Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
Email: BLM_CO_GJ_Public_Comments@blm.gov
Fax: 970-244-3085

A Few Things to Consider

• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the BLM routinely offers bargain-basement prices to coal companies.
• Railroad spurs could be built to take the coal from the mine. Issues of rights-of-way, traffic & property easements may loom.
• The proposed lease tract is close to Wilderness Study Areas and other wilderness quality lands.
• Critical habitat and sensitive cultural artifacts could be disturbed by future roads or industry.
• This proposal is similar to a now-defunct 2009 proposal…check out this video to learn more.
• Local air quality is teetering on the edge of unhealthy, and a new coal mine could spell disaster.
• BLM is using info from the 1980s to guide its decision, so let’s wait for the new Resource Management Plan to decide.

Federal Coal Reserves Publicly Owned

These minerals and lands are publicly owned!  You’ve got an important voice in the federal decision-making process,even if you live in Maine or Manitou Springs. Coal is a significant contributor to global climate change and regional air pollution, so this Colorado decision could have broader implications. Also, there’s a chance that Colorado coal could go to Asian markets — a scenario playing-out in other parts of the country.