The U.S. Forest Service has consented to two federal coal lease modifications that would allow Arch Coal Inc. to expand its leases at the West Elk mine in Colorado by 1,720 acres.
Forest Supervisor Scott Armentrout entered a final record of decision Dec. 11 allowing the expansion to proceed.
The Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety released a draft record of decision and a supplemental final environmental impact statement on Sept. 8 after evaluating three alternatives and ultimately deciding to grant the proposed modifications. Armentrout concurred that allowing the modifications is the best of the alternatives.
The next step in the process is for the BLM to decide whether to modify the leases based on Armentrout's decision.
