Forest Service consents to potential BLM lease of Greens Hollow coal

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The Forest Service has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) that consents to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offering the Greens Hollow Coal Tract for competitive sale. The consent is subject to requirements that will protect surface water, groundwater, roadless characteristics, sage grouse habitat, big game habitat and cultural resources.
The FS decision to consent to the BLM leasing these lands is not the final federal action. Based on FS consent, the BLM will make an independent decision on whether to offer these lands for lease.
The Greens Hollow Coal Lease Tract is located on 6,175 acres in the Manti-La Sal and Fishlake National Forests near Salina, Utah. If leased, about 55.7 million tons of recoverable coal will be available for mining.
In reaching the decision, the Forest Service considered supporting the economies of Sanpete, Sevier and Emery counties, helping meet the energy needs of people in the western United States, and ensuring the conservation and restoration of federal lands.
The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) was released in March of this year, along with the Draft Record of Decision. The FSEIS was prepared jointly with the BLM and Office of Surface Mining, and analyzes the environmental effects of mining the Greens Hollow Tract through extension of the existing underground operation near Salina Canyon. The FSEIS includes input from the public, federally-recognized tribes and local, state and federal agencies.
The ROD is the culmination of a comprehensive public involvement process. Objections from four interested parties were reviewed by the Forest Service. In response to the objections, the Forest Service made clarifications of the information considered in the ROD. The clarifications did not result in a change to the analysis or determinations of impacts.
Coal leasing and active underground mining have occurred in the area since the 1940s. The existing mine in Salina Canyon provides coal used to generate electricity to about 1.4 million households. The coal resources in the Greens Hollow Tract could power 11.8 million homes.
In 2014 about 37 million tons of coal were produced from NFS lands nationwide, which is about 4 percent of the nation’s total. Coal is used to generate about 35 percent of the nation’s electricity. According to the Energy Information Administration, about 80 percent of coal produced in the country is used to produce electricity.