Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would lease the coal contained within the LBA tract and the coal would be mined using room and pillar mining methods, possibly including pillar removal (retreat)
Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would lease the coal contained within the LBA tract and the coal would be mined using room and pillar mining methods, possibly including pillar removal (retreat) mining. An estimated 3.28 million tons of recoverable coal are present on the tract. At a production rate of 200,000 to 400,000 tons of coal per year this equates to a mine life of approximately eight to 16 years. It is anticipated that for delivery to market coal mined from the tract would be hauled via truck to the Port of Keota and then shipped via barge to the confluence with the Mississippi River. Past this point, coal mined from the tract could be transported in one or more of several directions depending on coal market economics and available end users at the time of sale of mined coal. Specific end-users are not identified at this time. Based on available data this analysis assumes Brazil and India are possible final destinations for the coal. These locations represent the farthest (India) and nearest (Brazil) international markets. Estimated GHG emissions under the Proposed Action are discussed below according to the four primary activities previously identified. Table 3-3 provides a summary of emissions by primary activity and in total and compares these emissions to State of Oklahoma, U.S., and global GHG emissions. GHG emissions from mine construction and reclamation are not inventoried or reported in this analysis because they are not anticipated to be significant. Based on an anticipated construction timeframe of approximately three months, GHG emissions as a result of construction are anticipated to be less than 1% of the emissions reported below. Reclamation activities are likewise anticipated to be less than 1% of the emissions reported below because these activities involve less heavy equipment than both construction and mine operations and because reclamation includes revegetation resulting in some carbon sequestration. Mine-site GHG Emissions: Electricity Use and Fuel Consumption: Most of the heavier equipment used to mine coal from the tract would be underground, electrically powered, and associated with the direct recovery of coal. In addition, an above-ground processing and wash plant is expected to be operated by electricity. Diesel-powered surface equipment is normally used to load coal into over-the-road transports. Electricity consumption from a similar mine-site was used to estimate electricity and fuel consumption and adjusted to acco...
Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would lease the coal contained within the LBA tract and the coal would be mined using room and pillar mining methods, possibly including pillar removal (retreat) mining. The LBA tract under this alternative spans an area approximately 1,270 acres in extent with an average coal seam thickness of approximately 42 inches. The amount and degree of surface effects from room and pillar mining, possibly including retreat mining, depends upon several factors, including the following: the number and size of the pillars left in place to support the roof, geologic conditions in the overburden, overburden thickness, and the thickness of the coal seam being removed. In general terms, room and pillar mining on the LBA tract without retreat mining may result in some degree of subsidence taking place over long periods of time (decades or longer) as the remaining pillars slowly collapse until the pillars reach a point of stability when they no longer move. This gradual subsidence, if it occurs, may not have any surface expressions at all. In areas where overburden is relatively shallow (e.g., 200 feet) subsidence is more likely to occur over time and is more likely to result in surface expressions than in areas where overburden is relatively thick (e.g., 700 feet). As indicated above, the McAlester Formation of the Pennsylvanian System makes up the overburden across the tract. This formation includes several thin sandstone units separated by thick mudrock sections of the XxXxxxxxx Shale and other unnamed shale members (OSMRE 2013, page 8). Shale has a tendency to bend rather than fracture and can therefore accommodate a level of stress that would fracture more brittle rocks. As indicated above, typical room and pillar mining precludes the near term effects of subsidence (and may not result in surface expressions at all). However, planned retreat mining, if it occurs, allows for localized specific areas to be subsided and for there to be surface expressions of subsidence. Retreat mining, if it occurs, is more likely to result in subsidence and surface expressions from subsidence because retreat mining results in pillar removal which effectively reduces the total area of pillars left in place to support the roof following mining. If subsidence occurs it would occur in areas of pillar extraction. Surface expressions from subsidence could be up to approximately half of the mining height. Total mining height on the tract is anticipated to be n...
Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would lease the coal contained within the LBA tract and the coal would be mined using room and pillar mining methods, possibly including pillar removal (retreat) mining. Mining the tract would require the construction of surface facilities. Construction of these facilities is estimated to take a crew of 40 people roughly three months to complete. After completion of the surface facilities, extraction of coal deposits would begin. An estimated 3.28 million tons of recoverable coal are present on the tract. At an annual production rate of 200,000 to 400,000 tons of coal per year this equates to a mine life of approximately eight to 16 years. At the low end of the range (200,000 tons per year), labor estimates are for one 10 hour shift per day, five days per week, employing 43 people, including administrative and managerial staff, underground crew, surface crew, and truck drivers for hauling the extracted coal from the mine to the Port of Keota. At the high end of the range (400,000 tons per year), it is estimated that the mine would have to run two 10 hour shifts per day, requiring a total of 81 employees per two-shift day, five days a week. Based on the pay scales of other coal mines currently operating in southeastern Oklahoma, the BLM conservatively estimates hourly wages to range from 16 to 20 $/hour for non-supervisory personnel. These employment numbers and wage data were used as the basis for modelling economic impacts to local communities. The BLM uses IMPLAN as the economic modelling tool to analyze the estimated economic impacts from proposed actions. A range of average individual compensation was calculated using a basic overhead rate of 45% for the lower end, and using an annualized labor income figure from IMPLAN as the upper limit. These estimates of annual compensation per employee for the Proposed Action ranged from $45,178/year to $83,238/year. Per capita income levels in the area of analysis are approximately 34%-37% lower than the per capita income for Oklahoma. Table 3-9 illustrates the average per capita incomes for the area of analysis and the estimated average annual income (lower end) of a mine employee, based on previously stated assumptions. It is clear that even conservatively low estimates of income levels for the Proposed Action would result in positive economic impacts in the area of analysis. Table 3-9. Comparison of average per capita income with estimated annual compensation for LBA tract wo...
Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the BLM would lease the coal contained within the LBA tract and the coal would be mined using room and pillar mining methods, possibly including pillar removal (retreat) mining. An estimated 3.28 million tons of recoverable coal are present on the 1,270-acre tract. At an annual production rate of 200,000 to 400,000 tons of coal this equates to a mine life of approximately eight to 16 years. Coal mined from the tract would be hauled via truck to the Port of Keota for eventual delivery to market. The reasonably foreseeable coal haulage route is described in Section 2.2.4. The effects of leasing and mining the LBA tract with respect to property values and quality of life concerns are inextricably linked with the effects of leasing and mining the LBA tract with respect to the other issues. As a result, in Table 3-11 this analysis primarily summarizes the main conclusions from the analyses of the other issues and applies those conclusions in the analysis of impacts to property values and quality of life concerns. Additional, supporting analysis is also provided below Table 3-11. Table 3-11. Summary of conclusions from analysis of other issues and application to the Issue 7 analysis. ISSUE ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS ISSUE 7: PROPERTY VALUE EFFECTS BASED ON ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS OF OTHER ISSUES ISSUE 7: QUALITY OF LIFE EFFECTS BASED ON ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS OF OTHER ISSUES Issue 1: Less than a 1% increase in Oklahoma, U.S., and global GHG emissions as a result of implementation of either the Proposed Action or Alternative C. There is no known mechanism by which an increase in GHG emissions of less than 1% in the context of Oklahoma, U.S., and global emissions would result in changes in property values and/or quality of life in the area of analysis.
Impacts of Alternative B – Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, the LBA tract would be leased and underground mining methods would be used to produce an estimated 200,000-400,000 tons of bituminous (metallurgical) coal annually. Total recoverable coal from the LBA tract under the Proposed Action is estimated to be 3,276,000 tons which, depending on the level of annual production, translates to approximately 8-16 years of mining activity associated with the LBA tract. Leasing and mining the LBA tract under the Proposed Action would increase the annual production of bituminous (metallurgical) coal in Oklahoma and in the international marketplace by approximately 21%-43% and between 0.019% and 0.037%, respectively. This contribution of 200,000-400,000 tons to the annual production of bituminous coal in Oklahoma and to the annual production of bituminous coal in the international marketplace would be sustained for the estimated 8-16 year life of mining on the LBA tract under this alternative. All coal produced in Oklahoma in 2016 was bituminous coal. Whereas, not all bituminous coal produced is used for metallurgical purposes, production of bituminous coal from the LBA tract has been identified by Xxxxx as a source for metallurgical use. Table 3-13 depicts the reasonably foreseeable effects of leasing and mining the LBA tract on metallurgical coal production in Oklahoma, the United States, and worldwide. Table 3-13: Effect of Leasing and Mining LBA Tract LBA TRACT LEASING & MINING PRODUCTION METRICS ALTERNATIVE A ALTERNATIVE B ALTERNATIVE C Annual Production (short tons) 0 200,000-400,000 200,000-400,000 Life of Mining of LBA Tract (years) 0 8-16 6-12 Total Recoverable Coal (short tons) 3,276,000 3,276,000 2,592,000 % OK Annual Increase (based on average annual production for the years 2010-2016) 0 21%-43% 21%-43% % U.S. Export Annual Increase (Metallurgical Coal) 0 0.36%-0.72% 0.36%-0.72% % Global Annual Increase (Metallurgical Coal) 0 0.019 %-0.037% 0.019 %-0.037% Sources: EIA 2018, EIA 2016, EIA 2017, IEA 2017
