July 10, 2019 - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on two separate coal projects in Colorado, Kallanish Energy reports.

The New Elk Coal Co. LLC wants to expand its New Elk Mine west of Trinidad in southeastern Colorado. And GCC Energy LLC wants to expand its King II Coal Mine 15 miles west of Durango in southwestern Colorado.

The Elk Coal Co. is seeking approval for a proposed lease of 1,279 acres that holds roughly 8 million tons of recoverable federal coal below the privately-held surface area. The coal is metallurgical quality coal typically used for steel making.

If approved, the lease will allow New Elk to access federally owned coal from its current facilities. The coal would be mined by underground mining.

Access to the additional coal is expected to extend the life of the mine by five years once the New Elk Mine resumes coal mining operations.

The Blm has released a draft Environmental Assessment for the project. A public hearing on the request will be held July 24, in Trinidad, Colorado.

For more information, go to https://go.usa.gov/xENMj.

GCC Energy is seeking a lease of 2,462 acres of federal coal under a parcel known as the Dunn Ranch, acreage largely owed by the Ute Mountain Tribe. The tract holds about 9.54 million tons of recoverable coal.

If the lease sale is approved, up to 12 million tons of federal and private coal could be mined over the next 22 years. The coal is used to fire cement kilns in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico.

The Blm has released a draft Environmental Assessment on the project. The public comment period runs through Aug. 5. A public hearing will be held July 24, in Dolores, Colorado.

For more information, go to https://go.usa.gov/xEKTV.