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United States Department of the Interior
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Charleston Field Office
1027 Virginia Scot, East
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
December 9, 2020
Authorization to Proceed
Lesa Baker, Project Coordinator
Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy
Division of Mined Land Reclamation
3405 Mountain Empire Road
Big Stone Gap, Virginia 24219
Dear Mrs. Baker:
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) has determined that Project
Reclaim Phase II under the 2018 Pilot Program has met the following criteria:


The projects have been entered in the Enhanced Abandoned Mine Land Inventory
System (e-AMLIS) in problem area VA-00821 in compliance with Directive AML-1.


Environmental documents, including compliance information for the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental requirements and
documented with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on December 9, 2020.


The ATP request included an AML eligibility statement and basis for claiming AML
eligibility.


Accordingly, pursuant to 30 CFR 886.16, you are authorized to proceed with this project and
expend Federal funds in accordance with AML grant terms and conditions. If this project
provided funding to a subrecipient through a subaward, the subrecipient must be approved by
OSM separately from this ATP. OSM subrecipient approval can be requested either through the
initial award application or through a separate request.
Si
Fe CORN 78 for:
Charleston Field Office
Enclosure
2
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA)
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
Project Reclaim Phase II– AML Pilot/Site No. 91806
2018 VA AML Pilot Grant
Priority 3: Other/Associated with Priority 3, 32 AC Gob (Site 18302)
Estimated Cost:  $1,645,340
Russell County, Virginia
The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), Division of Mined Land
Reclamation (DMLR), Abandoned Mine Land Section submitted an Authorization to Proceed
(ATP) request for Federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) FY 2018 Pilot grant funds to the
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), Charleston Field Office
(CHFO) for Project Reclaim Phase II.  The ATP request consists of an Environmental
Assessment (EA), with consultation correspondence, project description, eligibility, and location
maps. E-amlis documentation has been submitted and obtained separately by DMME and are not
included within the Environmental Assessment.
Project Reclaim is located off State Route 615 on Dumps Creek of the Middle Fork Clinch
River, approximately 0.2 miles west of the intersection of State Routes 600 and 615 in Russell
County, Virginia.  Coordinates for the approximate project location center are 36° 57’ 47"N, and
82° 11’ 39"W.  Project area mapping is comprised of a section of the Carbo USGS 7.5 Min.
Quadrangle.  The project site is within the Clinchfield Problem Area, VA-00821.
Project work during Phase II will include continued backfill of an AML void/waste area with
rock material to create a larger area suitable for development. The fill material is screened refuse,
unscreened refuse or shot material from borrow areas contained within the existing DMME coal
permit number 1302253.  The replacement material will be non-toxic and non-acid producing.
Erosion and sediment control measures include small excavated pits adjacent to the work areas to
catch drainage and if necessary use of ponds contained with the existing mine permit. All
drainage structures and access roads are also contained on the active mine permit and will be
maintained as required for no environmental impact. Strict erosion and sediment control
measures will be implemented throughout construction and all disturbed areas will be promptly
revegetated using seed mixtures agreed upon by state and federal agencies.
DMME records indicate the gob feature associated with the connected Golden Pond
Enhancement project (Site 18302) is eligible for AML funding, and was a result of mining
conducted prior to August 3, 1977, therefore, there is no continuing responsibility for any
individual, firm, or organization to reclaim the gob site; therefore DMME found the site eligible
for AML funding.
Phase II does not contain reclamation of AML features but will provide a socioeconomic
stimulus to the surrounding communities.  As listed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2018 (Public Law 115-141) the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) made funding available for projects in the Abandoned
Mine Land Reclamation Economic Development Pilot Program (AML Pilot) for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2018. Under this pilot program, eligible projects can be land adjacent to unreclaimed or
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA)
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
Project Reclaim Phase II- AML Pilot/Site No. 91806
2018 VA AML Pilot Grant
Priority 3: Other/Associated with Priority 3, 32 AC Gob (Site 18302)
Estimated Cost: $1,645,340
Russell County, Virginia
The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), Division of Mined Land
Reclamation (DMLR), Abandoned Mine Land Section submitted an Authorization to Proceed
(ATP) request for Federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) FY 2018 Pilot grant funds to the
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), Charleston Field Office
(CHFO) for Project Reclaim Phase II. The ATP request consists of an Environmental
Assessment (EA), with consultation correspondence, project description, eligibility, and location
maps. E-amlis documentation has been submitted and obtained separately by DMME and are not
included within the Environmental Assessment.
Project Reclaim is located off State Route 615 on Dumps Creek of the Middle Fork Clinch
River, approximately 0.2 miles west of the intersection of State Routes 600 and 615 in Russell
County, Virginia. Coordinates for the approximate project location center are 36° 57’ 47"N, and
82° 11° 39"W. Project area mapping is comprised of a section of the Carbo USGS 7.5 Min,
Quadrangle. The project site is within the Clinchfield Problem Area, VA-00821.
Project work during Phase II will include continued backfill of an AML void/waste area with
rock material to create a larger area suitable for development. The fill material is screened refuse,
unscreened refuse or shot material from borrow areas contained within the existing DMME coal
permit number 1302253. The replacement material will be non-toxic and non-acid producing,
Erosion and sediment control measures include small excavated pits adjacent to the work areas to
catch drainage and if necessary use of ponds contained with the existing mine permit. All
drainage structures and access roads are also contained on the active mine permit and will be
maintained as required for no environmental impact. Strict erosion and sediment control
measures will be implemented throughout construction and all disturbed areas will be promptly
revegetated using seed mixtures agreed upon by state and federal agencies.
DMME records indicate the gob feature associated with the connected Golden Pond
Enhancement project (Site 18302) is eligible for AML funding, and was a result of mining
conducted prior to August 3, 1977, therefore, there is no continuing responsibility for any
individual, firm, or organization to reclaim the gob site; therefore DMME found the site eligible
for AML funding.
Phase II does not contain reclamation of AML features but will provide a socioeconomic
stimulus to the surrounding communities. As listed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2018 (Public Law 115-141) the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) made funding available for projects in the Abandoned
Mine Land Reclamation Economic Development Pilot Program (AML Pilot) for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2018. Under this pilot program, eligible projects can be land adjacent to unreclaimed or
previously reclaimed AML lands. All environmental consultations were completed, and
Tesponses were received from the coordinating agencies,
OSM has thoroughly reviewed the EA prepared by DMME’s Division of Mined Land
Reclamation submitted on December 9, 2020. The EA adequately discusses the environmental
issues and potential impacts for OSM’s authorization purposes for construction activities
performed under abandoned mine land reclamation grants and the AML pilot program.
Based on the analyses in this EA, we find that this project will have no significant impacts on the
quality of the human environment. Therefore, we conduce that no detailed environmental impact
statement is necessary.
Srugee Dll 12/9/20
Environngéntal Preparer Date
12 lea /ro20
Date
Acting Field Office Director
Charleston Field Office
OSMRE