Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Resource
Area
Cultural and
Historic
Resources
Visual
Resources
Alternative 1
– No Action
- Impacts to
cultural
resources
already
occurring from
livestock
management
and access to
the area by the
public would
continue; these
include
vandalism,
trampling, and
inadvertent
damage.
- Not
considered
significantly
adverse.
Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Alternative 2 – Proposed
Action (2 shafts)
- Would cause adverse impacts to tribal
cultural resources and practices related
to the sacred character of Mt. Taylor
for the Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, Hopi,
and Navajo in particular.
- Ground disturbance would result in
direct physical impacts to 4 historic
properties and the Mt. Taylor TCP.
- Operation and reclamation activities
would continue to introduce visual and
audible elements out of character with
the Mt. Taylor TCP, further impacting
the setting of this historic property.
- Effects considered significantly
adverse.
- Cumulative effects also considered
significantly adverse.
- None - Adverse impact on Mt. Taylor
viewshed.
- Not considered significantly adverse.
Transportation - None - To haul uranium ore, about 50 truck
trips per 24 hours or about 2.1 trucks
per hour would be expected in each
direction.
Human Health
and Safety
- None - Impacts to traffic safety would be
adverse but less than significant.
- Noise impacts would be adverse but
not significantly adverse.
- Perceived contamination on the part
of Native Americans, along with actual
changes to water and land from the
project in the vicinity of sacred lands,
especially within the context of
uranium mining and milling legacy
issues, may have real effects on the
mental and physical health of some
community members.
- Overall adverse environmental health
impacts would be less than significant.
- Overall adverse impacts to health
stemming from workforce migration
would be less than significant.
- Overall cumulative impacts on
human health and safety would be
significant.
Alternative 3 – 1 Shaft
Option
- Same types and significance of
impacts as alternative 2
- Due to less development in Section
10, the totality of the impacts to the
Mt. Taylor TCP and related
resources would be less than
alternative 2.
- Same as alternative 2, though on
smaller scale.
- Not considered significantly
adverse.
- Same as alternative 2.
- Same as alternative 2.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 445