Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
Topic Alternative 1 – No Action
Air Quality • No direct or indirect impacts to
air quality.
• No radon-222 releases to the air.
• No environmental consequences
from radon-222 emission.
Background radon-222
concentrations in and around the
proposed Roca Honda Mine
would likely remain as they are
today.
Alternative 2 – Proposed Action
(Two-shaft alternative)
through the Westwater.
• Overall effects on groundwater would be
direct and indirect, long term, of large
extent, and moderate magnitude.
• Impacts adverse and significant.
• Cumulative long-term effects from all
possible actions likely to be significant.
• Short- and medium-term minor adverse
effects would be expected from criteria
pollutants.
• Short-term effects limited to fugitive dust
and diesel emissions from drilling and
heavy equipment during mine
development.
• Medium-term effects due to fugitive dust
and heavy vehicle emissions during
drilling and blasting and the transportation
of materials during mine operation and
reclamation.
• Would not exceed de minimis thresholds
under the general conformity rule, or
contribute to a violation of any State,
Federal, or local air regulation.
• Radon doses to people living continuously
or collecting wood in the vicinity of the
mine would not exceed the safety standard
of 10 mrem/y due to radon emissions from
underground uranium mines.
• Overall impacts on air quality adverse but
less than significant.
Alternative 3 – One-shaft
Alternative
• Impacts of alternative 3 on air quality,
including radon-222 emissions, would be
essentially the same as from alternative 2.
• Overall impacts on air quality adverse but
less than significant.
66 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest