Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Topic Alternative 1 – No Action
Recreation (cont.)
Environmental Justice
and Protection of
Children
Environmental Justice
• Since ongoing activities would
be substantially the same as
those already occurring, no
significant additional change in
community character and setting
would be anticipated.
• Existing conditions would
remain substantially unchanged
and have no effect on the
populations of concern.
Alternative 2 – Proposed Action
(Two-shaft alternative)
• Restrictions would temporarily limit
hunting in a very small fraction of the area
open to hunting within the Cibola National
Forest and Mt. Taylor Ranger District.
• Overall, impacts on recreation would be
adverse, of minor magnitude, medium
term in duration, small in extent, of
probable likelihood, and slight precedence.
• In sum, impacts would not be significant.
• Would potentially create beneficial
impacts due to the provision of jobs and
economic opportunities in minority and
low-income communities.
• Potential adverse impacts of minor
magnitude due to potential health risks for
miners and nearby residents of San Mateo,
as well as adverse impacts associated with
increased income.
• Adverse mental health impacts of
moderate magnitude would occur to tribal
environmental justice communities due to
mine development so close to spiritually
significant Mt. Taylor.
• Health impacts to miners from exposure to
radon and other environmental hazards is
possible.
• Provision of jobs to environmental justice
communities would be medium term to
long term and last roughly 2 decades;
impacts would be reversed in the long term
once the mine closes and well paying
mining jobs are lost.
• Health risks to miners would be both short
Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
Alternative 3 – One-shaft
Alternative
• Impacts from the one-shaft alternative
would be essentially identical to those of
alternative 2.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 71