DENVER—The Bureau of Land Management has revised its environmental assessment of a proposal to expand operations at the Elk Creek coal mine in western Colorado.
The BLM’s website says the public has until May 9 to comment on it.
The agency revisited the assessment after environmental groups said the agency didn’t adequately consider how expanded mining and combustion of the mined coal would affect air quality.
The BLM says in its revised assessment that the proposed expansion would mean annual production of less than 4 million tons of coal, resulting in emissions less than or equivalent to current emissions.
The mine currently produces about 5 million tons of coal each year. The mine’s operator, Oxbow Mining, has said an expansion would extend the life of the mine by a year.
