Roadless Area Conservation; National Forest System Lands in Colorado

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to reinstate the North Fork Coal Mining Area exception of the Colorado Roadless Rule. The Colorado Roadless Rule is a State-specific rule that provides direction for conserving and managing approximately 4.2 million acres of Colorado Roadless Areas (CRAs) on National Forest System (NFS) lands within the state of Colorado. The North Fork Coal Mining Area exception allowed for temporary road construction for coal exploration and/or coal-related surface activities in an area defined as the North Fork Coal Mining Area, which was inadvertently reported as 19,100 acres in 2012, and was actually 19,500 acres. The Forest Service, on behalf of the Department, has prepared a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) addressing specific environmental disclosure deficiencies identified by the District Court of Colorado. In addition, the Department is proposing to correct certain CRA boundaries associated with the North Fork Coal Mining Area based on updated information. The Forest Service invites written comments on both the proposed rule and supplemental draft environmental impact statement.