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United States Department of Agriculture <br />tQNRCS <br />Natural Resources Conservation Service <br />Denver Federal Center <br />Building 56, Room 2604 <br />P.O. Box 25426 <br />Denver, Colorado 80225 <br />January 10, 2014 <br />David Berry <br />Director, Coal Regulatory Program <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />Colorado Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman Street, Rm. 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />�..,, <br />RE: New Horizon Mine (Permit No. C- 1981 -008), Permit Revision Application No. 8 <br />q <br />N / 0? �01 04 <br />� <br />*� <br />Dear Mr. Berry: <br />In,reviewing the materials submitted for this revision it appears that the Prime Farmlands issue is <br />addressed adequately. Our only remaining concern on Prime Farmlands is the length of time the land <br />will be out of production. We assume that the landowners have taken that into consideration in <br />granting the mining operation. <br />We also reviewed the reclamation plan. In this review we liked the emphasis put on ensuring that the <br />fill would not be over compacted and that the soils would be able to sustain the post- mining land use. <br />The planned techniques for reclaiming all lands appear to be fairly thorough. Seed mixes are adequate <br />for the planned land use but some greater diversity would be encouraged, especially for the dryland <br />pasture /range mix(es). <br />Also, we do have some concern with long -term stockpiles of topsoil and the loss of the critical soil <br />microbes. Because of this we would recommend the possible addition of compost when finishing <br />reclamation to help bring these critical microbes back to the soil. If you have any questions regarding <br />these comments please let me know at (720) 544 -2868. <br />Sincerel , <br />EUGENE H. BACKHAUS <br />State Resource Conservationist <br />Helping People Help the Land <br />M Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer <br />