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An application for Phase II bond release was received by the Division on September 25, 2014. <br />The application was deemed complete on October 2, 2014, after the Division received proof of <br />publication of the applicant's public notice. Trapper Mining, Inc. published notice of the bond <br />release application in Craig Daily Press once weekly for four consecutive weeks, beginning <br />August 29, 2014. Trapper Mining, Inc. also notified land owners within and adjacent to the mine <br />permit area, and other interested parties of the application for bond release, as required by Rule <br />3.03.2(1). <br />No comments, written objections, or requests for an informal conference regarding the bond <br />release application were received by the Division. <br />The Division scheduled and conducted a bond release inspection on October 15, 2014. The site <br />inspection was conducted in accordance with Rule 3.03.2(2). Notification of the inspection was <br />sent to the operator, surface owners, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Office of <br />Surface Mining (OSM). Jared Ebert represented the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, <br />and Safety. The Operator was represented by Graham Roberts of Trapper Mining, Inc_ Also in <br />attendance for the inspection was Duane Matt of the Office of Surface Mining, and Jerod Smith <br />with the Colorado State Land Board. The BLM was unable to attend the inspection. Please see <br />the October 15, 2014 inspection report for details of the Division's observations and the <br />Observations and Findings Section of this document. <br />The SL 16 bond release application was deemed adequate as submitted. <br />II. CRITERIA AND SCHEDULE FOR BOND RELEASE <br />PHASE <br />Rule 3.03.1(2)(a) states, "Up to sixty percent of the applicable bond amount shall be released when the <br />permittee successfully completes backfilling, regrading, and drainage control in accordance with the <br />approved reclamation plan." <br />At the Trapper Mine, backfilling of the mined pits is accomplished primarily with draglines. <br />Overburden and inter - burden material from a cut is used to backfill a previous adjacent cut. Other <br />equipment such as bulldozers, scrapers, backhoes, frontend loaders and trucks are also used to backfill <br />areas. Once a pit is backfilled, bulldozers and /or graders grade the area. With regard to Phase I bond <br />release, the approved reclamation plan for the Trapper Mine calls for backfilling and grading mine <br />excavations and shaping the backfilled areas to the approximate configurations shown on the Postmining <br />Topography Map, Map M12 in the permit. Graded areas are to blend into the surrounding adjacent <br />areas. Every year TMI submits to the Division their Annual Reclamation Report (ARR) and revises <br />Appendix W of the permit. Each ARR includes a map showing actual post- mining topography from the <br />previous year. <br />The Division confirms that reclamation parcels have been backfilled and graded in accordance with the <br />approved post- mining topography and that drainage control has been accomplished. All of the parcels <br />Page 5 of 10 <br />