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Mine Site Inspection <br />Mine Name: Sunlight Mine <br />Permittee: (Revoked permit, formerly Garfield Energy Corporation) <br />Permit ID#: C-1981-046 <br />Inspection Date: June 8, 2015 11:00 — 1:40 <br />Inspection Type: Final Termination of Jurisdiction <br />Weather Conditions: Warm (80's), clear, dry ground <br />Participants: <br />Christine Belka, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) <br />Brock Bowles, Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS) <br />This was the final Termination of Jurisdiction (TOJ) inspection at the Sunlight Mine permit revocation / <br />bond forfeiture site. The Sunlight Mine was a non-federal underground mine in Garfield County <br />approximately 11 miles south of Glenwood Springs along County Road 117 (4 Mile Road). DRMS <br />notified the landowners of this inspection. Although the landowners did not attend, one landowner <br />representative, John Shoup, arrived at the conclusion of the inspection. Mr. Shoup is the ranch manager <br />for the Dunstan family. He was generally interested in what we were doing and did not express any <br />concerns with DRMS terminating jurisdiction over this site. He was curious about the possibility of <br />establishing a road along the upper portal and loadout area. Mr. Bowles directed Mr. Shoup toward Steve <br />Renner in the DRMS Grand Junction office for information on the exact location of undermined areas. <br />Such features would be close to the surface at this location and could be encountered if the landowner <br />excavated the ground to construct a road. All mine openings are currently sealed to prevent access and <br />surface areas are stable. <br />The former permit area encompassed 180 acres, of which approximately 5.24 acres of surface area were <br />disturbed by mining activities and 7.31 acres were affected (surface disturbances plus undermined areas). <br />Disturbance areas are on the north and south side of County Road 117. The former operator failed to <br />comply with regulatory requirements for an extended period of time, resulting in an order to show cause <br />as to why the permit should not be suspended or revoked based on the pattern of violations. DRMS <br />subsequently revoked the permit and forfeited the $11,800.00 bond on April 22, 1987. DRMS began <br />reclamation in 1990. Initial work included sealing two mine openings, backfilling and regrading one of <br />the sealed openings, and demolishing and removing mine structures and electrical utilities. An air intake <br />adit collapsed in 1994, necessitating additional work. DRMS bid out the additional work including <br />removal and disposal of cribbing materials, excavation and replacement of mine waste materials, general <br />grading, topsoil placement, and revegetation on June 14, 1999 (work was conducted after the bidding <br />process was complete). Because all bond money had already been expended, this additional work was <br />funded through state severance taxes. After this work was completed, another subsidence feature <br />developed above the lower portal/fan site. DRMS was able to secure and expend Abandoned Mine Lands <br />program funds to excavate and repair that area on September 9, 2013. <br />DRMS completed final vegetation sampling activities analogous to Phase III bond release requirements in <br />2013 and 2014. Because the permit was revoked, there are no permitted revegetation success criteria for <br />this site. However, vegetation sampling activities document current conditions prior to terminating <br />jurisdiction. Although noxious weeds are present, there are no remaining funds to conduct weed control <br />activities. Weedy species observed during this inspection include houndstongue, thistle, common mullein, <br />field bindweed, cheatgrass, and absinth wormwood. <br />Page I 1 <br />