Laserfiche WebLink
7/29/2015 State.co.us ExecL#ive Branch Mail-Re:Monitoring well <br /> STATE, OF Hernandez - DNR Alysha <al DNRsha.hernandez@state.co.us> <br /> � �O L, R�'Al u , Y Y <br /> Re: Monitoring well <br /> 1 message <br /> Zuber- DNR, Rob <rob.zuber@state.co.us> Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 8:30 AM <br /> To: Alysha Hernandez - DNR <alysha.hernandez@state.co.us> <br /> Cc: Leigh Simmons - DNR <leigh.simmons@state.co.us>, Mike Boulay - DNR <mike.boulay@state.co.us> <br /> Alysha - <br /> Please file this under TR-46 for Southfield as: <br /> General Documents/Public Correspondence <br /> Name - Email from Dr. Corley <br /> From - W.D. Corley <br /> Thanks <br /> Rob Zuber, P.E. <br /> Environmental Protection Specialist II <br /> Coal Regulatory Program <br /> 7 COL011RADO <br /> D ivision of Recta rnatiio�n, <br /> Mining and Safety <br /> Department of Nal.ural 1�esources <br /> 303.866.3567, extension 8113 1 F 303.832.8106 <br /> 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215, Denver, CO 80203 <br /> rob.zuber@state.co.us I http://mining.state.co.us <br /> On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 8:14 AM, W D Corley, Jr. <ajjc@att.net> wrote: <br /> Mr. Simmons, <br /> The Energy Fuels revision application for drilling a new monitoring well presents a dilemma for the Division <br /> with one landowner insisting on a new well and the second landowner insisting that drilling this well is unsafe. <br /> The Division has responsibilities for both viewpoints <br /> Since The Corley Company's underground fire started prior to almost all of the current DRMS inspectors I <br /> would like to recount some of that fire history. In about 1980 neighboring Harrison Western (HW) at <br /> their Shamrock Mine had a fire start in their waste pile. The Division instructed HW to move the waste pile so <br /> that the fumes would not enter the mine's ventilation system. HW had no convenient location to move the <br /> burning material so they contracted with GEC, the company leasing and surface mining our coal, to fill <br /> unreclaimed strip pits on our property. The division approved this contract and transportation of the burning <br /> material despite the fact that GEC had no right of assignment under their lease. Further, we were never <br /> notified of this contract and never gave our approval. The exposed coal seam at the toe of the strip pit was <br /> never covered, and the burning waste caught the coal on fire. This is not only my opinion but the judgment of <br /> the District Court in GEC vs. Harrison Western. GEC attempted to extinguish the underground coal fire, and it <br /> went bankrupt as a result. The Division then attempted extinguishing the fire with a series of drill holes and <br /> blowing pea gravel into the void. We were then notified by the Division that the fire was out. History has <br /> proven now 35 years later that the Division's conclusion was incorrect because the fire is still burning. <br /> In my previous emails objecting to the new monitoring well drilling, I outlined two possible sources of ignition <br /> of methane if there is methane in the Southfield Mine void. One is from possible sparks from the drilling of <br /> well and the other is from the underground fire. Unless the Division has a detection method unknown to me, <br /> there is no way to determine the extent of this fire. Unless the Division can state unequivocally that there is <br /> zero chance of a methane explosion from the drilling it must be assumed that there is a possible explosion <br /> https://m ail.googl e.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&i k=e29129fcb5&view=pt&search=i nbox&th=14e92201 cd4fbaa8&si m l=14e92201 cd4fbaa8 1/2 <br />