2015-11-13_REVISION - C1981041 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CBA 2 and Coal Gulch; Haul Roads to CRDA 1, 2, and 3; 2 West Portals Access Road; Coal Gulch; North Portal Area; North Portal Diversion Ditch and Topsoil Pile 2; Substation B; and Coal Creek Realignment. DRMS is not approving the Phase III liability release requested for the surface disturbance at: Pond 7 (0.5 acres); North Decline West area (2.3 acres); North Decline East area (4.3 acres); Roadside Borrow area (1.1 acres); and Substation B (0.3 acres). These disapproved areas have been eliminated from the bond release application submitted by Snowcap Coal Company, Inc., which originally requested 136.5 acres to be granted Phase III bond release. DRMS has also proposed to release 2032.9 acres of undisturbed acres from Phase III liability. Snowcap Coal Company, Inc. originally requested 2147 undisturbed acres to be released from liability; however, due to the potential for hydrologic communication between private lands and underground mine workings, DRMS removed 114.1 of these acres from consideration under its SL -08 Proposed Decision. OSMRE participated in the bond release inspection on October 23-25, 2013. The BLM attended the first two days of the inspection. By correspondence dated November 13, 2015, the BLM provided its concurrence with SL -08 (attached). OSMRE finds that Snowcap Coal Company, Inc. has met or exceeded the requirements for Phase I, II, and III liability release on the lands described above. The Division currently holds a performance bond in the amount of $805,952.60 for the Roadside Portals. The Division now proposes to release the appropriate phased liability amounts on these disturbed lands and 2032.9 acres of undisturbed lands. DRMS has also determined that the return of any bond monies associated with the approved reduction in reclamation liability is not appropriate at this time. Due to the potential for hydrologic communication between private lands no longer associated with this bond release and underground mine workings, DRMS has determined that the requested $719,560.86 by Snowcap Coal Company, Inc. should be retained until these matters are resolved. OSMRE concurs with the proposed release of liability and retention of bond on these disturbed and undisturbed lands. Thank you and your staff for coordinating this Federal mine bond release action through the DFD. Please direct any questions concerning this action to Dan MacKinnon, Natural Resources Specialist, at dmackinnon@OSMRE.geo_v or (303) 293-5011. Sincerely, } Alan Boehms, Manager Denver Field Branch Attachment Cc: Tonya Hammond, Snowcap Coal Company, Inc.