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Company: <br />Mine: <br />Permit No: <br />Date of Inspection: <br />Weather: <br />Company Officials <br />State Official: <br />OSMRE Official: <br />BLM Official: <br />Denver Field Branch <br />Inspection Narrative <br />Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc <br />Colowyo Coal Mine <br />C-1981-019 <br />September 22, 2015, 0830 - 1400 <br />Overcast and cool, mid 70s, dry ground conditions <br />Kurtis Blunt <br />Zach Trujillo <br />Tom Medlin <br />Jennifer Maiolo <br />This was a Phase I bond release inspection at the Colowyo Coal Mine in Meeker, Colorado. Tri-State <br />Generation and Transmission Association, Inc (Tri-State) proposes Phase I release on 189.6 acres of <br />reclamation where it indicates regrading, topsoiling, and seeding have been completed in accordance with the <br />terms of its approved permit. The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) found Tri- <br />States's SL -8 bond release application administratively complete on September 7, 2015. <br />The subject parcel is generally described as: Section 4-N'/2, NE 1/4; Section 10-N'/2; Section 15-NW'/4; Section <br />17-N'/2; Section 20-NE'/4; Section 21 -NW '/4, Township 3 North, Range 93 West of the 6th PM, Counties of <br />Moffat and Rio Blanco, State of Colorado. Notification of the proposed bond release was posted in the Rio <br />Blanco Herald Times for four consecutive weeks beginning July 16, 2015 and ending August 6, 2015 as well as <br />the Craig Daily Press beginning July 17, 2015 and ending August 7, 2015. The majority of the subject parcels <br />were reclaimed between 2011 and 2014; reclamation work on the East Pit Gulch A Ditch was performed <br />between 1996 and 2002. The post mine land use is rangeland. Tri-State currently posts a self -bond for <br />$80,517,829 which covers the entire mine site including the above listed area. With this application, Tri-State <br />requests the maximum bond release for Phase I, or 60% of the amount held for the subject parcel. <br />Colorado outlines requirements for Phase I bond release at Rule 3.03.1 of the Regulations for the Colorado <br />Mined Land Reclamation Board. For Phase I, the operator must complete the backfilling, regrading (which may <br />include the replacement of topsoil), and drainage control of a bonded area in accordance with the approved <br />reclamation plan. <br />Prior to and upon conclusion of this evaluation I reviewed documents available through the online permitting <br />database maintained by DRMS including the SL -8 bond release application, operations and reclamation plan, <br />public notice affidavit of publication, and various design drawings and maps. <br />The OSMRE and DRMS Team checked in at the Colowyo mine office at 0830, followed by a safety brief. At <br />about 0900 the Team was joined by mine representative Kurtis Blunt and Jennifer Maiolo of the Bureau of Land <br />Management (BLM). The group reviewed information pertinent to the inspection, including the requirements <br />for Phase I bond release and the layout of the minesite. At approximately 0930 the group set out to inspect the <br />subject parcels. <br />The group's first stop was at the 107.9 acre West Pit area. Backfilling and grading, topsoiling, and reseeding <br />were all conducted in 2013. The entire surface of the reclaimed slope was stable with no evidence of erosion. <br />This parcel was well vegetated. Antelope and hare scat were observed. On -contour furrows were incorporated <br />in the post mine topography to interrupt and redirect erosive sheetflow (Figure 1). DRMS verified postmine <br />