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OXBOW MINING LLC <br />3737 Hwy 133 P.O. Box 535 Somerset, Colorado 81434 USA Tel <br />(970)929-5122 Fax (970)929-5177 <br />Delivered via email to: glarsongblm.gov <br />June 16, 2017 <br />Gregory Larson <br />Field Manager <br />Bureau of Land Management <br />Uncompahgre Field Office <br />2465 South Townsend <br />Montrose, CO 81401 <br />Dear Mr. Lawson, <br />I have reviewed your letter and comments on the Technical Revision, TR -112, submitted to the <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety by Bowie Resources and would like to <br />offer you additional information on this submission. <br />As explained in the cover letter from J. E. Stover and Associates (attached), Oxbow Mining, <br />LLC (OMLLC) entered into an agreement with Bowie Resource Partners, LLC (BRP) to extract <br />Coal Mine Methane from the Bowie #2 Mine. Oxbow Mining is a partner with Vessels Coal Gas <br />in a methane extraction project at the sealed Elk Creek Mine. This project has been successfully <br />extracting methane, generating electricity and oxidizing the excess methane to prevent the <br />methane from leaking to the atmosphere. Oxbow proposes to remove one main line seal to <br />equalize the pressure in the Bowie mine. The drilling would be from an existing un -reclaimed <br />drill pad, so no additional disturbance is proposed to the surface site. <br />Your comments were as follows: <br />1. BLM sees no apparent benefit of this action from a technical mining perspective. Because <br />all underground mining activity has ceased and the mine workings are sealed, we anticipate <br />no additional extraction of the federal coal resource. Lacking such benefit to mining, we <br />cannot support the proposed revision. <br />2. In addition, BLM sees a potential detrimental effect on the flexibility and economics of <br />any future mining operations, should re -opening the mine be proposed. It is reasonable to <br />assume that breaking the seals in order to balance the mine atmosphere would require any <br />future operator to initially ventilate a larger mine volume, potentially at greater difficulty <br />and/or expense. <br />0 Page 1 <br />