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Summary <br />The Review Process <br />Mining at the King Coal Mine first began in the late 1930's, and the mine was operated for a <br />number of years by Violet and John Smith. The site was permitted by National King Coal, Inc. in <br />1982, and the permit has been renewed every five years since then. National King Coal, Inc. <br />reincorporated as National King Coal, LLC (NKC) in June 1995. The mining permit was <br />transferred to GCC Energy, LLC (GCC) in April 2008. <br />The original King Coal Mine permit area consisted of 332.2 acres. The permit area was <br />increased by 60.2 acres with PR -01 in 1989; by 315.0 acres with PR -02 in 1990; by 197.6 acres <br />with PR -03 in 1991; by 157.4 acres with PR -04 in 1994; by 261.3 acres with PR -05 on 1997; by <br />196.3 acres with PR -06 in 1998; by 320.2 acres with PR -07 in 2001, and by 775.5 acres with PR - <br />08 in 2006. With TR -24, the permit area was increased by 89.6 acres to account for the angle of <br />draw. (Some of these values have been revised since the PR findings and RN -06 findings <br />documents due to GCC improving the accuracy of their measurements from their CADD <br />drawings. This was done with TR -24) <br />Until 2006 the mining activities and permit area were confined to lands located south of La Plata <br />County Road 120, the site now referred to as the King I Mine. In 2006, Permit Revision No. 8 <br />(PR -08) was approved, creating the King II Mine portion of the operation on 730 acres located <br />north of the County Road and west of King I. Each of the two mines has its own underground <br />workings and surface facilities, although the permitted areas are contiguous. The total combined <br />permit area is 2,705.4 acres, more or less. Permit No. C-1981-035 was most recently renewed on <br />August 18, 2012. <br />In a letter dated November 16, 2016, the Division notified GCC that the mine's five-year permit <br />term would expire on August 18, 2017. GCC submitted an application for Permit Renewal No. 7 <br />(RN -07) on February 17, 2017. The Division deemed the application complete on February 20, <br />2017. The application was filed at least 180 days prior to permit expiration, thereby securing the <br />right of successive renewal provided by 2.08.5. <br />GCC's public notice of the renewal application was published in the Durango Herald on April <br />14, April 21, April 28 and May 5, 2017. Proof of publication was submitted to the Division on <br />May 8, 2017. <br />The Division distributed completeness notices in accordance with Rule 2.07.3(3)(b). Responses <br />were received from the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Office of the State Engineer <br />(a.k.a. Division of Water Resources) as discussed below. No other comments were received. <br />A letter was received from the Division of Water Resources (DWR) on March 16, 2017. The <br />letter requested more information regarding the estimated water demand for mining operations as <br />2 <br />