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Introduction
<br />This document is the Permit Renewal No. 4 (RN -04) proposed decision package prepared by the Colorado
<br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (the Division) for the Bowie No. 2 Mine. Through Permit
<br />Renewal No. 4, Bowie Resources LLC (BRL) is proposing to renew its valid, existing permit for another
<br />five year term. This document includes: 1) the proposed decision to Approve with conditions the permit
<br />renewal application; 2) a summary which includes ahistoryof thereview of the permit revision application,
<br />a description of the environment affected by the operation and a description of the mining and reclamation
<br />plan; and 3) the written findings of compliance the Division has made as required by the Colorado Surface
<br />Coal Mining Reclamation Act. Detailed information concerning the findings of compliance can be found
<br />in the Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board for Coal Mining.
<br />The Division has received an application for a permit renewal to continue surface coal mining operations
<br />at the Bowie No. 2 Mine for another five year term. The application was submitted by BRL. The mine is
<br />operated by BRL.
<br />The mine permit area is located on Federal and Private lands within Delta County, Colorado. The coal to
<br />be mined is privately and federally owned, as are the surface lands to be disturbed by mining. Originally,
<br />in accordance with direction provided by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the Division and the OSM
<br />considered the Bowie No. 2 Mine to be a private mine, for the purposes of permit and inspection regulation.
<br />However, with approval of Technical Revision No. 16, the Bowie No. 2 Mine became a federal mine.
<br />Through that revision, BRL was granted permission to conduct mining in a limited area of the Iron Point
<br />Tract Federal Lease.
<br />The Bowie No. 2 Mine is located about five (5) miles northeast of Paonia, Colorado, adjacent to State
<br />Highway 133 and near the old Bowie townsite. The current permit area includes 10,987.4 surface acres, of
<br />which 5,724.5 surface acres are privately owned and 5,262.9 surface acres are federally owned. The legal
<br />description of the lands included within the present permit area is described in the sections listed below:
<br />Township 13 South, Range 91 West, 6th PM
<br />Section 2: SW/4NW/4, SW/4
<br />Section 3: ALL
<br />Section 4: ALL
<br />Section 5: S/2SE/4, SE/4SW/4, S/2NE/4NE/4SE/4, SE/4NW/4NE/4SE/4,
<br />E/2SW/4NE/4SE/4, SE/4NE/4SE/4
<br />Section 6: Lots 5, 6, 7, SW/4NE/4, SE/4NW/4, E/2SW/4, SE/4
<br />Section 7: ALL
<br />Section 8: NE/4, W/2, W/2SE/4
<br />Section 9: NE/4, NW/4, SE/4, NE/4SW/4, SE/4SW/4, NE/4SW/4SW/4
<br />Section 10: ALL
<br />Section 11: SW/4, NW/4
<br />Section 14: NW/4 except that portion south of the Union Pacific Railroad right of way
<br />Section 15: NE/4, NW/4, NW/4SE/4*, Portions of the N/2SE/4, SW/4SE/4, S/2SW/4, excluding all
<br />privately held lands not owned or controlled by Bowie Resources Limited or the Union
<br />Pacific Railroad.
<br />Section 16: N/2NE/4
<br />Section 17: NW/4, W/2NE/4
<br />Section 18: Lots 1, 2, NE/4, E2NW/4
<br />Section 22: Portion of NW/4NW/4, on lands owned by the Union Pacific Railroad
<br />* North of Deer Trail Ditch
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