2017-11-28_PERMIT FILE - M2017049 (19)

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To: Amy Eschberger CO Divison of Reclamation Mining and Safety From: Dr. Peg Rooney: RECEIVED PO Box 60 Penr e, O 81240 NOV 2 8 2017 719-372-3415 DIVISION OF RECLAMATION MINING AND SAFETY drpeg@bresnan.net Date: 11/22/2017 Re: Letter of Objection to Application#M2017-049 Highway 115 from Penrose to CO Springs is one of the most dangerous roads in CO these days. On Nov. 15th, I counted 46 18-wheelers on the road at 9:30am and 47 at 3pm. Lines of impatient drivers tailgated each other behind the trucks. Some passed on the right, others crossed double- yellow lines to move beyond the trucks. When a straight-away came up, drivers accelerated to 80 to get around the trucks which also speeded up. And woe to the drivers who dared to go the speed limit of 60. One was forced to move to the shoulder to allow a screaming driver to pass. The CO Springs City Council recently endorsed the Transit Mix concrete mining lease on Hwy 115. This extractive activity will increase truck traffic to 300 more trips per day on this road. God help us! And heaven help the wildlife that migrate from Ft. Carson across 115 to Aiken Canyon and then to Beaver Creek Wilderness area. 115 is a slaughterhouse! Every day animals are killed-their remains litter the roadside. On Nov. 15th, I counted 2 deer(one a fine four-point buck), 1 raccoon, 1 skunk, and 1 hawk in the morning alone. A young black bear wisely changed his mind about trying to cross 115 amid the weaving, speeding, and honking. We can only hope that the Mined Land Reclamation Board will once again deny the Transit Mix Concrete mining lease. But whether or not human greed wins out, we must ensure that State Patrol officers are there to enforce the rules of the road. We must install a wildlife overpass or underpass near Aiken Canyon to allow the movement of animals to the wilderness area, as was