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We are presently in the beginning stages of preparing such an all-encompassing reclamation and <br />closure plan to fulfill the requirement for submitting an amendment. Though we are committed <br />to developing the amended reclamation plan and implementing it, there is much investigation <br />and preliminary work to be done before it is ready to be submitted. As an example, water quality <br />at the Pitch Project continues to be a primary issue to be addressed, and a future amended <br />reclamation plan will specify the work needed to allow the site to comply with applicable <br />standards. However, simply stated, the applicable water quality standards have not all been set, <br />which prevents Homestake from defining and implementing certain future reclamation tasks. <br />The Division has stated in recent correspondence that the amendment application must be <br />delivered by January 31, 2018. As it is now clear, the January 31, 2018 date for submitting a <br />sufficient amendment is impossible to meet. <br />Therefore, we must make this request: that in lieu of submitting an amendment application by <br />January 31, 2018, that the Division accept the commitment stated herein for submitting an <br />amendment, plus the additional document enclosed herewith, which lists all currently -recognized <br />reclamation needs and milestones. Wherever possible, we have included the methods and <br />timeframes required to attain a status and condition recognized as final reclamation. <br />Besides our commitment to develop and submit an amendment to address reclamation and <br />closure of the Pitch Project, according to a schedule agreed upon by Homestake and the <br />Division, Homestake additionally commits to continue to monitor the work being performed and <br />will submit additional revisions the reclamation plan as they are needed. <br />To summarize, Homestake commits to developing an updated reclamation plan amendment, <br />which will include the tasks described in the enclosed preliminary plan outline. Homestake is <br />not in a position to submit the actual amendment application at this time, however, largely due to <br />the fact that key applicable water quality standards (which will act as a goal to guide our <br />reclamation and evaluate our efforts) have not been determined. <br />We feel this two-step approach is the best and most logical path toward amending our <br />reclamation plan and attaining better final reclamation of the Pitch Project site. Please confirm <br />whether this is adequate and acceptable toward meeting the Division's requirement for an <br />updated reclamation plan through a permit amendment. <br />If there are questions or if you wish to discuss any of this, do not hesitate to contact me at the <br />Pitch Reclamation Office in Sargents. We look forward to working with the Division toward this <br />long-term goal. <br />Sincerely, <br />Dave Wykoff <br />Pitch Reclamation Coordinator <br />