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Deidre Witherell <br />354 Cisneros Lane, Crested Butte, CO 81224 970-349-0902 1 dtboliver@q.com <br />May 31, 2018 <br />Ms. Brannon <br />Director <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety <br />drns.temp@state.co.us <br />Dear Ms. Brannon: <br />I'm writing this letter to oppose West Elk Mine's permit revision number 15 (PR -15), which proposes to <br />add 1,520 acres of roadless National Forest land to the mine's existing permit area. Approval of this <br />permit revision is not in the best interests of the state of Colorado for multiple reasons. <br />1) Expansion of the mine area will damage existing roadless forest directly adjacent to the West Elk <br />Wilderness. The mine will bulldoze multiple roads and pads within the Sunset Roadless Area <br />which sits directly on the northern flanks of Mount Gunnison. Expansion of mining into a pristine, <br />roadless forest area adjacent to wilderness is counter-productive to the goals of conservation and <br />ecological sustainability. <br />2) Approval of the permit will enable, if not promote, continued and increased methane pollution. <br />The West Elk coal mine is the largest single industrial source of methane pollution in Colorado <br />and its operation contains no provisions to limit methane pollution. <br />3) Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety regulations require mining operations to "minimize <br />disturbances and adverse impacts of operations on fish, wildlife, and related environmental <br />values." This permit revision will result in large disturbance to the Sunset Roadless Area and <br />consequentially negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystem. <br />4) Many Colorado municipalities are moving away from large generation and transmission contracts <br />where coal is the major generation source and moving toward alternative energy sources. Solar <br />and wind power are competitive with coal and much cleaner sources of energy. Coal production <br />is water -intensive. Decisions to go forward with increased coal production need to consider <br />water use, especially taking into account projected effects of drought due to climate change. <br />This permit should not be approved because it promotes increased coal production which is harmful to <br />forest health, water sustainability, and adds to methane pollution. <br />Thank you for considering my comments. <br />Sincerely, <br />,4,�460 <br />Deidre Witherell <br />