2019-01-04_REVISION - M1994117 (3)

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finally departed the site in 1997, the facility and permits were in complete disarray and his sister was considerably poorer if not much wiser. The next permitted operator of the Gold Hill Mill was ITEC Environmental. This company spent a great deal of time and money addressing the problems created by the aforementioned J. Wayne Tatman. When the price of gold fell below this company's breakeven price, they sold the Gold Hill Mill back to the original owners before they had processed any significant ore through the mill. There were no operational permit violations during the time when ITEC Environmental was in charge of the Gold Hill Mill. Mount Royale Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of a Canadian public company, was the next permitted operator of the Gold Hill Mill. They were only processing at the Gold Hill Mill for approximately eighteen months during 2007 and 2008.Mismanagement and wasteful expenditures doomed this company to failure, but there were no serious permit violations discovered by the Division of Reclamation while this company was operating the Gold Hill Mill. The Colorado Milling Company, LLC has been the permitted operator of the Gold Hill Mill since August 25, 2015 but has not yet begun processing ore in the facility. This company has, however, spent considerable effort and funds cleaning up after the previous operator of the Gold Hill Mill, Mount Royale Ventures. The point of recounting all of this history is to help inform you just who was actually responsible for all of the past problems you are revisiting in your letter. The Colorado Milling Company is actually the first owner of the Gold Hill Mill in more than twenty-eight years that is adhering to the legal terms and conditions of the original Gold Hill Mill Permit. As for the water rights issues, as you know, there is a Water Court Decree in place that determines how the Colorado Milling Company,LLC will withdraw,transport, store and consume its process water. The Application for an Amendment to the Gold Hill Mill Limited Impact Permit filed to add the previously permitted Left Hand Creek Pump Station, Gold Hill Mill Pipeline, and the Times Mine adit portal to the affected land boundary of the Gold Hill Mill Permit is this company's fulfillment of the original, approved Permit issued on September 26, 1985, by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board. As for your expression of concern regarding the "use of incredibly large amounts of water for mining"being"irresponsible" in a such a high risk area for wildfires, please know that we offered to make the water stored underground in the Times Mine available for use by the Gold Hill Volunteer Fire Department many months ago. The Colorado Milling Company, LLC's representatives are prepared to address any other concerns or problems that you want to bring to their attention. Sincerely, u, Mark A. Steen Colorado Milling Company, LLC 2