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November 13, 2019. Based on these checks, there were no violations retrieved by the system. <br /> On November 14, 2019, the Division proposed to approve the application for renewal. <br /> Description of the Environment <br /> The primary portion of the New Elk Mine (which includes the main facilities, the Refuse <br /> Disposal Area,portal areas, and the affected area above mine workings) is located approximately <br /> 24 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado. The surface disturbance at the main mine site is located in <br /> a plateau area. The elevation of the surface facilities ranges from 7,400 to 7,800 feet. The <br /> affected area extends south of the facilities approximately two and a half miles into the Bosque <br /> del Oso State Wildlife Area and is predominantly steep forested land. The maximum elevation <br /> of the affected area is over 8,200 feet. <br /> The Jansen Loadout is located in an unincorporated area on the west side of Trinidad. It lies in <br /> the Purgatoire River valley below the Trinidad Lake dam in an industrial park. A pasture <br /> borders the loadout on the south side. Although the loadout area extends for approximately <br /> 3,000 feet, it is very flat and the elevation (approximately 6,100 feet) does not vary significantly. <br /> The area that includes the sealed Northwest Airshaft(formerly in the Golden Eagle mine) is <br /> approximately two miles east of the main mine area and at an approximate elevation of 7,300 <br /> feet. Characteristics of this area are similar to those of the main mine area, described below. <br /> The general location of the site is depicted in Map 1 of the PAP. <br /> Land Use and Wildlife <br /> Land use in the area consists of cropland, rangeland,pastureland, and wildlife habitat. Livestock <br /> grazing and hay production on irrigated lands are the main agricultural practice conducted in the <br /> general area. A variety of large and small mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are <br /> permanent or temporary residents of the area. The Jansen Loadout land use has been industrial <br /> for at least two decades. The site is located adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) <br /> railroad grade. <br /> In the PAP, Map 4 depicts the pre-mining land use, and Maps 15 and 16 depict the post-mining <br /> land use at the New Elk Mine. Exhibit 40 includes a map and other information on the loadout. <br /> Geology <br /> The New Elk Mine is located in the western limb of the Raton Basin. The Raton Basin is a <br /> broad, asymmetric syncline whose axis trends north-south. Previous mining at this site was <br /> entirely within the Allen Seam, stratigraphically located in the Raton Formation (Upper <br /> Cretaceous and Paleocene). The Poison Canyon Formation (Paleocene)unconformably overlies <br /> the Raton Formation. The Poison Canyon Formation has a thickness of approximately 200 feet <br /> and occurs only as small, isolated outcrops above an elevation of 8,000 feet. Unconsolidated <br /> New Elk Mine <br /> November 2019 Findings for RN-07 <br /> 4 <br />