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<br />Midterm Review No. 7 Colowyo Mine <br /> <br />This document presents the results of the Midterm Review of the Colowyo Coal <br /> (CCC) Colowyo Mine (Colowyo), conducted by the Colorado Division <br />of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (the Division). This Midterm Review was conducted <br />to fulfill the requirements of the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act, and <br />Rules 2.08.3, 2.06.2(9), 2.06.3(4), 2.06.5(3), 2.06.7(5) and 3.02.2(4) of the Rules and <br />Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board for Coal Mining. <br /> <br />Rule 2.08.3 requires the Division to conduct a review of each permit issued, prior to its <br />midterm (2 ½ years). Based on this review, for good cause shown, the Division may <br />require reasonable revisions to, or modifications of, the permits provisions to ensure <br />compliance with the Act and Regulations. <br /> <br />Rules 2.06.2, 2.06.3, 2.06.5 and 2.06.7 require that during the midterm review, where <br />applicable, experimental practices, mountaintop removal variances, variances from <br />approximate original contour (AOC), and variances from contemporaneous reclamation, <br />respectively, be reviewed by the Division. The Colowyo Mine does not conduct any <br />experimental practices (Rule 2.06.2), mountain top removal operations (Rule 2.06.3) or <br />have a variance for contemporaneous reclamation for combined surface and underground <br />mining (Rule 2.06.7). Variances have been granted for approximate original contour due <br />to steep slope mining (Rule 2.06.5) at the Colowyo Mine. These items are addressed in <br />Section IV below. <br /> <br />Rule 3.02.2(4) requires the Division to review the amount of performance bond liability <br />and the terms of acceptance of the bond every 2 ½ years. <br /> <br />The proposed decision date for Permit Renewal No. 7 was July 9, 2018. The permit for <br />the Colowyo Mine was issued on August 14, 2018. The Proposed Decision and Findings <br />of Compliance were updated at the time of the proposed decision for Permit Renewal No. <br />7. <br /> <br />Section I History of Site <br /> <br />Site location <br /> <br />The Colowyo Mine is a surface mine located in Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties, <br />Colorado, approximately 23 miles south of the town of Craig, Colorado. The permit area <br />is west of and contiguous with Colorado State Highway 13. The permit area <br />encompasses 26,272.64 acres (3,488.67 Federal, 1,277.00 State and 21,506.97 private <br />surface acres; 21,820.47 Federal, 1,287.21 State and 3,156.96 private coal acres). The <br />total permitted disturbance and affected area is 5,214.80 acres. The Colowyo Mine is <br />comprised of five open pits: the East Pit, the Section 16 Pit, the West Pit, the South <br />Taylor Pit, and the Collom Pit. Multiple seam mining is currently conducted in the South <br />Colowyo Mine Midterm Review No. 8 <br />Permit No. C-1981-019 May 5, 2020 <br /> 1 <br /> <br /> <br />