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Based upon a review of the mine permit, the applicant's bond release application, and site <br />inspections, the Division finds that Coal Ridge has completed backfilling, grading, drainage <br />reestablishment, topsoil replacement, revegetation, and all other reclamation requirements for which <br />Phase III Bond Release was requested in accordance with the approved reclamation plan at the Coal <br />Ridge No. 1 Mine. The reclaimed area included within the SL -03 Bond Release application have <br />been restored to the approximate original contour of the pre -mining landscape. Slopes conform <br />to post -mining contours as shown on the approved Post -mining Topography Map of the permit <br />and remain stable to date. Proper blending of reclaimed areas with undisturbed slopes was <br />achieved and reconstructed drainages are stabilized and in good condition. Topsoil has been <br />replaced in accordance with the approved reclamation plan, the areas have been reseeded as <br />required and the bond release areas have been reclaimed for a post -mining land use of dryland <br />pasture and wildlife habitat. Coal Ridge has successfully demonstrated that the cover, <br />production, and species diversity establishment on the Phase III bond release areas meets or <br />exceeds the reclamation success standards on the reference areas. The Division finds that Coal <br />Ridge has achieved the requirements for Bond Release on 45.5 acres of Phase III and termination <br />of the Division's jurisdiction at the Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine. <br />V. PROPOSED DECISION <br />Based on the observations in Section IV above, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and <br />Safety proposes to approve the Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine SL -03 Phase III Bond Release application. <br />This proposed decision will release the applicant from reclamation liability on 45.5 acres Phase III <br />of the site and terminate the Division's jurisdiction of the lands associated with the Coal Ridge No. <br />1 Mine, as shown on Figure 1 at the end of this document. <br />The Division holds a performance bond in the amount of $43,200.00 for the Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine <br />and proposes to release the entirety of that bond. <br />Any person with a valid legal interest which might be adversely affected by this proposed decision <br />may request a formal public hearing before the Mined Land Reclamation Board in accordance with <br />Rule 3.032(6). Public notice of this proposed decision will be published twice in the Craig Daily <br />Press as soon as possible. Requests for public hearing must be submitted to the Division in writing <br />within thirty days of the first publication in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. If no hearing <br />is requested within those thirty days, the Division's decision will become final. <br />Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance July 2020 <br />Phase III Bond Release SL -03 Page 8 <br />