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Enforcement Actions <br /> No enforcement actions were issued since the last midterm review of the Roadside Portals Mine <br /> permit application package. <br /> The Review Process <br /> Snowcap Coal company,Inc. submitted an application for a permit renewal of the Roadside Portals <br /> permit on June 22, 2022. The Division determined the application to be complete on June 27, <br /> 2022. The following agencies and offices were notified on June 27, 2022 of the application and <br /> provided the opportunity to comment on the application; the United States Bureau of Land <br /> Management, the Office of Surface Mining, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado <br /> Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, Colorado Division <br /> of Water Resources, Mesa County Planning Department, Mesa County Commissioners, Town of <br /> Palisade, and Ute Water Conservancy District. A public notice, regarding the Division's receipt <br /> of the application and soliciting comments,was published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on <br /> June 30, July 7, 14, and 21, 2022. On June 30, 2022, the Division received notification from the <br /> State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), stating that since this renewal does not propose any <br /> additional disturbance, the SHPO finds that no historic properties should be affected. As already <br /> committed to in the permit,the SHPO notes that should any previously unidentified archaeological <br /> resources be discovered,that work shall be interrupted and the resources evaluated in consultation <br /> with the SHPO. <br /> Description of the Environment <br /> The Roadside North and South Portals Mine complex lies in the alluvial valley of the Colorado <br /> River along Interstate 70 (I-70)just east of the town of Palisade. The river and interstate trend <br /> northeast to southwest through the mine area, with the North Portal facilities and mine workings <br /> located to the west and north, and the South Portal facilities and mine workings to the east and <br /> south. Located 12 miles from Grand Junction, the mines are situated in DeBeque Canyon in the <br /> Bookcliffs, a ridge comprised of vari-colored shales and sandstones trending northwest-southeast. <br /> The Bookcliffs border the Grand Valley where the Colorado River exits the highlands of the cliffs <br /> and enters the valley. Mount Garfield, a prominent peak in the Bookcliffs, lies southwest of the <br /> mine site and serves as the southwestern corner of the Piceance basin to the north. The mines can <br /> be located on the USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps labeled "Cameo" and "Palisade." <br /> The Bookcliffs coal field is characterized by a monoclinal structure with the strata dipping gently <br /> to the northeast. Exhibits 13 and 14 of the permit application illustrate the surface geology and <br /> geologic structure of the permit area. The mine's surface facilities were located on and adjacent <br /> to the alluvial valley floor of the Colorado River. The river alluvium ranges from a clayey to silty <br /> sand and contains scattered gravel and cobble-sized fragments. The depth of the alluvium ranges <br /> from nine to sixty feet beneath the surface disturbed areas. <br /> Historically, the valley has been mined for coal since the late 1800's, so the alluvial valley floor <br /> has been altered and affected by these operations. The Cameo power plant,which was a customer <br /> 7 <br />