Laserfiche WebLink
February 11, 2025 C-1981-012/New Elk Mine AMG <br /> <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 6 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 <br /> <br /> Page 2 of 13 <br /> <br /> <br />Inspection Topic Summary <br />NOTE: Y=Inspected N=Not Inspected R=Comments Noted V=Violation Issued NA=Not Applicable <br />N - Air Resource Protection <br />Y - Availability of Records <br />N - Backfill & Grading <br />Y - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Explosives <br />N - Fish & Wildlife <br />Y - Hydrologic Balance <br />N - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />N - Processing Waste <br /> <br />N - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Support Facilities On-site <br />Y - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />Y - Topsoil <br /> <br /> <br />COMMENTS <br /> <br />This was a partial inspection of the New Elk Mine, Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />(“DRMS” or “Division”) permit number C-1981-012, operated by New Elk Coal Company, LLC. (“NECC”). <br />Amber Gibson, with the Division, conducted the inspection. During the inspection, I was unnaccompanied by an <br />Operator representative for the Permittee -- New Elk Coal Company, LLC (NECC). As of July 18, 2024, the <br />presence of staff onsite and available to represent NECC is unpredictable. The sky was cloudy, the weather was <br />cold and towards the end of the inspection there were high winds and snowfall, and the ground had a few inches of <br />snow cover. The entrance to the mine was locked, and there was no personell on-site. The Operator has provided <br />the Division with the lock combination, thus I was able to access the site. <br /> <br />Maintenance items are listed below in bold text. <br /> <br />The Division sent an adequacy review to the Operator for their Renewal No. 8 (RN8) application on October 30, <br />2023. The RN8 decision date is January 31, 2025. <br />AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS – Rule 5.02.4(1): <br />• As of January 16, 2025, the Pond and Refuse Pile Compliance Inspections are past due. Additionally, the <br />Discharge Monitoring Reports are past due as of January 30, 2025. The Operator shall submit the <br />compliance documents as soon as possible to avoid enforcement actions. <br />• The phone numbers posted on the gate to the mine site have been disconnected. The Division is unable to <br />access the mine records as is required per Rule 5.02.4. <br />• The Enforcement page at the end of the report describes an outstanding violation issued by the Division as <br />a result of the June 2024 inspection. As of the date of this February 2025 inspection report’s issuance, the <br />Operator has not yet provided any abatement documentation. The deadline for the abatement of violation <br />number CV-2024-002 had been extended to the full 90 days allowable by Rule 5.03.2(2)(b) -- to <br />September 18, 2024. <br />• On September 19, 2024, the Division issued a Cessation Order (CO-2024-002) for the Permittee’s failure <br />to abate violation no. CV-2024-002.