Laserfiche WebLink
King Coal Mine (C-1981-035) MT-9 <br /> Section I - Mine History and the Environment <br /> Mine Status and History <br /> Mining at the King Coal Mine first began in the late 1930s, and the mine was operated for a number <br /> of years by Violet and John Smith. The site was permitted by National King Coal, Inc. in 1982, and the <br /> permit has been renewed every five years since then. National King Coal, Inc. reincorporated as <br /> National King Coal, LLC (NKC) in June 1995. The mining permit was transferred to the current <br /> operator, GCC, in April 2008. <br /> The original King Coal Mine permit area consisted of 332.2 acres. The permit area was increased by <br /> 60.2 acres with PR-01 in 1989; by 315.0 acres with PR-02 in 1990; by 197.6 acres with PR-03 in 1991; <br /> by 157.4 acres with PR-04 in 1994; by 261.3 acres with PR-05 on 1997; by 196.3 acres with PR-06 in <br /> 1998; by 320.2 acres with PR-07 in 2001, and by 775.5 acres with PR-08 in 2006. With TR-24, the <br /> permit area was increased by 47.4 acres to account for the angle of draw. Some of these values have <br /> been revised since the PR findings and RN-06 findings documents due to GCC improving the accuracy <br /> of their measurements from their CADD drawings. This was done with TR-24. PR-09 was withdrawn <br /> in 2009. The permit acreage was increased with PR-10 by 397.5 acres and increased the affected <br /> acreage by 332 acres. PR-10 was approved in October of 2020. The current permit with the Division <br /> has a total of 3,102.9 acres permitted of which 2,118.68 acres are approved as affected acreage. <br /> Until 2006 the mining activities and permit area were confined to lands located south of La Plata <br /> County Road 120, the site now referred to as the King I Mine. In 2006, Permit Revision No. 8 (PR-08) <br /> was approved, creating the King 11 Mine portion of the operation on 730 acres located north of <br /> County Road 120 and west of King 1. Each of the two mines has its own underground workings and <br /> surface facilities, although the permitted areas are contiguous. The total combined permit area is <br /> 3,102.90 acres. Permit No. C-1981-035 was most recently renewed on November 21, 2022. <br /> Description of the Environment <br /> Land Use and Location <br /> The area known as "Hay Gulch" has historically been a source of coal production. Numerous <br /> abandoned underground mines exist throughout the Hay Gulch drainage. The King Coal Mine is now <br /> the sole active coal mining operation in Hay Gulch, and in La Plata County. Historically, the valley <br /> floor of Hay Gulch has been used for grazing and production of hay. The surrounding uplands have <br /> been used primarily for rangeland (grazing), with a secondary use of wildlife habitat. The area is <br /> sparsely populated. More information concerning land use can be found in Sections 2.04.3 and <br /> 2.05.5 of the PAP. <br /> Page 3 of 11 <br />