APPCOR10255

• Permit No: C1981071
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Date: 10/27/1983
• Doc Name: STATUS OF PN 79-177
• From: MLRD
• To: COLO YAMPA COAL CO
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

•
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
David H. Getches. Eaecutrve Director
MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION
DAVID C. SHEL70 N, Director
Richartl D. Lamm
Governor
1
October 27, 1983
Mr. David McMindes
Environmental Coordinator
Colorado Yampa Coal Company
P.O. Box 774288
Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80417
RE: Status of Permit No. 79-177
Dear Mr. McMindes:

The Energy No. 1, 2 and Eckman Park permit application presents a unique
situation. The application was submitted in September, 1979 by Energy
Fuels Corporation (name changed to Colorado Yampa Coal Company). A joint
permit review was conducted by the Mined Land Reclamation Division
(Division) and the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). The application was
reviewed under the Federal permanent program regulations 30 C.F.R. 701,
et seq. The Division found the application to be in compliance with the
requirements of the Federal Permanent Program Regulations as they appear
in the March 13, 1979, edition of the of the Federal Register, and issued
a permit in March, 1980, with seven stipulations (See Attachment A).
The OSM made a finding of compliance with the 30 CFR Part 211 and the i~~,.u,.,,o-t
Program Regulations with the exception of the standards for
contemporaneous reclamation. Twenty-two stipulations (Attachment B) were
attached to the approval. Special stipulation 13 addressed the
contemporaneous reclamation issue in order to bring that section into -
compliance with the permanent program. A technical and environmental
analysis (TEA) (Attachment C) was prepared by the OSM in support of their
decision to approve the mining and reclamation plan. A determination of
no significant impact was made.
The section that was not in compliance with the permanent federal
regulatory program pertained to the request for a variance from
contemporaneous reclamation. The applicant had requested the variance to
allow for a section of the highwall to remain open to allow for the
excavation of portals for a proposed underground mining operation. OSM
attached a stipulation to the approval package requiring an approvable
underground mine plan by December 30, 1980, otherwise the pit would have
to be backfilled. A preliminary mine plan was submitted within the time
frame which satisfied this stipulation. Subsequently in October 1982 a
permit revision application was submitted and approved by the Division in
April, 1983 for the Foidel Creek underground mine. Thus, at this time
Permit No. 79-177 includes both surface and underground coal mining
operations.
423 Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Tel. [phone]