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<br />MEt40RA W Utd <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING ~ <br />Reclamation and Enforcement <br />BROOKS TOw'ERS <br />1020 1 STH STREET <br />DErlV ER. COLORADO 80202 i <br />T0: James R. Harris, Director, OS;1 <br />FROH: Richard E. Dawes, Deputy Administrator, OStt, Western Technical <br />Center <br />SUBJECT: Recommendation for Henry L, b Opal '.;eaver's Ohio Creek :sine ~~3, <br />Gunnison County, Colorado (Federal Lease Vo. 0069942) <br />I. Recommendation <br />Pursuant to 30 CFR 741.21(a)(1), I reco mend approval with stipulations of the <br />Ohio Creek Mine v12 permit application submitted by Henry L. Weaver and <br />Opal `.heaver. The mining and reclamation plan, with the ado ptlon of the stipu- <br />1.ations included with this memorandum, will be in conformance with the applic- <br />able Federal regulations [30 CFR 741.12(b)], the rF. uirenen[s of tha Colorado <br />State Program, and the 'tineral Leasing Act, as amenaed. I am also recommend- <br />ing that you advise the Assistant Secretary, Energy and :linerals, under 30 CRF <br />741.12(a), that the Henry L. Weaver and Opal Weaver's Ohio Creek :line :12 plan <br />be approved. The perm[ term will be five :sears. <br />05,1 and the State, in the course of the review, have identified some elenents <br />of the applicant's proposal which, in order to be in compliance with the Colo- <br />rado State program and Federal laws, require conditions. These conditions are <br />at[acl~ed to the proposed permit (ICO-00031, and are included as part of the <br />preferred alternative of those alternatives analyzed. (See the TEA on file in <br />the Office of Surface ;•lining (05:1) Western Technical Center as part of the <br />wining and reclamation plan, and in the office of the Colorado 'tined Land <br />Reclanation Division [C'ILRD].) <br />II. Background <br />The Ohio Creek ;tine '2 (OC '?) ;4ine is an operating underground mine that <br />mines Federal coal. The site is locatad approximately 16 miles northwest of <br />Gunnison, Colorado at an elevation of 9,_'=~ feet wit'i road access from State <br />Route 135 (see maps, .~ttachmen[ A and A-11. The mi•~a site is on the south- <br />.+estern flank of a promontory near the :unnison ;rational Furest, above the <br />Ohio Creek Valley and is in an open sageSrush grass-covered hillside contain- <br />ing occasional park stands of aspen. <br />:he OC ~:'' operation uses a conventional undercut and blast-room and pillar <br />^ining method that cou L; produce approximatel? 525,OM tons over [he life of <br />the mine that is esti~ated to be about ~5 Fears or until 2021 if the requested <br />`or lease modification for 120 acres _~ approved. If the requested lease <br />modification is not approved, the plan calls nor retreat mining to commence in <br />1983 and to continue until 1993, the dear reclamation would occur. If the <br />latter is the case, maximum mined tonna;e ':ould be about I^0,000 tons. <br />