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perspective because the Board's regulations apply to all non- <br />coal mining operations in Colorado, an extraordinarily broad <br />set of mining operations from alluvial gravel mining <br />activities to quarry operations on dry mountain tops, each of <br />which poses unique site specific hydrologic circumstances and <br />requires a different focus to the Board's inquiry. <br />The inherent discretion available to the Board under <br />Rule 2.1.2(8)(d) is not unlimited. Rather, the Board's <br />discretion is focused and defined by the performance standards <br />of Rule 6, in this case Rule 6.2. That is, the application <br />must contain sufficient information to allow the Board in its <br />discretion to assess compliance with Rule 6.2. :if the <br />application is inadequate in this regard, then the Board has <br />the discretion to deny the permit pursuant to Rule 1.5.5(1). <br />As demonstrated in the previous section of this brief, the <br />Application contained a substantial amount of information <br />responsive to the information requirements of Rule 2.1.2(8) <br />including information specifically responsive to subparagraph <br />d. (see pages 20-23 supra). The Board investigated the <br />information in the application, took additional testimony at <br />the March 22 public hearing pertaining to the issue and then <br />rendered an explicit finding of fact based on the record that <br />the proposed operations would comply with Rule 6.2. In so <br />doing, the Board did not exceed its statutory authority, <br />rather, it conducted precisely the kind of investigation <br />- 2b - <br />