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• been affected by surface disturbance to date. Including the <br />1792-acre permit revision area, the total permitted area of <br />the Somerset Mine contains about 5529 acres. Mining is <br />expected to continue for. 21 years under Colorado Permit No. <br />C-81-022 and the approved mining plan. <br />The original mining plan for the Somerset Mine was approved <br />under the Federal lands program on January 11, 1984, for <br />Federal leases C-033301, C-033302, and D-052504. On May 16, <br />1984, a mining plan modification was approved adding Federal <br />lease C-36446 to the mining plan approval area. In 1985, <br />1986, and 1987, the Federal leases were relinquished or <br />reassigned to other lessees. On April 20, 1988, the mining <br />plan approval for the Somerset Mine was cancelled by the <br />Assistant Secretary. <br />In 1991, SMC opened the Sanborn Creek addition to the <br />Somerset Mine. The Sanborn Creek mine addition included new <br />portals into a new mining area. This proposed mining plan <br />action would extend the Sanborn Creek mining operations into <br />Federal lease COC-53510. No additional surface disturbance, <br />except mining-induced subsidence would result from the <br />proposed mining plan. With this mining plan action, the <br />approved mining plan area for the Somerset Mine will contain <br />a total of 1340 acres, all within Federal lease COC-53510. <br />• The underground mining operations at the Sanborn Creek mine <br />addition utilize room and pillar mining methods. The B and <br />C seams of the Bowie member of the Mesaverde Formation are <br />mined at an average production rate of about 750,000 tons <br />per year. No additional surface disturbance will result <br />from this action. <br />A chronology of events related to the processing of the PAP <br />is included with the decision document. The information in <br />the PAP, as well as other information identified in the <br />decision document, has been reviewed by Colorado DMG staff <br />in coordination with the OSM Project Leader. <br />During the review of the PAP, no major issues were <br />identified. <br />The public was notified of the availability of the PAP for <br />review by publication of newspaper notices for four <br />consecutive weeks, with a last publication date of June 3, <br />1992. No public comments on the PAP were received after the <br />public notice was published. <br />., <br />,~ <br />