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<br />Economic concerns <br />Property values <br />Tourism <br />Quality of life <br />Traffic concerns including degradation of state highways and the San Juan Skyway <br />Noise <br />Air pollution <br />Land management of prior permitted areas <br />Availability of other sources of gravel that would result in less damage and impacts to the <br />people of the state <br />The Clean Water Act <br />The Clean Air Act <br />Threatened and Endangered species <br />The representatives of the Division stated that their only responsibility was to ensure that the <br />land to be mined would be returned to a beneficial use for the citizens of Colorado after the mining <br />takes place. if the permit application review does not address the alleged "non-jurisdictional" issues, <br />it will be impossible to establish a beneficial post-mining land use for the people of Colorado. The <br />primary objective of the permit process, under the statutory definition of the term "reclamation," <br />requires the MLRB to minimize as much as practicable the disruption from the mining operation, and <br />to require other measures appropriate to the subsequent beneficial use of the affected lands. The <br />"disruption" caused by gravel mining operations specifically consists ofthe issues raised by the public <br />and interested parties but currently considered "non jurisdictional" by the Division. <br />Without addressing the "non jurisdictional" uses, the post-mining land use will resemble the <br />industrial blight of other previous and current gravel mining operations in the Dolores River Valley. <br />Both the individual and cumulative damages and impacts ofgravel mining operations in this area are <br />not a beneficial use for the people of Colorado and are not consistent with the objectives and <br />establishment of the San Juan Skyway. <br />At a minimum, the post-mining land use requirements should restore the land to a state that <br />resembles apre-minimg natural environment in the Dolores River Valley. This could include <br />revegetation efforts, the establishment of ponds that appear natural rather than industrial, and/or low <br />density residential development similar to the current land use trends in the area. The permit <br />requirements should also include recreational opportunities for the people of Colorado and <br />environmental enhancements. A permit approval based on these objectives would accomplish the <br />natural resource utilization as prioritized by the state, and would result in appropriate beneficial uses <br />for the people. <br />Please take these comments into consideration and act upon them in the permitting process <br />for the Line Camp Pit reclamation application. <br />Sincerely, <br />Erin Johnson <br />