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TO: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />• FROM: PLANNING COMMISSION <br />RE: RECOMMENDATION, SOMERSET MINE, RELOCATION OF COAL <br />STOCKPILES, MINOR IMPACT <br />DATE: APRIL 24, 1992 <br />At the April 24, 1992 Planning Commission meeting, Ken Spann <br />moved and Mark Schumacher seconded the following motion: <br />PROJECT DESCRIPTION/HISTORY OF THIS APPLICATION: <br />Somerset Mining Company received approval from the Gunnison <br />County Board of Commissioners (December 18, 1990), to open a new <br />mine portal in reactivating a coal mining operation which had not <br />operated since 1985. (The facility formerly was owned and operated <br />by U.S. Steel.) The existing Somerset Mine operation was to be <br />expanded by the opening of the Sanborn Creek Mine (portal), <br />approximately 4500 east of the Elk Creek facilities. The approval <br />specifically cited that no coal trucks were required for that <br />additional operation, because a conveyor belt was to be constructed <br />between the two. <br />Subsequent to that approval, the Planning Office received <br />complaints that fugitive dust was corrupting air quality, that coal <br />• fines were collecting on Highway 133 running between the mine <br />facilities and residences, and in adjacent yards and homes in the <br />Town of Somerset. The source of the dust and fines was reported to <br />be trucks hauling coal from the Bear Coal Mine No. 3 to the <br />Somerset Mine loadout, and windblown fines from the stockpile <br />located close to the highway. <br />Investigation by the Colorado Dept. of Health (letter of <br />February 21, 1991) revealed, "...excessive amounts of coal dust <br />covering the buildings and yards within the Town of Somerset...in <br />addition, interviews with occupants of one of the closer buildings <br />to Somerset Mining Company's operation indicated a significant <br />increase in coal dust emissions." The CDH required that a Fugitive <br />Particulate Emissions Control Plan be submitted. <br />An "Air Pollution and Emission Notice and Control Plan for <br />Fugitive Particulate Emissions: (March 27, 1991), submitted by <br />Somerset, identified the "coal surge pile" as one of the sources <br />identified for dust control: <br />CJ <br />"The surge pile is <br />only 8,500 tons of coa <br />accommodate over 10,00 <br />therefore be transported <br />loading activities. A <br />from the surge pile to <br />necessary since the silo holds <br />1 whereas a typical train may <br />0 tons; additional coal must <br />into the silo during the train <br />front end loader delivers coal <br />a storage bin; from here a <br />