Laserfiche WebLink
~~~r~. <br />~~~ UNITED STATES <br />Y <br />RECEIVED <br />AUG 15 2000 <br />m ~aac~ 1 55s <br />~ nMU <br />ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <br />REGION 8 <br />999 18T" STREET -SUITE 500 <br />DENVER, CO 80202-2466 <br />http://vnvw.epa.gov/reg ion08 <br />Division of Minerals and Geology <br />PUBLIC NOTICE <br />ANNOUNCEMENT OF PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC COMMENT PERSOD <br />INTENT TO ISSUE AN UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL <br />CLASS III AREA PERMIT <br />TO <br />AMERALIA, INC. <br />PURPOSE OF PUBLIC NCTICE <br />The purpose of this public notice is two-fold: one, to <br />solicit public comment on the proposal by the Region 8 Office of <br />the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Denver, Colorado, to <br />issue an area permit for solution mining of the mineral nahcolite <br />via a Class III Area Permit for multiple solution mining wells <br />and two, to announce that a public hearing has been scheduled for <br />1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., Thursday, September 28, 2000 at the Rio <br />Blanco County Courthouse, Meeker, Colorado. The EPA will conduct <br />the hearing. Comments will be heard on the EPA proposal to issue <br />this Class III Solution Mining Area Permit. <br />BACKGROUND <br />EPA Region 8 is currently reviewing an application for an <br />Underground Injection Control (UIC) Permit from AmerAlia, Inc. <br />(AmerAlia), 818 Taughenbaugh, P.O. Box 1330, Rifle, Colorado <br />81650, for the construction and operation of solution mining <br />injection wells in the Rock School Sodium Lease Project (Rock <br />School Project) within the Piceance Creek Basin. This operation <br />will begin with a pilot phase, and commercial operation of the <br />Rock School Project is anticipated to occur within five years. <br />The pilot phase will determine the most feasible methods to <br />extract the mineral nahcolite by the use of a solution mining <br />process with elevated temperature and pressure, and the economic <br />viability of the methods. This application is for a Class III <br />Solution Mining Well Area Permit for multiple wells during the <br />pilot phase and through commercial operations within the Rock <br />School Project. AmerAlia proposes to drill and operate solution <br />mining wells in Section 20 of Township 1 South, Ranqe 98 West of <br />the Sixth Prime Meridian, Rio Blanco County, Colorado. <br />Printed on Recycled Paper <br />