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ARGUMENT <br />Rule 5.03.5 states, in relevant part that; <br />"(1)(a) an operator or person issued any notice eof violation or cessation order, or any <br />person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected by such notice or <br />order or by any modification, vacation, or termination of such notice or order may <br />request review thereof by the Board within 90 days of the issuance of the notice or <br />order or within 90 days after its modification, vacation, or termination." <br />(Emphasis supplied) <br />Similar to the requirement of a court to give meaning to all provisions of a statute so <br />that each provision is given effect, see Fanners Group, Inc, v. Williams, 805 P.2d <br />419, 420 (Colo. 1991), the Board must give meaning to all the language of this Rule, <br />or render it meaningless. This rule expressly states that NOV's may be modified, <br />vacated or terminated prior to a Board hearing on an NOV. Under the Colorado <br />Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act (Act), 34-33-101 et seq., C.R.S., and the Rules, <br />the only entity that can vacate an NOV after issuance other than the Board is DMG. <br />See Rule 5.04.3. If the Board decides that DMG cannot vacate an NOV after the <br />operator asks for a hearing before the Board, then the above language in Rule <br />5.03.5(1)(a) is largely meaningless. <br />The above-referenced rule provides that any person "adversely affected" by the <br />vacation of an NOV by DMG may appeal such vacation to the board, so appellate <br />rights are still protected. In this particular instance, and generally, DMG's position is <br />that Basin or any coal operator cannot be "adversely affected" by the vacation of the <br />NOV against it and so has no standing to appeal DMG's vacation of the NOV. See <br />Response of DMG to Motion of Basin Resources to Have Notice of Vacation <br />Adjudicated or, in the Alternative, to Vacated with Prejudice, filed sepazately from <br />this Response. That appeal right to the Boazd, however, is different from an <br />interpretation of the Rules that divests DMG from ever vacating an NOV either at the <br />operator's request or for other reasons after an operator has requested a hearing before <br />the Board. Again, such an interpretation by the Board would render meaningless the <br />above-referenced portion of Rule 5.03.5(I)(a). <br />For example, if only the Board has the authority to vacate an NOV after an operator <br />asks for a hearing, then DMG has no authority to hold Assessment Conferences after <br />such a request, which makes that portion of the Act, § 34-33-123(8), C.R.S., and the <br />Rules virtually meaningless. Rule 5.04.3, which is entitled "Procedures for <br />Assessment of Civil Penalties," provides for Assessment Conferences at which the <br />operator may request that DMG modify, suspend, or vacate the NOV and some or all <br />of the civil penalty portion of the NOV. Rule 5.04.3(2) provides that after a request <br />by the operator, "DMG shall consider any information [submitted by the operator] in <br />determining the facts surrounding the violation and the amount of the civil penalty to <br />be proposed under (2) below." (emphasis supplied). Obviously, this provision <br />