_REVISION - C1980004

• Permit No: C1980004
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

June 25, 2001—LEI letter committing to submittal of additional bond by July 25, 2001 and committing to
submittal of renewal PAR responses by August 15,2001,was received by the Division.
August 20, 2001—LEI submitted two amended renewal application pages that had been requested in the
PAR.
October 17, 2001—LEI submitted responses to the Division's March 14, 2001 Renewal PAR letter,
including amendments to the renewal application form information, and replacement application text,
exhibits, and appendices. In accordance with Division request,the substantive responses were submitted as
a technical revision application (TR-11). TR-11 was deemed complete on October 19, 2001, and a
preliminary adequacy review letter(PAR)was sent to LEI on October 30,2001. The TR-1 I review entailed
a number of additional operator response submittals and Division adequacy reviews. The Division
ultimately issued a proposed approval decision on July 2,2002. The proposed decision was published in the
Grand Junction Sentinel on July 18, 2002,and there were no objections. In addition to resolving the various
concerns identified by the Division,the revision allowed for an increase in annual coal production from the
previously approved level of 500,000 tons, to approximately 1.7 million tons per year. Maximum
production level was subsequently revised to 600,000 tons per year, in association with TR-12.
June 26,2003—SO-3 Permit Transfer application was submitted by LEI. The successor operator/permittee
was Central Appalachia Mining, LLC, (CAM). The permit transfer became final on December 20, 2004.
The Division was unable to issue a proposed decision to renew the permit to CAM until the permit transfer
was approved.
Applicant Violator System(AVS)checks were made on CAM on multiple occasions in association with the
permit transfer and permit renewal, most recently on January 4, 2005. The OSM recommendation was
"Issue".
Publication of this proposed decision by the Division will initiate a thirty(30) day public comment period,
after which the renewal decision becomes final,provided there are no objections.
Description of the Fnvironment
The McClane Canyon Mine is located approximately 20 miles north of Loma, Colorado, at an elevation of
approximately 5,800 feet. Land use within the permit and adjacent areas is rangeland supporting both
livestock grazing (cattle) and wildlife habitat. There is some irrigated agriculture in the East Salt Creek
Valley adjacent to the permit area. Livestock grazing is generally confined to the lower lying canyon
bottom lands. The steep canyon sideslopes and rugged uplands are primarily used by wildlife. Both mule
deer and elk utilize habitat within and adjacent to the permit area in various seasons, and are the most
common large mammals. Black bear and mountain lion also occur in the area, along with numerous smaller
mammals, songbirds,raptors,mourning doves and chukar partridge.
McClane Canyon is located in the Book Cliffs area just north of the Grand Valley. This area is northeast of
the Gannesa Anticline and on the southern flank of the Piceance Basin. Local strata strike north-northwest
and dip to the northeast into the Piceance Basin at between 2 and 3 degrees.
The surface geology of the permit area is made up of the Mesa Verde Group of Upper Cretaceous Age, the
Wasatch Formation of Lower Tertiary Age, and alluvium and colluvium of Quaternary Age. All local coal
seams are in the Mount Garfield Formation of the Mesa Verde Group. The Mount Garfield Formation
consists of fine grained to medium grained sandstones, gray shales, and coal bearing zones. The Sego
Sandstone underlies the Mount Garfield Formation. Overlying the Mount Garfield Formation is the Hunter
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