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iii iiiiuiiuiii iii <br />'QSMENr or rNF~ TAI~~ ~ <br />'o United States Department of the Interior ~ <br />~~ <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING~ ~ <br />~~RCN ~ ~0~~ Reclamation and Enforcemcnt ~ ~ <br />Suite 1200 MPFPI,Y mare TO: <br />505 Marquette Avenue N.W. <br />Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 <br />NOV 1 g X93 <br />Mr. Jim Tatum <br />Law Offices of Jim Tatum and Associates <br />8703 Bonhomme <br />Houston, Texas 77074 <br />Dear Mr. Tatum: <br />This year the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is <br />preparing an evaluation of the performance of Colorado's Division of Minerals and <br />Geology (DMG) regarding the handling of citizen complaints. OSM is the Federal <br />agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior which has been charged with <br />preparing yearly evaluations of DMG's performance with respect to the State's <br />regulations for coal mining, environmental compliance, and reclamation. <br />Colorado's regulations require that DMG investigate complaints filed by citizens <br />who allege problems about coal mining. OSM regards DMG's responsiveness to <br />and handling of such complaints as important indicators of the quality of DMG's <br />required regulatory performance regarding public participation in coal mining <br />issues. The evaluation which OSM is preparing this year will include citizen <br />complaints filed with DMG, or handled by DMG, during the period of July 1, 1992, <br />through June 30, 1993. <br />DMG records indicate that you filed a citizen complaint with DMG in May 1993, <br />regarding a possible failure to conduct subsidence monitoring by the Golden Eagle <br />Mine near Trinidad, Colorado. Your complaint alleged such failure could have <br />resulted in possible subsidence damage to an adobe home you own on the <br />Purgatoire River adjacent to the mine. Also, in about December 1992, you filed a <br />complaint with DMG about noise and the possible emission of toxic or explosive <br />gas from Golden Eagle's exhaust fan. <br />I have enclosed a questionnaire about DMG's handling of your complaints which I <br />hope you will take a few minutes to respond to and then return to me. Your <br />answers and comments entered on the questionnaire will assist OSM in evaluating <br />DMG's responsiveness to the public. If you need more comment space, please <br />feel free to include your additional comments on a separate piece of paper <br />