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reclamation cost estimate was attached to the letter. The letter included a request that responses to the adequacy items be submitted in the forth of a technical revision application. January 27, 2006-The Division sent afollow-up letter to CAM following receipt of a letter from USFWS on January 23, 2006. The letter requested updates to vazious sections of the application to address current status and potential for impact to threatened, endangered, and candidate species of plants and animals. The USFWS comment letter was included as an attachment, and a copy of the letter was sent to Cazl Johnston of OSM. March 29, 2006~AM submitted responses to the Division's January 1T" and January 2T", 2006 RN-06 adequacy review letters, including replacement application text, exhibits, and appendices. A Draft Biological Assessment prepared by a wildlife consultant was included with the submittal, to address the threatened and endangered (T&E) species concerns raised by USFWS. In accordance with Division request, the substantive responses were submitted as a technical revision application (TR-15). TR-15 was deemed complete on March 31, 2006, and a preliminary adequacy review letter (PAR) was sent to CAM on May 16, 2006. The TR-15 review entailed a number of additional operator response submittals and Division adequacy reviews. OSM was directly involved in the review; they prepared a Biological Assessment regarding the potential impacts to T&E species at the Division's request, and initiated formal consultation with USFWS with respect to the effect of projected water depletions on endangered fishes of the Colorado River. The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) also submitted comments during the review. Ultimately, the concerns of the Division, OSM, USFWS, and CDOW were adequately addressed. The Division issued a proposed approval decision on August 22, 2006. The proposed decision was published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on August 26, 2006, and there were no objections. Resolution of the renewal adequacy issues within TR-IS has allowed the Division to proceed with issuance of a proposed decision to approve RN-06. Required Applicant Violator System (AVS) checks were made on CAM during the RN-06 review, most recently on November 30, 2006. The OSM recommendation was "Issue". Publication of this RN-06 proposed decision by the Division will initiate a thirty (30) day public comment period, after which the renewal decision will become final, provided there are no objections. Description of the Environment 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 apiculture 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 Garmesa 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 6