REV104119

• Permit No: C1980005
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Date: 6/28/2007
• Doc Name: Bond Release Application
• From: Seneca Coal Company
• To: DRMS
• Type & Sequence: SL2
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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~ ~ coarco,,,aa~y Seneca Coal Company
June 25, 2007
Routt County Regional Planning Department
Planring Director
P.O. Box 773749
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
RE: Seneca II Mine Pre-Law Area Boud Release Request
To Whom It May Concern;
Seneca Coal Company, 37796 Routt County Road 53, P.O. Box 670, Hayden, Colorado 81639, (CDMG Pemrit
No. C-80-005, approved September 23, 1981) is requesting release of bond liability on 259.1 reclaimed acres of
Pre-Law azea currently within the permit boundary at the Seneca II Mine. Surety bonds in the amount of
$1,491,736 are currently in place of which $1,183,794 is being requested for release. The approved reclamation
plan can be reviewed in its entirety in the Seneca II Mine Permit Application Package located in the Hayden Public
Library, Hayden, Colorado.
All affected lands within Seneca II Mine fall within pre-law, interim program and permanent program categories.
The regulatory programs aze identified as follows:
• • Mined4rior. to Aue_ust 3 1977. re-Law
• Mined and reclaimed afer August 3, 1977 and prior to May 3, 1978.
• Mined and reclaimed after May 3, 1978 and prior to the approval of the applicable regulatory program or
issuance of the permanent program permit (September 23, 1981). (Interim Program)
• Mined and reclaimed afer September 23, 1981. (Permanent Ptogtam)
For the purposes of this Bond Release request, only the lands mined prior to August 3, 1977 (Pre-Law) are
included. The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety previously released Phase I liability on the
adjacent lands permitted under the SMCRA permanent program.
The following is a brief summary of the Pxe-Law area reclamation that was completed. Backfilling and grading
was conducted beginning in 1972 and was completed prior to August 3, 1977. The majority of the grading work
was performed with dozers and motor graders. In some cases grading was done with scrapers and draglines. All
areas affected by the surface mitring operations, except as specifically exempted by the CDMG, were regraded on a
timely basis to a stable con&guration that conformed with the approved reclamation plan and postrrtiniug land use
(livestock grazing and wildlife habitat). For the most part, grading was done along contour to also minimive
erosion. Any time operations were conducted on steep slopes that could present safety concerns to the operators,
then grading was done in a direction other than parallel to contour. The Seneca II Mine is located approximately
nine (9) miles southeast of Hayden, Colorado. The specific azea (259.1 acres) to which this bond release request
applies is included within the Permit Area located as follows:

Seneca Coal Company • P.O. Box 670 • Hayden, Colorado 81639
Telephone (970) 276x200 • FAX [phone]