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Description of the Environment <br />The Bowie No. 2 coal mine permit area includes 2406 surface acres, of which 348 surface acres <br />are federally owned. All of the coal within the permit area is privately owned, as are all surface <br />areas to be disturbed by surface developments. The total area to be disturbed by surface <br />operations will be approximately 76 acres. The federally owned surface lands are located within <br />the area possibly subject to subsidence impacts; however, none of the surface lands will be <br />impacted by surface operations. <br />Following discussions with the OSM in Denver and based upon the specific recommendations of <br />the OSM, it was determined that the Bowie No. 2 Mine will be considered a private mine for the <br />purposes of permitting and inspection regulation. <br />The Bowie No. 2 Mine is located in Delta County, approximately five (5) miles northeast of <br />Paonia, Colorado. The mine permit area is located on lands depicted on the U. S. Geological <br />Survey 7.5 minute Bowie Quadrangle Map, and the Bowie No. 2 mine portals are to be located <br />northwest of the Old King Mine portals (also known as the Bowie Mine). The surface facilities <br />are located north of Old State Highway 133 neaz the old townsite of Bowie. The mine is located <br />between Terror Creek and Hubbard Creek. A portion of the surface facilities is within 100 feet of <br />the outside right-of--way of old State Highway 133. The location of these facilities extends from <br />the old townsite of Bowie to about 500 feet east of the old Bowie power plant. <br />The original Bowie No. 2 Mine permit application indicated that mining would be conducted <br />using the room and pillar mining method. Permit Revision No. 2 proposes to change the mining <br />method to longwall mining but keep the rate of production at the current rate of two million tons <br />per year. Maximum mine production is projected to be about five million tons per year. Mining <br />will occur in the D-2 coal seam. Detailed information regarding the Bowie No. 2 Mine and <br />Bowie Resources, Limited is located in the seven (7) binders which comprise the Bowie No. 2 <br />Mine permit application document. Approval of Permit Revision No. 2 would increase the <br />number of binders to eight (8). <br />Land Use and Cultural and Historic Resource Information - <br />Detailed information regarding land uses and cultural and historic resources within the Bowie <br />No. 2 Mine permit area is provided in Sections 2.04.3 and 2.04.4 of the permit application <br />document. A brief summary is provided below, and this summary is derived from the <br />information presented within Sections 2.04.3 and 2.04.4 of the permit application document. <br />The Bowie No. 2 Mine permit and adjacent area includes a mix of land uses. The lower elevation <br />areas are used for pasture, orchards, residential and industrial uses. Agricultural uses aze served <br />by irrigation water. The higher elevations within and adjacent to the permit area support some <br />rangeland use, and the areas offer abundant wildlife habitat. The lands also support various <br />recreational uses. <br />6 <br />