GENERAL30475

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 5/4/2007
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision & Findings of Compliance for PR2
• Permit Index Doc Type: Findings
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

consecutive weeks in the Craig Daily Press. If no request for a formal hearing is made within thirty
(30) days of the first publication of the public notice of this proposed Decision, then this Decision
becomes final. The Division and Colowyo have come to an agreement of the amount of the
reclamation bond to be posted as aresult of PR-02. Upon the issuance of this decision Colowyo will
submit the appropriate bond monies. The Application and all supporting documentation and any
stipulations or conditions will become a binding part of the permit.
No coal mining operations may be conducted on any Federal surface or coal until the Secretary ofthe
Interior has approved the proposed mining plan.
3. Summary
3.1 History of the Review Process
3.1.1 Revision Description, Initiation and Progression of the Revision
Permit Revision 02 was submitted by the Colowyo Coal Company to permit amulti-seam coal
mining pit in the South Taylor area. Additionally, PR-02 provided baseline soils, vegetation and
hydrology information for a future Lower Wilson Pit. PR-02 increases the permit area 6,050.1 acres
to 13,581.15 total acres. Of the 6,050.1 acre increase, 2,223.4 acres are Federal lands {2,739.19 acres
total), 3,826.7 acres are private lands (10,201.96 acres total) and there is no increase in the acreage of
State lands (640 acres total). Additionally, the 6,050.1 acre increase includes an increase of 5,219.2
acres of Federally owned mineral rights (10,792.99 acres total), 830.9 acres of privately owned
mineral rights (2,137.95 acres total) and no additional State owned mineral rights (650.21 acres
total).
The South Taylor Pit will be a multi-seam operation that will mine up to 17 coal seams and
subseams located south of the East Pit, West Pit and Section 16 Pit. The coal thickness of the South
Taylor seams varies from 2.5 feet to 17 feet. Colowyo will mine the South Taylor Pit using a
combination oftruck/shovel and dragline operations. The truck/shovel operations will remove the
upper three of four levels of overburden and interburden and the dragline will move the rest. The
mining will progress from the northwest to the south east in the South Taylor Pit.
Permit Revision 02 also includes baseline soils, vegetation and hydrology information for a possible,
future Lower Wilson Pit. While this information was provided, no mine plan or discussion of any
mining operations, including disturbed and affected acreages, have been proposed by Colowyo. If
Colowyo decides to mine the Lower Wilson Pit they will need to provide detailed mine and
reclamation plans and possibly additional baseline information.
An application for Permit Revision 2 (PR-02) was submitted to Division on 3 July 2006 by Colowyo.
PR-02 was deemed complete on 13 July 2006. Upon receiving the Division's completeness letter,
Cotowyo published a legal notice in the Craig Daily Press once a week for four consecutive weeks.
Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance 4 May 2007
Permit Revision 02 Page 9