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Summary{tc ul "Summary} <br />The Review Process {tc X12 "The Review Process } <br />The Division received a complete application for Permit Renewal No. 04 (Reclamation Only Pemut) <br />on August 19, 2002. A letter of completeness was sent to the operator on August 2Q 2002. Public <br />notification began August 22, 2002, for four consecutive weeks ending September 12, 2002, in the <br />Pagosa Springs Sun newspaper. No comments were received by the Division from either the public <br />or private sectors. Staff comments generated in regazd to adequacy issues identified during review of <br />the proposed revision were conveyed to Greystone Development Consultants in a letter dated <br />October 10, 2002. All adequacy issues were resolved with Technical Revision 32 and minor <br />Revision 51. No Applicant Violator System problems were noted in the reviews conducted by the <br />Division, therefore, the Division is proposing to approve the application for Permit Renewal No. 04. <br />Descrintion of the Environment{tc X12 "Description of the Environment} <br />The Chimney Rock operation is located in southwestem Colorado approximately 22 miles southwest <br />of Pagosa Springs. The permit area lies in the upper rim of the San Juan Basin at an elevation of <br />approximately 6,400 feet. The permitted azea encompasses 187.5 acres, of which approximately 110 <br />acres were disturbed. Subsequent to the permit renewal, the mine requested and received a partial <br />Phase III bond release on February, 2003. The bond release removed approximately 17.5 acres from <br />the permitted acreage leaving 170 acres in the permitted area and 94 acres of disturbed azea. The <br />mine is located in Archuleta County and can be found on the Chimney Rock U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute <br />quadrangle map. <br />Geology: The San Juan Basin is an asymmetric structural basin in northwestern New Mexico and <br />southwestern Colorado. Rocks in the azea aze sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Cambrian to <br />Holocene and aze of mazine and non-marine origin. These sedimentary rocks were formed through <br />the transgression and regression of an epicontinental sea. <br />Mining operations extracted coal seams which were located in the Lower Fruitland Formation. This <br />formation is composed of interbedded sandstone, siltstone, shale, cazbonaceous sandstones, and coal. <br />Three coal seams of economic importance were found in this formation and mining operations <br />removed coal from three seams. The coal seams dip 6° to 8° to the southwest and strike N 60°W. No <br />large displacement faults exist in the permit azea. The coal seams, approximately 82 feet thick, <br />appear to be the most continuous stratigraphic units found within the Fruitland Formation. <br />The A seam is the fast minable coal seam encountered. It is generally four feet to five feet thick <br />with intermittent shale partings. The B seam is located approximately 6 to 12 feet below the A seam <br />and has an average thickness of 11 feet. The C seam is located 20 to 30 feet below the B seam and <br />has an average thickness of 9 feet. <br />The Kirtland Shale overlies the Fruitland Formation. The Kirtland Shale is composed of gray shales <br />that contain thin layers of interbedded siltstone and sandstone. This formation is highly erosive. <br />2 <br />