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Location of Bond Release Area <br />The Edna Mine is located in Routt County, approximately 3 miles north of Oak Creek, Colorado. <br />The bond release area is located in Sections 19 and 20, Township 4 North, Range 85 West. The <br />subject 3.3 acres are outlined Exhibit 1, 11/15/2004, of the SL9 Bond Release application. <br />Land and Coal Ownership of the Bond Release Area <br />The land and coal in the bond release area is privately owned. Coal was not extracted in the bond <br />release area, which was an area of offices and coal rail-loading facilities. Mining disturbance in <br />the bond release area consisted of earthwork to prepare the area for roads, hazdstands, buildings, <br />and rail lines. These structures provided for coal transfer, coal loading to rail cars, weighing of <br />rail cars, and rail connection to the contiguous main rail lines. All the structures have been <br />removed, and associated reclamation bond with their demolition released. <br />Lands included in the Bond Release Request <br />The Edna Mine permit area covers approximately 3,428.5 acres. P & M is requesting Phase I, II, <br />and III (final) release on 3.3 acres as shown on Exhibit 1 of the bond release application: a gravel <br />pad, entrance gate and roads, and a vegetated azea at the south end of the Oak Creek facilities <br />azea. All lands in the permit area that are outside the total 3.3-acre bond release area will either <br />remain secured by bond, or have previously received final bond release. <br />Dollar Amount of Bond Release Request <br />This bond release request, SL-09, is for $226,163. The amount of the total liability applicable to <br />the reclamation of this 3.3 acres was originally $553,849. Bond Release SL-08 released $327,686 <br />of this amount for demolition of structures. Approval of this request would leave no monies on <br />this portion of the reclamation bond. <br />II. SUMMARY OF THE BOND RELEASES TO DATE <br />Reclamation History of Bond Release Area <br />Mining operations. Coal mining within the Edna Mine permit area began more than 50 years <br />ago. Permit C-1980-001 was issued on November 16, 1981. Coal was mined in the Williams <br />Fork Formation by blasting the overburden, then removing the disaggregated overburden with a <br />dragline. Trucks hauled coal from the pit to the conveyor at the top of the eastern ridge in the <br />permit area. From the top of the ridge, the conveyor carried coal down the eastern slope of the <br />ridge to a grizzly/tipple facility (the lower facilities) next to Oak Creek (the area of this release <br />was the site of some of these lower facilities). The coal was loaded into rail cars at the tipple <br />facility and then transported to customers. Mining ceased at the Edna Mine in December 1995. <br />Reclamation plan. The current reclamation plan, on page 3.6-14 of the Permit Application <br />Package (PAP), explains that the lower facilities portion of the bond release area (including the <br />