GENERAL32155

• Permit No: C1982056
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 12/30/2003
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision & Findings of Compliance for RN4
• Permit Index Doc Type: Findings
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Summary
The Review Process
Twentymile Coal Company (TCC), a subsidiary of RAG American Coal Company, submitted a permit
renewal application (RN-04) for the Foidel Creek Mine. The Foidel Creek Mine is exclusively an
underground coal mining operation located approximately 22 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs,
Colorado in Routt County. Permit No. C-82-056 was issued on May 23, 1983, and has been renewed
every five years since then.
For the current renewal RN-04, the Division notified TCC by letter on August 6, 2002 that its permit for the
Foidel Creek Mine would expire on May 23, 2003. The letter explained that, for operations to continue
beyond that date, Section 2.08.5(3)(f) requires an application for renewal to be received on or before
November 23, 2002. TCC submitted a renewal application on November 25, 2002 (the effective deadline as it
is the first working day after the November 23 deadline, a Saturday), and the application was found complete
on December 2, 2002. TCC published a notice of the application in the Steamboat Pilot, four consecutive
weeks from July 27, 2003 through August 17, 2003.
No objections regarding the application were received. The only comments the Division received were letters
from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The letter
from BLM states there is no need to modify the existing Resource Recovery and Protection Plan, and
recommends approval of the permit renewal application. The letter from the SHPO states the proposed permit
renewal does not require further cultural resource work and provides concurrence for the project to proceed.
The Division forwarded both letters to the mine operator.
The applicant violator system (AVS) was queried on February 7, 2003. In regard to compliance history, the
recommendation of the system was to issue this permit renewal. A follow-up AVS query on December 23,
2003 also resulted in a recommendation to issue this renewal.
On December, 2, 2002, the Division sent an adequacy question to TCC regarding updating the ownership and
control information. The Division sent additional adequacy questions to TCC April 11, 2003 regarding
updating mineral and land ownership maps. The Division received adequate responses from TCC regarding all
adequacy comments on October 30, 2003. On October 29, 2003, the Division requested updated permit pages
for satisfying the requirements of Stipulation 11. Those pages were received on December 17, 2003. All
adequacy concerns have been resolved; therefore, the Division proposes to approve the renewal application,
as previously stated.
Publication of this proposed decision initiates a thirty day public comment period. Provided there are no
objections to the decision, it becomes final at the close of the comment period.
Descriotion of the Environment
The Foidel Creek Mine is located approximately 22 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs, in Routt
County, Colorado. The permit area varies in elevation from 6,600' to 7,500' with the portal openings at
6,885' along Foidel Creek. Generally, the topography consists of gently rolling hills, dip slopes and cliff
outcrops. Flatter topography is evident in the valleys of the major streams draining the area (Fish Creek
and Foidel Creek), as well as along the gentle dip slopes. Prominent cliffs have formed where massive
sandstone units outcrop. Coal is presently, and has historically been, mined under other approved permits