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• (4) comments and recommendations or concurrence of <br />other Federal agencies, and the public, <br />(5) the findings and recommendations of the Bureau of <br />Land Management regarding the resource recovery and <br />protection plan, the Federal lease requirements, and <br />the Mineral Leasing Act, and <br />(6) the findings and recommendations of the Colorado <br />Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) regarding the <br />PAP and the Colorado State program. <br />The Assistant Secretary's approval of this new mining plan <br />and modifications will authorize mining of approximately 8.1 <br />million additional tons of Federal coal. The approved <br />mining p an areas cover 894 acres within Federal leases C- <br />081330, COC-54608 and D-052547, as shown on the map included <br />with this decision document. Approval of these mining plan <br />actions will increase the number of acres of Federal coal in <br />the approved mining plan areas to 4561 acres. <br />III. Background <br />The Foidel Creek underground coal mine is located in Routt <br />County, Colorado. The mine has been in operation since <br />1983. About 64 surface acres within the approved mining <br />• plan areas are disturbed. The total permitted area of the <br />Foidel Creek Mine will contain about 22,460 acres. The <br />mining operations use longwall mining methods. The Wadge <br />coal seam is mined at an average production rate of 6-7 <br />million tons per year. An additional 8 acres of surface <br />disturbance in the mining plan areas will result from this <br />action. Mining is expected to continue for 7 years under <br />Colorado Permit No. C-82-056 and these proposed mining plan <br />actions. <br />The Foidel Creek Mine mining plans for Federal leases C- <br />20900, C-08133D, C-0128433, C-16284 and D-052547 were <br />initially approved on January 16, 1987. Since that approval <br />there have been no mining plan modifications for those <br />Federal leases. A new mining plan was approved on February <br />10, 1994 for Federal lease COC-53560. <br />IV. Review Process <br />The DMG reviewed the PAP under the Colorado State program, <br />the Federal lands program (30 CFR Chapter VII, <br />Subchapter D), and the Colorado cooperative agreement (30 <br />CFR § 30 CFR 906.30). Pursuant to the Colorado State <br />program and the cooperative agreement, DMG approved the <br />permit revision on June 8, 1996. <br />• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement <br />(OSM) has consulted with other Federal agencies for <br />