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• August 31, 1992 in the form of a technical revision and were subsequently found to be <br />adequate. <br />On December 1, 1993, Bear Coal Company submitted Permit Revision No. 1, which <br />proposed the addition of 205 acres to the permit area. The revision originally proposed 11 <br />new panels west of and adjacent to the current B-seam workings. Proposed mining is located <br />in Coal Lease C-0117192 and a small section of Atlantic Richfield Company fee coal. The <br />permit revision was deemed complete on December 3, 1993. The Division's preliminary <br />adequacy comments of February 1, 1994 were addressed by Bear Coal in their March 4, <br />1994 submittal. Secondary adequacy comments were sent to Bear Coal on March 28, 1994. <br />Bear Coal submitted its responses on Apri122, 1994. The submittal adequately addressed all <br />rem ;~ ning adequacy concerns. Poor mining conditions were encountered during the permit <br />revision review process, on the north end adjacent to the proposed mine workings. These <br />conditions forced the proposed mine plan to be revised to include only seven new panels, <br />which would extend the Bear Mine No. 3 life of mine by 14 months. The proposed permit <br />area boundary did not change. <br />These findings are being amended in response to the submittal of Permit Revision No. 2. <br />This revision was submitted on September 29, 1994 and proposed expanding their mine plan <br />to include additional B-Seam coal reserves in Sections 16 and 20. The application was <br />deemed complete on October 11, 1994 and initial adequacy comments were sent on <br />• December 9, 1994. The operator provided adequate responses to these. initial comments on <br />January 3, 1995. The decision to approve the revision was almost complete when additional <br />concerns were raised by the Division. To address these concerns, an additional stipulation <br />(35) was attached as a condition of approval. The revision, with two stipulations, was <br />approved on February 8, 1995. <br />Description of the Environment <br />The Bear Mine No. 1, 2, and 3 permit area lies within the drainage of the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River, which is tributary Yo We Colorado River system. The mined area consists <br />of rugged topographic relief. Elevations in the area range from 6,000 feet at Somerset to <br />12,719 feet at the summit of Mt. Gunnison. The North Fork of the Gunnison River has cut <br />a deep canyon through the area and separates high tablelands south of the river from the <br />slopes of the Grand Mesa to the north. The narrow, steep-sided canyon in the vicinity of the <br />Bear Mine widens into a broad alluvial valley in the vicinity of Paonia. The tableland to the <br />south of the North Fork is deeply dissected by tributary strezms, and is bounded on the south <br />and east by the West Elk Mountain Range. <br />Land Use -Rules 2.04.3. 2.05.5 and 4.16 <br />Pre-mining land use of the Bear No. 1 and 2 portal areas was undeveloped land used <br />primarily as wildlife habitat. The Bear No. 1 portal area has been historically used for <br />• mining. The site was used for mining continuously from 1934 to 1982. The Bear No. 2 <br />portal area was undisturfied until 1980 when an access mad was constructed and portals were <br />driven into the C-Seam. Bear Coal Company reclaimed the Bear No. 1 and 2 area in 1982. <br />The Bear No. 3 portal and facilities area was undeveloped land prior to mining disturbance <br />4 <br />