Laserfiche WebLink
Summary <br />The Review Process <br />Mountain Coal Company, formerly the West Elk Coal Company, applied on November 6, 1979 <br />for a permit to conduct underground mining and reclamation operations at the West Elk Mine, <br />formerly the Mt. Gunnison No. 1 Mine. <br />The application was determined to be complete on November 29, 1979. The first review <br />comments from the Division of Water Resources were received on Mazch 26, 1980, and <br />comments from the Division of Wildlife were received on Apri122, 1980. During the latter part <br />of June, the Division received OSM's Apparent Completeness Review of the application, which <br />was subsequently incorporated into the July MLRD Preliminary Adequacy Review Letter and <br />then forwarded to the company. On January 13, 1981, a meeting was held between OSM and <br />MLRD to assess the adequacy of MCC's responses, and it was at this point in time that the <br />responses were found to be substantially inadequate in a variety of aspects. This resulted in a <br />decision to prepaze a second, joint adequacy letter which was sent to the company on February 6, <br />1981. <br />On January 30, 1981 the Division received additional comments from the Division of Water <br />Resources which outlined the deficiencies in the application with regazd to water rights and, in <br />particulaz, with the deficiencies of the proposed Minnesota Creek Basin Augmentation Plan. <br />Additional comments on water rights issues were submitted in February and Mazch in the form <br />of objection letters from several concerned citizens. These letters also discussed problems <br />relating to alluvial valley floors, protection for perennial streams, the potential for landslides to <br />be triggered by subsidence, cumulative hydrologic impacts, the adequacy of MCC's subsidence <br />monitoring and subsidence control plans, and a number of procedural issues. These objections <br />resulted in several requests for a mine site visit and informal conference, which were held on <br />April 30, 1981 and May 12, 1981, respectively. The Division began prepazation of its written <br />findings soon after the conference and published its proposed decision on June 22, 1981. The <br />Division's decision was to approve the West Elk permit application with several stipulations. <br />The five-yeaz permit was issued on July 31, 1981, pursuant to the Colorado Surface Coal Mining <br />Reclamation Act, CRS 34-33-101 et seq. Construction of the West Elk Mine began in 1981. <br />The mine began producing coal from the F Seam in January 1982. The expiration of this permit <br />was set at July 31, 1986. On January 17, 1986, a complete renewal application was received. <br />This application was subsequently reviewed and the Division issued a proposed decision to <br />approve the renewal application with stipulations. Following the public comment period, the <br />permit was renewed on May 19, 1987. The permit was to expire on August 1, 1991. The <br />Division received MCC's complete renewal application on January 30, 1991 thereby ensuring the <br />operator's right to successive renewal pursuant to 2.08.5(3)(f). The Division issued a proposed <br />decision to approve the renewal application with stipulations, and following the public comment <br />period, the permit was renewed on January 29, 1993, and was to expire on August 1, 1996. <br />The Division received an application for a permit revision (Jumbo Mountain; Permit Revision <br />No. 5) on February 4, 1994, which was subsequently deemed complete on February 14, 1994. <br />21 <br />