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~ III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WESTERN SLOPE CAR BON,INC. E.PETER MATTHIES VICE GFESIDCNT Apri 116, 1981 a. o.eox Isze $I.LT LANE CITY. UTAH BII10 eon-s a.-assn TE~E• 3e D~.ae RECEIVED Mrs. Dora Mae Trampe Gunnison County Planning Commission Gunnison County Courthouse 200 East Virginia Avenue Gunnison, Colorado 81230 Dear Mrs. Trampe: 'APR 2 01981 M~t~D CAND RECLAMATICNJ'-COAT: ;COLO, Dom, OF LIP.TURAL RESOURCES This letter is in response to the comments by the Gunnison County Planning Commis- sion and the Board of County Commissioners of Delta County regarding the request by Western Slope Carbon for development of the Hawk's Nesf Coal Mine near Som- erset. The comments received from both commissions are very useful in terms of identifying those issues of paramount importance to both government and industry. As we perceive the situation, there are two major areas of concern. The first area deals with the project specific impacts of the expansion of the Hawk's Nest Complex, i.e., environmental impacts and transportation problems." The second area focuses on the cumulative impacts of development of the North Fork Valley. These issues, while related, have different implications as far as the responsibilities for mitigation are concerned. It is Western Slope Carbon's responsibility to mitigate those impacts specific to its project. However, it becomes the joint responsibility of local government, Western Slope Carbon, and other coal companies to alleviate the adverse cumulative impacts of development. The burden should not fall on one coal company, just as it should not be totally shouldered by local government. The degree to which this responsibility is shared is a gray area, and can only be resolved through government and industry cooperation. This letter addresses both issues and, hopefully, will serve as a background document for further discussion at the May 1 meeting of the Gunnison County Planning Com- mission. The letter is organized into four sections. The first section addresses the environmental issues raised in the comments from Gunnison County and discusses mitigation of these issues. The second section responds to informational deficiencies in the socio-economic ossessment as identified by Delta County. The third section focuses on clarification of significant issues raised by both Counties upon review of the socio-economic assessment. The final section outlines the areas of mitigation proposed to resolve both the project specific impacts of Western Slope Carbon and the cumulative impacts of development of the North Fork Valley. A SUET 5I OIARY OF NORTHWEST ENERGY COMPANY