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Land and Coal Ownership of the Bond Release Area <br />The Keenesburg Mine was a surface coal mine that utilized area strip methods. The land and coal in <br />the bond release area is privately owned. Mining disturbance in the bond release area consisted of a <br />surface coal pit and roads. <br />Lands included in the Bond Release Request <br />The Keenesburg Mine permit area covers approximately 6125 acres. The bond release area consists <br />of 10 parcels as shown on Exhibit Q-1 of the bond release application and listed on page 2 of the <br />bond release application. <br />Dollar Amount of Bond Release Request <br />The Division currently holds a reclamation bond in the amount of $2,614,909. The remaining <br />reclamation liability at the Keenesburg Mine is $2,755,872. CEC is requesting release of$287,918 <br />of reclamation bond. The Keenesburg Mine has had only one previous bond release, SL-O1, in the <br />amount of $1,787,113 that was a Phase I and II release for parcels outside the current SL-02 bond <br />release area. <br />II. SUMMARY OF THE BOND RELEASE PROCESS <br />Reclamation History of Bond Release Area <br />Mining operations. Coal mining within the Keenesburg Mine permit azea was conducted between <br />1980 and 1987. Coal was mined from the No. 7 coal seam of the Laramie Formation. Trucks hauled <br />the coal from the pit to a distant power plant. The last coal stockpiles were removed from the site in <br />1991. <br />Reclamation operations. The reclamation plan for the bond release azea is set forth in Section <br />2.05.4 of the permit application. The plan has the following steps: topsoil stockpiling, backfilling of <br />mine pits, regrading of backfilled pits and roads, topsoil replacement , and revegetation of disturbed <br />areas with an approved seed mix. Minimum required thicknesses were 6 ft. of spoil, covered by 2 ft. <br />of topsoil. Local topsoil is awind-deposited sandy topsoil. The bond release area was backfilled, <br />regraded, and topsoiled in 1997 through 2003. Backfill material consisted of spoil from mining at <br />the site and ash from a power plant. <br />Items Approved for Permanent Retention <br />No items aze approved for permanent retention in the bond release area. <br />