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<br /> <br />4. Routt County Commissioners were concerned that the tie-across haul <br />road was located within the glide slope of the proposed runway <br />expansion of the Yampa Valley Airport. <br />Peabody Coal Company relocated the road to alleviate this concern. <br />The responses to the public comments were deemed adequate. The adequacy <br />review responses satisfied issues raised during the review process. The <br />Division is, therefore, issuing a proposed decision to approve the <br />application, with stipulations. <br />Description of the Environment <br />The proposed operation is located in northwest Colorado approximately 7 miles <br />south of Hayden in Routt County. The Seneca II-W Mine lies 7 miles due west <br />of the existing Seneca II Mine, File No. C-005-80. <br />Elevation of the general mine site ranges from approximately 6400 to 8350 <br />feet. Slopes range from a gentle 7 percent to vertical ledges formed by the <br />Twenty Mile and Trout Creek sandstones. Many of the drainages are deeply <br />incised. <br />Structurally, the proposed mining area lies within the regionally significant <br />Sand Wash Structural Basin. Of local significance is the Sage Creek <br />Anticline. The proposed mine site lies on the western limb of this <br />anticline. Rock units dip 8 to 14 degrees to the west. Faulting has been <br />observed in the region, however no faults have been identified at the mine <br />site. <br />The surficial geology of the area is composed chiefly of sedimentary rocks, of <br />marine and non-marine origin. These sedimentary rocks were formed through the <br />transgression and regression of an epicontinental sea. <br />Rock outcropping within the proposed permit boundary is predominately of the <br />Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group. The Mesaverde Group is divided into two <br />formations, the Iles Formation and the Williams Fork Formation. Both <br />formations are comprised of sequences of sandstones, siltstones, shales and <br />coal. The older Iles Formation outcrops in the easternmost portion of the <br />permit boundary while throughout the rest of the permit area the surficial <br />rock is from the Williams Fork Formation. There are same thin surficial <br />deposits of Quaternary alluvium and colluvium scattered throughout the area. <br />Three coal seams of economic importance are found in the Williams Fork <br />Formation. These seams are in ascending order, the Wolf Creek, Wadge and <br />Lennox coals. The Wolf Creek coal lies too deep to be mined by surface <br />methods within the permit area. The Wadge coal is proposed to be mined as <br />part of this permit application. The Lennox coal is discontinuous and will be <br />mined where economically feasible. <br />-7- <br />