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07/25/2001 17:53 9708824476 DOLORES STAR PAGE 0a • • Erickson said it is not an "overnight process. It takes 90 days to get the application, review it, and verify that it satisfies the statutory requirements. This particular application went 131 days." He continued that the extension was because of significant changes in the application before it was approved. Board order lesued prior to hearing Erickson continued that, prior to the formal hearing before the State Mined Land Reclamation Board, apre-hearing conference was held. "It is basically an organizational meeting, to distill and streamline the issues before the hearing. That way, the hearing can be conducted in a more organized format," he said. This results in a Board order on what witnesses are to be called, how much time they have, and what evidence is to be submitted (to the state board) from the conference. It was, in fact, the first item the board considered in the hearing on the Llne Camp Gravel Pit, Erickson said. The State Board asked if anyone had any objections to the pre-hearing order, Erickson said that no one objected, and the Board then lined out how much time each person had at the hearing. "In fact, the witnesses from CFAR were actually given more time than they asked for," he said. "However, early in the formal hearing, some protested that they had not been given enough limo for research." The State Mined Land Reclamation Board is made up of seven members. They include people from industry, conservation, government, and other interests, and well as private citizens. They are charged with considering every Issue concerning an application, and making sure it satisfies all statutory requirements. "It is a matter of law," said Erickson. "They have to base their decision on all the evidence; on facts and the information made available to them." The local office of the Division of Mining and Gravel had presented a 51-page document to CFAR two weeks prior to the hearing. It outlines and states exactly how and why the decision was made to continue with the application for mining gravel at the Line Camp Gravel Plt. The review of the Line Camp Gravel Pit application was conducted by a team from the Durango DMG office. It Included ErICI<son, who has an extensive background In physical geography and geology of Colorado. The geo-chemistry and water quality issues are reviewed by a staff member with a Ph.D. in geochemistry. The floodplain and flooding issues are reviewed by an expert staff engineer, who is familiar with the area's geology and geography. Erickson said the team invested significant amounts of time to ensure that the statutory requirements on this, and all, applications are met. He concluded, "The record clearly shows that the process was carried out properly and in its entirety. It is not a fast process, and is, of necessity, a team effort on our part."