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Summary <br />The Review Process, Description of the Environment <br />and <br />Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan <br />The Review Process <br />The Nucla Mine is operated by Peabody Coal Company (Peabody). The mine, <br />located in Montrose County about two and a half miles northwest of the town of <br />Nucla has been operated by Peabody since 1963. <br />The original permit area contained 393 acres, of which 170 acres, were planned <br />to be disturbed during the five year permit torn commencing in 1983. All <br />surface lands and coal reserves are privately owned. Much of the land within <br />the permit boundary was disturbed by mining activities conducted prior to <br />reclamation requirements. Peabody has reclaimed many of the old spoils. <br />Peabody submitted the original permanent program permit application on <br />January 9, 1981. The Division issued a proposed approval decision on April <br />14, 1983. Permit No. C-81-008 was issued to Peabody on May 26, 1983 for a <br />five-year term; that is, the permit expires on May 26, 1988. <br />The Nucla Mine temporarily ceased mining operations in 1983 following closure <br />of the Nucla Generating Station for reconstruction. With the forthcoming <br />reactivation of this power plant, Peabody determined that a change in mining <br />methodology (change from draglines to dozers and scrapers) and an addition of <br />new mine areas was needed. During meetings with the Division in 1986, a plan <br />was agreed upon for the submittal of revision applications by Peabody. A <br />technical revision application would be submitted to change mining methodology <br />for those areas already permitted to be mined (Mine Areas 1 and 4) and to <br />address a number of Division's March 25, 1986 mid-term review concerns. A <br />permit revision application would be submitted for those not originally <br />planned to be mined (Mine Areas 2, 3 and 5) and to address the remaining <br />mid-term review concerns. <br />The technical revision application was submitted on October 20, 1986 and <br />approved by the Division on December 9, 1986. While addressing some of the <br />mid-term review concerns, it was necessary to modify the permit boundaries to <br />include the roads leading to the sedimentation ponds and to.the explosives <br />bunker. These incidental permit boundary changes increased the permit area to <br />420 acres. <br />Peabody submitted the ten-volume Permit Revision No. 1 application on November <br />25, 1986. Upon approval, this ten-volume application will replace in entirety <br />the existing four-volume document. The Division deemed this revision complete <br />on December 3, 1986. The applicant began publishing public notice of the <br />filing in the San M~i~guel Basin Forum on January 15, 1987. The adequacy review <br />letter was forwar e 9 o Peabody on February 3, 1987 which was replied to on <br />March 10, 1987. <br />-4- <br />