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Summary <br />The Review Process <br />Bowie Resources Limited (BRL) has filed a permit renewal application (RN-04) for the Bowie No. 1 Mine <br />pursuant to the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act (Section 34-33-109, C.R.S. 1973, as <br />amended) and the Rules promulgated thereunder. The Bowie No. 1 Mine is an existing underground mine <br />which has been in operation since 1975. The mine was originally called the Orchard Valley Mine and the <br />original applicant was Colorado Westmoreland, Inc. (CWI). <br />The Orchard Valley Mine (Bowie No. 1) permit application was originally submitted on September 30, <br />1977. The permit application was approved by the Mined Land Reclamation Board under the interim <br />program on April 27, 1978. A modified permit application to comply with the proposed Colorado <br />Permanent Regulatory Program was submitted on June 18, 1979, and revised on February 27, 1981. The <br />Permanent Program Permit No. C-038-81, with 25 stipulations attached, was issued on September 24, <br />1981. <br />A permit revision application to incorporate 480 acres into the permit area of Permit No. C-81-038 was <br />submitted to the Division on November 18, 1982. C WI's application included information from the <br />adjacent Orchard Valley Permit C-81-038 as well as the permit revision area. Permit No. C-038-081, <br />which preceded Permit No. C-81-038, was issued, with eight additional stipulations, by the Division on <br />April 2Q, 1983. <br />On August 29, 1984, Colorado Westmoreland Inc. submitted a permit revision to their existing Permit No. <br />C-83-038. The permit revision incorporated an additional 5,719.7 acres of adjacent federal coal (Lease <br />C-37210) into the mine permit area. CWI planned to mine this coal by extending the existing mine <br />workings north and west into these areas. <br />On June 1, 1986, the Orchazd.Valley Mine (Bowie No. 1) experienced a mine fire that necessitated the <br />closure of the mine portals. Because of the high potential for reignition of the workings if the portals were <br />reopened, an alternative portal area was chosen. Permit Revision No. 2 (PR-02) was submitted August <br />l 8, 1986, proposing the construction of a temporary portal in an area west of the existing facilities in the <br />East Roatcap Creek drainage. This portal (Orchard Valley West Mine (OVWM)) was originally proposed <br />to remain active for approximately two years after construction, but market conditions made it necessary to <br />use these facilities to export coal from the mine until June 1993. BRL has completed some reclamation <br />operations at the West Mine, the details of which are discussed in detail further in this findings document. <br />BRL has applied for a partial Phase One Bond Release (SL-02) for the reclamation work done at the West <br />Mine as well as at the main mine. <br />PR-02 also had provisions for the construction of a haul road from Steven's Gulch to the proposed West <br />Mine portal site. The entries of the portals run northwest until they intercept the sub-main entries of the <br />previously approved mine plan. A "Findings of Compliance" was issued on October 12, 1986, <br />superseding the findings proposed in June 20, 1985 for Permit No. C-81-038. The document also took <br />into consideration any stipulations imposed on Permit C-81-038 by reinforcing those stipulations that still <br />applied. <br />On November 5, 1987, Colorado Westmoreland Inc.'s application for renewal (RN-Ol) of a valid and <br />existing permit to conduct coal mining operations, Permit No. C-81-038, was deemed complete. The <br />Division published its proposed decision to approve the revision with ten stipulations on August 4, 1988, <br />and amended the permit decision of March 21, 1983 by renumbering the permit as C-81-038 to ensure <br />