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• <br />IH 0.EI'LY REFER TO <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING <br />Reclamation and Enforcement <br />1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 <br />Denver. Colorado 80202-5733 <br />1.F ~ - ~ .'.~6 <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Director <br />4541 <br />CO-0021 <br />THROUGH: puty Director <br />FROM: gional~rec- -tor, 'Western Regional Coordinating Center <br />SUBJECT: Recommendation for Approval with Conditions of the <br />Mountain Coal Co.'s West Elk Mine Mining Plan actions <br />for Federal Leases COC-56447 and C-1362, Gunnison <br />County, Colorado <br />• I. Recommendation <br />I recommend approval with conditions of the West Elk Mine <br />new mining plan for Federal lease COC-56447 and the mining <br />plan modification for Federal lease C-1362. This is a new <br />mining plan and mining plan modification for a underground <br />coal mine being permitted under the Federal lands program <br />and the approved Colorado State program and cooperative <br />agreement. My recommendation to approve the West Elk Mine <br />new mining plan and modification is based on: (1) Mountain <br />Coal Co.'s (MCC) complete permit application package (PAP), <br />(2) compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of <br />1969, (3) documentation assuring compliance with applicable <br />requirements of other Federal laws, regulations, and <br />executive orders, (4) comments and recommendations or <br />concurrence of other Federal agencies, and the public, (5) <br />the findings and recommendations of the Bureau of Land <br />Management with respect to the resource recovery and <br />protection plan and other requirements of the Federal leases <br />and the Mineral Leasing Act, and (6) the findings and <br />recommendations of the Colorado Division of Minerals and <br />Geology with respect to the PAP and the Colorado State <br />program. <br />Approval of this new mining plan and modification will <br />authorize mining of approximately 36.4 million additional <br />• tons of Federal coal within the approved mining plan areas <br />covering 2068 acres within Federal leases COC-56447 and C- <br />1362, as shown on the map included with this decision <br />document. Certain elements of MCC's proposal require <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />