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<br />~ ~ III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS oF~cO~o <br />336 State Capitol NPR ~~°~r~ <br />Denver, Colorado80203 A ri115 1981 ^`~/1 <br />Phone 13031866-2477 p e `-~~~i <br />• ~~ <br />~~876 • <br />Richard D. Lamm, <br />Governor <br />Mr. John Slovek <br />4835 Weld County Road 24 3/4 <br />Longmont, Colorado 80501 <br />Dear Mr. Slovek: <br />Thank you for your letter concerning the Weld County Hokestra pit. As I'm sure <br />you are aware, after attending many meetings with the Mined Land Reclamation <br />Board and staff, the State has had some difficulty with bringing counties into <br />compliance with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act of 1976. This his- <br />tory includes the issuing of a cease and desist order to Weld County in 1978. <br />As you can see by the enclosed memo prepared by the staff of the Mined Land <br />Reclamation Division, this history was discussed in some detail by the Mined Land <br />Reclamation Board during the proceedings. The fact that you are a neighbor to <br />one of Weld County's gravel pits, makes you acutely aware and concerned about <br />this statewide problem. <br />In this specific case, it appears that the Board and the Mined Land Reclamation <br />Division acted quite responsibly and thoroughly. The history indicates numerous <br />meetings at which the issues raised in your letter were discussed and dealt with <br />in an objective and reasonable manner. The Mined Land Reclamation Board is <br />an independent decisionmaking body, the membership of which is specified by <br />statute. The backgrounds of the members are diverse in an attempt to allow foL <br />all aspects of a problem to be thoroughly reviewed and addressed in the decision- <br />making process. If decisions rendered by the Board are deemed to be unsatisfac- <br />tory by any individual or affected party, there are remedies available under the <br />Administrative Procedures Act which allow you to appeal the Board's decision to <br />the courts. <br />David Shelton, Mined Land Reclamation Director, has indicated that legislation <br />might be needed to empower tl3e Division with the authority to shut non-permitted <br />operations down immediately. Therefore, you might want to contact your legis- <br />lators regarding this matter. I am afraid [cannot address your specific request <br />for an impartial investigation by the Judicial Committee of the Colorado Legis- <br />lature, however, since legislative committees determine their own activities. <br />Thank you for sharing your concern. It is through your involvement and that of <br />others, that the process has been tightened to ensure protection against similar <br />situations in the future. <br />0 ~rr ,ni~r,~~ <br />,-- <br />~;(~ ~. <br />~ j1' L <br />~~ ~~._ <br /> <br />Enclosure <br />bcc: I';~id 5bettot- <br />Monte Pascoe <br />Sincerely, <br />~ard D. Lamm <br />Governor <br />