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<br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />The Review Process, Description of the Environment, and Description of the <br />Operations and Reclamation Plan are outlined below. <br />The Review Process <br />Pittsburg and Midway Coal Mining Company (Pittsburg and Midway) received an <br />approved permanent program permit under C.R.S., as amended, 34-33-101 et seq. <br />for the Edna Mine on November 16, 1981. <br />Per Rule 2.08.5 of the regulations, the Division notified Pittsburg and Midway <br />Coal Mining Company on February 18, 1986 that a permit renewal needed to be <br />submitted no later than May 16, 1986. The Division received a complete permit <br />renewal application on May 15, 1986. Through an adequacy review response, <br />(September 25, 1986), a subsequent meeting and a second adequacy response <br />(October 24, 1986), Pittsburg and Midway has resolved all of the Division's <br />concerns identified during the permit renewal process. <br />Since a portion of the mined lands are federal, copies of the permit renewal <br />application and subsequent adequacy responses were forwarded to the Office of <br />Surface Mining (OSM) for review. OSM notified the Bureau of Land Management, <br />U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other interested federal agencies, and <br />solicited their comments. All comments and concerns were resolved during the <br />adequacy review. <br />Description of the Environment <br />Climate <br />The climate at the Edna Mine is typical of semi-arid steppe regions with more <br />than half of the annual precipitation, 16 inches, falling as snow. The <br />temperatures are cool, from 61°F average mean temperature for August, to a <br />cold, 18°F average mean for February. Although the regional winds are from <br />the west, local topography affects both precipitation and wind direction. <br />Geology <br />The Edna Mine is geographically situated between the drainages of Oak Creek or. <br />the east and Trout Creek on the west. Topographically, the permit area is <br />dominated by a north-south trending ridge line, with a steep east facino <br />escarpment ending at Oak Creek, and a more gentle west facing dip slope from <br />the ridge line to Trout Creek on the west. Elevation of the area varies from <br />7,000 to 7,600 feet. <br />Except for surficial deposits, only the coal bearing Cretaceous Mesaverde <br />Group outcrops in the permit area. The Williams Fork Formation and the Iles <br />Formation together comprise the Flesaverde Group. The Williams Fork Formation <br />is separated from the lower Iles formation by the massive Trout Creek <br />-5- <br />