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III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />999 <br />United States Department of the Interior RECEIVED <br />tN aFrtr aerrn m <br />To: <br />Through <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING FEB 2 7 2001 <br />Reclamation end Enforcement <br />1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 <br />Denver, Colorado 80202-5733 Division of Minerals 8 Geolon~ <br />February 23, 2001 <br />2001 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards Committee <br />James F. Fulton, Chief, Denver Field Division) ~ <br />From: Henry Austin, Senior Reclamation Specialist*~~ <br />RE: 2001 AWARD NOMINATION FOR THE COLORADO YAMPA COAL <br />COMPANY, PERMIT NO. C-81-071, OAK CREEK, COLORADO <br />The Colorado Division of Minerals artd Geology (DMG) transmitted the above <br />nomination package to the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), Western Regional <br />Coordinating Center (WRCC) on January 31, 2001. Ms. Janet Binns is the DMG <br />environmental protection specialist with primary responsibility for the mine. Ms. Binns <br />has provided DMG's recommendation that the above nomination be considered for both <br />[he National Coal Mining and Reclamation Awazd and the Director's Award. Based on <br />the Denver Field Division's (DFD) review of the nomination package, we strongly <br />concur with DMG's recommendation. <br />I conducted an evaluation of the nomination package beginning on February 20, 2001, by <br />discussing the package via telephone with Ms. Binns, and concluded by conducting a <br />field site evaluation on February 22°". I conducted the field evaluation with Mr. Rick <br />Mills, Environmental Manager, Colorado Yampa Coal Company, who submitted the <br />nomination package. The nomination package thoroughly documents the difficulty in <br />achieving reclamation at this site (150 inches annual snowfall, approx. 60 day growing <br />season), the pioneering of innovative reclamation techniques in the Northwest Colorado <br />Region and the on-site effectiveness of those techniques (direct hauling topsoil, <br />establishing shrub pads, topographic diversity, strip seeding of shrubs and fortis, and <br />cattle /wildlife stock ponds), and how these techniques have been utilized by other <br />regional mining operations. I will not reiterate all the documentation already provided, <br />but will make the findings required at "Selection of the 2001 award-winning <br />operations", page 5 of the OSM call for nominations pamphlet, and provide some <br />additional information highlighting how this operation is increasing public awareness of <br />[he Surface Mining Law, and how the high quality of this reclamation will provide long- <br />term benefits to the community. <br />