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If you concur with this recommendation, please sign the attached memorandum to the <br />• Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management. <br />II. Background <br />The West Elk underground coal mine is located in Delta and Gunnison Counties, <br />Colorado, approximately two miles east of the town of Somerset, Colorado on both U.S. <br />Forest Service and private lands. The mine has been in operation since 1982 and <br />currently employs 480 people during full production. The current life of the approved <br />mining operation within the approved permit area is estimated to be approximately three <br />(3) years. The mining operations use a combination of room and pillar and longwall <br />mining methods. The average production rate is approximately 7.0 million tons per year <br />from the "B", "E", and "F" coal seams and is approved to reach a maximum production <br />rate of 8.3 million tons per year. <br />The original mining plan foz Federal leases C-1362, C-0117192, and D-044569 at the <br />West Elk Mine was approved on July 15, 1981. Since that approval, there have been <br />eight mining plan modifications for the West Elk mine. Modification of Federal ]eases <br />C-1362, C-0117192, and D-044569 was approved on August 16, 1985. Modification of <br />Federal lease C-1362 was approved on September 27, 1995. Modification of Federal <br />leases C-1362, C-0117192, and D-044569 was approved on November 18, 1985 and <br />December 22, ]986. The addition of Federal lease COC-54558 was approved on <br />December 21, 1994. Modification of Federal lease C-1362 and the addition of Federal <br />lease COC-56447 was approved on April 26, 1996. Modification of Federal lease COC- <br />56447 was approved on June 13, 2000. The addition of Federal lease COC-67011 was <br />approved on June 21, 2005. <br />The State's current permit area covers 10,388 acres. <br />Approximately 385 surface acres are currently disturbed within the State's permit area. <br />A total of 8,848 acres of Federal coal exist within the State's current permit area. <br />A total of 15.5 million tons of Federal coal remain within the current permit area. <br />A total of 6,811 acres of Federal surface land exist within the State's current permit area. <br />The post mining land use within the currently approved mining plan area is grazing and <br />wildlife habitat. <br />IlT. The Proposed Action <br />This mining plan action consists of a mining plan modification for Federal lease C-1362. <br />Specifically, the mining plan action proposed by Mountain Coal Company, L.L.C. <br />• <br />