Laserfiche WebLink
Summary <br />The Review Process <br />Cyprus Orchard Valley Coal Corporation (COVCC) has filed a permit renewal <br />application for the Orchard Valley Mine pursuant to the Colorado Surface Coal <br />Mining Reclamation Act (Section 34-33-109, C.R.S. 1973, as amended) and the <br />Rules promulgated thereunder. The Orchard Valley Mine is an existing <br />underground mine which has been in operation since 1975. <br />The Orchard Valley Mine permit application was originally submitted on <br />September 30, 1977, and was determined to be complete on October 7, 1977. The <br />permit application was approved by the Mined Land Reclamation Board under the <br />interim program on April 27, 1978. A modified permit application to comply <br />with the proposed Colorado Permanent Regulatory Program was submitted on <br />June 18, 1979, and revised on February 27, 1981. The Division then published <br />its proposed decision approving the application with 25 stipulations on <br />August 20, 1981. The Permanent Program Permit No. C-038-81 was issued on <br />September 24, 1981. <br />A permit revision application to incorporate 480 acres into the permit area of <br />Permit No. C-81-038 was submitted to the Division on November 18, 1982, and <br />was determined to be complete on November 26, 1982. CWI's application <br />included information from the adjacent Orchard Valley Permit C-81-038 as well <br />as the permit revision area. The Division published its proposed decision to <br />approve the permit revision with eight stipulations on March 21, 1983. Permit <br />No. C-038-083, which superseded Permit No. C-81-038, was issued by the <br />Division on April 20, 1983. <br />On August 29, 1984, Colorado-Westmoreland Inc. submitted a permit revision to <br />their existing Permit No. C-83-038. The permit revision incorporated an <br />additional 5,719.7 acres of adjacent federal coal.(Lease C-37210 ). into the <br />mine permit area. CWI planned to. mine this coal by extending the existing <br />mine workings north and west into these areas... <br />On June 1, 1986, the Orchard Valley Mine experienced a mine fire that <br />necessitated the closure of the mine portals. Because of the high potential <br />of reignition of the workings if the portals were reopened, an alternative• <br />portal area was chosen. A permit revision was submitted August l8, 1986, <br />proposing the construction of a temporary portal in an area west.of the <br />existing facilities in the East Roatcap Creek drainage. This portal (Orchard <br />Valley West Mine (OVWM)) was originally proposed to remain active for <br />approximately two years after construction, but market conditions made it <br />necessary to use these facilities to export coal from the mine until <br />June 1993. Hereafter, it will be used for materials transport, a maintenance <br />shop, ventilation and emergency escapeway. The August 18, 1986 revision also <br />had provisions for the construction of a haul road from Steven's Gulch to the <br />proposed portal site. The entries of the portals run northwest until they <br />intercept the sub-main entries of the previously approved mine plan. A <br />"Findings of Compliance" was issued on October 12, 1986, superseding the <br />findings proposed in June 20, 1985 for Permit No. C-83-038. The document also <br />took into consideration any stipulations imposed on Permit C-83-038 by <br />reinforcing those stipulations that still applied. <br />-7- <br />