GENERAL49738

• Permit No: C1982055
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 10/30/1987
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision & Findings of Compliance for RN1
• Permit Index Doc Type: FINDINGS
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

SUMMARY
History of the Review Process

A number of small underground mines were operated in and closely adjacent to
the Animas Mine site from the late 1800's into the early 1900's. In 1978, the
Animas Coal Company opened a small underground operation in the area called
the Helen tAine. An interim coal mining permit was issued to the Animas Coal
Company, Inc. for the Helen Mine on February 28, 1979 pursuant to the Colorado
Mined Land Reclamation Act. Operations continued under this permit until
August 15, 1981 when the interim permit expired and the company ceased
operation. Animas Coal Company, Inc. had submitted a new permit application
and was in the process of responding to the Preliminary Adequacy Review when
the operation was purchased by the Sundance Coal Company in April, 1982.
Sundance Coal Company became the new permittee on the application initially
submitted by Animas Coal Company, Inc. The name of the mine was changed from
the Helen Mine to the Animas Mine. On August 16, 1982, permanent program
permit No. C-82-055 was issued to Sundance Coal Company for the Animas Mine.
After the acquisition of the property, Sundance Coal Company opened the Animas
Mine on the south face of Starkville Gulch in the lower Starkville seam. The
mine was later driven upward into the upper Starkville seam. Sundance Coai
Company also opened and briefly operated a new Helen Mine in the lower
Starkville seam on the north face of Starkville Gulch. The new Helen Mine was
located west of the earlier Animas Coal Company, Inc. operation, On July 9,
1984, the Division was notified by Sundance Coal Company that operations at
the Animas/Helen Mine complex were temporarily suspended. Active operations
were not resumed at the mine during the remainder of the first permit term.
In accordance with Rule 2.08.5, the Division notified Sundance Coal Company on
November 18, 1986, by way of their agent, Panorama Resource Services, Denver,
Colorado, that an application for renewal of the Animas Mine permit should be
filed by February 16, 1987 or 180 days prior to expiration of the existing
permit on August 16, 1987. Sundance Coal Company subsequently filed a
complete application for renewal of their permit on April 7, 1987. On April
30, 1987, during the Division's adequacy review of the application, the Animas
Mine was sold by Sundance Coal Company to Raton Creek Associates, Ltd., a
limited partnership. On the date of the sale, a request for transfer of the
permit for the Animas Mine from Sundance Coal Company to Energy Fuels Mining
Company was submitted to the Division. Energy Fuels Mining Company had been
authorized by Raton Creek Associates, Ltd, to conduct coal mining activities
on the Animas property.
The application for renewal of the permit had been filed by Sundance Coal
Company. Since Energy Fuels Mining Company was not approved for transfer of
the Animas Mine permit at the conclusion of the review of that application,
the Division's preliminary adequacy letter was addressed to Sundance Coal
Company on June 2, 1987. The response, however, was made by Energy Fuels
Mining Company on July 14, 1987 acting in its capacity as operator of the
property for the actual owner, Raton Creek Associates, Ltd. The transfer of
the permit to Energy Fuels Mining Company was approved by the Division on
September 18, 1987.
-7-