GENERAL49988

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 7/13/1999
• Doc Name: South Taylor Area Review Letter for Proposed Baseline Soils & Vegetation Protocol
• From: DMG
• To: Colowyo Coal Company
• Permit Index Doc Type: General Correspondence
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
Department of Na[ural Resources
1313 Sherman SL, Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: 1303) D66-3567
FAX: [phone]
July 13, 1999
DIVISION OF
MINERALS
GEOLOGY
ftECLAM ATION
MINING•SAFETY
James A. Kiger sill ovens
Senior Environmental Engineer cOVefOOf
Colowyo Coal Company L.P. E e~°~i~e o~ e«°r
5731 State Highway 13 Michael B. Long
Meeker, Colorado 81641 Division Director
Re: Colowyo Coal Co L.P. (Colowyo), Proposed Baseline Soils and Vegetation Protocol for the
South Taylor Area
Reference: Colowyo Coal Company L.P. letter of May 27, 1999, Re: same as above
Dear Mr. Kiger:
The proposed baseline monitoring proposal outlined in the referenced letter and at the meeting at
Frisco on June 28, 1999 demonstrates considerable thought and should provide substantial
information for evaluation of impacts to soils and vegetation. A number of questions have been
developed during our review, and are presented below.
Item 1. The proposed protocol includes no sampling of the aspen or the juniper communities. If
the juniper community (approximately 10 acres) is not to be disturbed, then the Division of
Minerals and Geology (Division) concurs with the proposal. However, a description of the aspen
community, which will be disturbed, is required by Rules 2.04.10(4). The application of Rule
2.04.10(4) was refined by the "Guidelines for Compliance with Land Use and Vegetative
Requirement", dated October 1988, developed by the Division. The guidelines allows for relief
of quantitative baseline sampling of vegetative communities "whose total aggregate area
occupies less than 5% of the permit area or less than 10 acres, whichever is smaller". The aspen
community encompasses approximately 175 acres within the proposed disturbance azea. The
rule does not provide relief based on postmining use.
Item 2. Woody plant density baseline data is required for the sagebrush and mountain-shrub
communities [Rule 2.04.10(4)].
Item 3. The study plan addresses existing reference azeas. The vegetation map (no drawing
number) submitted with the study plan indicates asagebrush -grassland reference area in the
NW '/o of Section 30. The proposed reference area is not within the expanded Permit boundary.
Colowyo would need to demonstrate that it has control over the reference area to comply with
the requirements of Rule 4.15.7(3).