GENERAL50166 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.. [DENVER ~ • n~FicE STATE OF COLORADO DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY Depanmen, of Nawral Resources 1313 Sherman St ,Room 215 Denver, Cdorado 80.03 Phone: 130 t) 8663567 FAX: (3031832-8106 DENVER OFFICE PUBLIC FILE COPY FILE: M - ~g-l ~o SITE: ELL~S~v, P; ~- ~~ ~~~ DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Roy Romer GOVernor dames 5. Lochhead September 10, 1997 Exec live Director Michael B. Long Division Dueaor Mr. Ted H. Hayden, Chairman Board of Delta County Commissioners 501 Palmer Street Delta, CO 81416 RE: E lison Gravel Pit -Violation for Mining Outside the Permitted Area Permit No. M-78-170 Dear Chairman Hayden: Our office recently received a copy of a recent newspaper article, copy attached, from the Delta County Independent regarding the above referenced violation. In that article, it was stated that "Commi>sioner Ted Hayden, however, was less optimistic. He pointed out that the Mined Land Reclamation Board is funded entirely by fees and fines". This is a substantial misrepresentation of the facts, and the Division would like to take this opportunity to explain to you how the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board and the Division of Minerals and Geology's Minerals Regulatory Program are funded. First, nether the Board nor the Division staff are "funded entirety by fees and fines" as reported in the article. All monies collected from fines levied by the Board go directly into the State's General Fund, not the Division or Board's operating budget. The Division's Minerals Regulatory Program is funded by two .>ources, operator fees and general fund monies. Approximately two-thirds of the Division's operating budget comes from operator fees, and the remaining one-third from the General Fund. The amount of funds provided to the Division from the General Fund are not in any way based on the amount of monies collected from fines levied by the Board. Instead, the funding amounts for Division and Board activities are based on calculations of the amount of staff and administrative resources needed to fulfill the mandated responsibilities of our office in enforcing the State's reclamation statutes. Second, the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board is a citizen Board consisting of two persons representing the mining industry, two persons representing conservation interests, one person representing agricultural interests, one person representing the Soil Conservation Board, and one person representing the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The Board receives no compensation other than reimbursement for expenses associated with attending monthly Board meetings and other official Board functions. None of the funds for Board expenses are taken from any fines levied by the Board against operators.