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-2- SUMMARY History of the Review Process Operations at the Colowyo mine began in 1976, under CMLRD Extraction and Development Permit 76-15 C/A. On November 4, 1982 permanent program permit C-81-019 was approved for a five year term. In accordance with Rule 2.08.5, the Division notified Colowyo of the need to renew the existing permit on December 31, 1986. The application for renewal was received on March 16, 1987, and deemed complete on March 23, 1987. A preliminary adequacy letter was sent on May 12, 1987, and a response was received on June 5, 1987. Previous analyses of Colowyo's mining and reclamation operations have included the original permitting review, mid-term review, and several minor and technical revision applications. The reader is directed to File No. C-81-019 for further specifics on these reviews. It should be noted that the entire permit was retyped for this renewal, so that page references in the original Findings are no longer accurate. The new Table of Contents in the permit should be used to locate specific sections of the permit. Description of the Environment The original findings document contains a summary description of the mine site environment. There have been no changes in the areas to be mined or the findings pursuant to that description since the initial review. Description of the Operations and Reclamation P1 an The operations description in the original Findings document remains generally accurate. That description is herein updated as follows. In the first permit term a total of 1426 acres were disturbed by the facilities, pit, and overburden fill. Of these, 226.4 acres have been reclaimed. Phase I (60">) bond release was requested for the reclaimed area in 1987. It is estimated that an additional 307 acres will be disturbed during the next permit term. Due to market limitations, the mine continues to produce approximately 3 million tpy, although maximum permitted production is 4.5 million tpy. The mine plan has changed slightly, with the highwall being "laid back" to allow for more advanced stripping of the upper seams. This creates a larger disturbed area, but results in decreased backfilling necessary to reclaim the pit due to a decrease in the overall highwall slope. This change is explained on page 2.05-13. The operation has reached a steady state, with the Streeter Fill having been completed. The design of Streeter fill was modified during the permit term to reduce the fill by 100 feet in elevation.