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United States Department of the Interior <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING <br />Redamarion and Enlorccmcnt <br />1999 Rroadwav, $uire 3320 <br />Dcnvcr. Colorado &U?02-5713 <br />i~ a>•:r~v aEF•Ea ro <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Director <br />THROUGH: Deputy Director <br />FROM: Acting Assistant Director, Western Support Center <br />SUBJECT: Recommendation for Approval of the Bear Coal Company, <br />Inc.'s Bear Mine Mining Plan for Federal Leases <br />COC-57632 and COC-57633, Gunnison County, Colorado <br />I. Recommendation <br />I recommend approval of the Bear Mine mining plan for <br />Federal leases COC-57632 and COC-57633. This is a mining <br />plan modification for a underground coal mine being <br />• permitted under the Federal lands program and the approved <br />Colorado State program and cooperative agreement. My <br />recommendation is based on: (1) Bear Coal Company, Inc.'s <br />(BCC) complete permit application package (PAP), (2) <br />compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of <br />1969, (3) documentation assuring compliance with applicable <br />requirements of other Federal laws, regulations, and <br />executive orders, (4) comments and recommendations or <br />concurrence of other Federal agencies, and the public, (5) <br />the findings and recommendations of the Bureau of Land <br />Management with respect to the resource recovery and <br />protection plan and other requirements of the Federal leases <br />and the Mineral Leasing Act, and (6) the findings and <br />recommendations of the Colorado Division of Minerals and <br />Geology with respect to the PAP and the Colorado State <br />program. <br />Approval of this mining plan will authorize mining of <br />approximately 2.3 million tons of Federal coal within the <br />approved mining plan area covering 260 acres within Federal <br />leases COC-57632 and COC-57633, as shown on the maps <br />included with this decision document. The review of the PAP <br />indicated that BCC's proposal would not require special <br />conditions to be included in the mining plan approval <br />document to comply with Federal law. <br />• Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) reviewed the <br />PAP under the Colorado State program, the Federal lands <br />