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-7- Summar History of the Review Process, Description of the Environment and Description of the Uperations and Reclamation Plan History of the Review Process The Western Slope Carbon Hawk's Nest operation consists of a complex of two underyround mines (Hawk's Nest East and West) located approximately 12 miles northeast of Paonia, Colorado and 3 miles east of Somerset, Colorado on the North Fork of the Gunnison River, adjacent to. Colorado Highway 133. Coal mining operations began in the permit area in the early 1900's. Western Slope Carbon (WSC) purchased the mine in 1970 and leas mined at the east portals from 1970 through 1982. Renovation of the west portals was approved in 1980, and a technical revision allowing mining to begin at the west portals was approved in July, 1981. Presently, approximately 1 million tons of coal per year are being produced from the E seam on both federal leases and fee coal. An area of approximately 29 acres has been disturbed by the portals and mine yard areas, office and shop facilities and the loadout silos and coal stockpile area. The operation is currently covered by Extraction and Development Permit No. 78-155, issued by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation hoard (MLRD). The permit application which is being proposed for approval by the Division was submitted on February 5, 1981. A completeness letter was sent to the applicant on February 13, 1981. The applicant began publishing a public notice of filing of the application in the North Fork Times on February l7, 1981. A joint preliminary adequacy letter conveying the concerns of the Office of Surface Mining (OShI) and the Division was sent to the applicant on March 26, 1981. On May 13, 1981, the Division received draft responses to a number of issues raised in the Preliminary Adequacy Letter. Adequacy letters of June 11, July 8, and December 3, 1981 addressed additional concerns noted by the Division with regard to the applicant's draft responses and other aspects of the application. Western Slope Carbon's final responses to the Division's adequacy comments were submitted to the Division on February 16, 1982. A draft findings document which highliyhted remaining deficiencies in the application was prepared by the Division in July, 1982. Western Slope Carbon's responses to issues identified in the draft findings have allowed the Division and OSM, with the assistance of other Federal and State agencies, to complete this Findings Uocument.