GENERAL55996

• Permit No: C1981038
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 12/30/2003
• Doc Name: Proposed Decision & Findings of Compliance for RN4
• Permit Index Doc Type: Findings
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Summary
The Review Process
Bowie Resources Limited (BRL) has filed a permit renewal application (RN-04) for the Bowie
No. 1 Mine pursuant to the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act (Section 34-33-109,
C.R.S. 1973, as amended) and the Rules promulgated thereunder. The Bowie No. 1 Mine is an
existing underground mine which has been in operation since 1975. The mine was originally
called the Orchazd Valley Mine and the original applicant was Colorado Westmoreland, Inc.
(C WI).
The Orchard Valley Mine (Bowie No. 1) permit application was originally submitted on
September 30, 1977. The permit application was approved by the Mined Land Reclamation
Board under the interim program on Apri127, 1978. A modified permit application to comply
with the proposed Colorado Permanent Regulatory Program was submitted on June 18, 1979,
and revised on February 27, 1981. The Permanent Program Permit No. C-038-81, with 25
stipulations attached, was issued on September 24, 1981.
A permit revision application to incorporate 480 acres into the permit area of Permit No.
C-81-038 was submitted to the Division on November 18, 1982. CWI's application included
information from the adjacent Orchard Valley Permit C-81-038 as well as the permit revision
area. Permit No. C-038-081, which preceded Permit No. C-81-038, was issued, with eight
additional stipulations, by the Division on April 20, 1983.
On August 29, 1984, Colorado Westmoreland Inc. submitted a permit revision to their existing
Permit No. C-83-038. The permit revision incorporated an additional 5,719.7 acres of adjacent
federal coal (Lease C-37210) into the mine permit area. CWI planned to mine this coal by
extending the existing mine workings north and west into these azeas.
On June 1, 1986, the Orchazd Valley Mine (Bowie No. 1) experienced a mine fire that
necessitated the closure of the mine portals. Because of the high potential for reignition of the
workings if the portals were reopened, an alternative portal area was chosen. Permit Revision
No. 2 (PR-02) was submitted August 18, 1986, proposing the construction of a temporary portal
in an area west of the existing facilities in the East Roatcap Creek drainage. This portal (Orchard
Valley West Mine (OV WM)) was originally proposed to remain active for approximately two
yeazs after construction, but market conditions made it necessary to use these facilities to export
coal from the mine until June 1993, BRL has completed some reclamation operations at the
West Mine, the details of which are discussed in detail further in this findings document. BRL
has applied for a partial Phase One Bond Release (SL-02) for the reclamation work done at the
West Mine as well as at the main mine.
PR-02 also had provisions for the construction of a haul road from Steven's Gulch to the
proposed West Mine portal site. The entries of the portals run northwest until they intercept the
sub-main entries of the previously approved mine plan. A "Findings of Compliance" was issued
on October 12, 1986, superseding the findings proposed in June 20, 1985 for Permit No.
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