2000-09-25_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981022

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Summary The Review Process The Sanborn Creek Mine, operated by Oxbow Mining, Inc., is located in Delta and Gunnison Counties, and is adjacent to the town of Somerset on State Highway 133. The original permit under the Colorado Permanent Regulatory Program was issued to U.S. Steel Mining Company, Inc. on October 11, 1983. Kaiser Coal Corporation acted as operator on the property from 1986 to 1990. In 1990, their permit was transferred to Somerset Mining Company and Somerset completed the permit renewal for another five-year permit term. That permit period initiated October 1 1, 18 and expired October 11, 1993. Upon finalization of the purchase of the mine and transfer and renewal of the permit, Somerset Mining Company proposed opening a new set of mine portals, named the Sanborn Creek Mine, to access, first, the C seam and, then, ramp down to the B seam. Most of the production would come from the B seam. This proposal was presented in the form of Permit Revision No. One (PR-O1) submitted to the Division on June 4, 1990 and approved on March 27, 1991. The permit area was increased by 962 acres to a total of 3737 acres, 1608 acres of which were private land and 2129 acres of which were federal land. Of the 962 acre increase in the permit area, 796 were private and 169 were federal. Permit Revision No. Two (PR-02) was submitted to the Division on April 13, 1992. The operator proposed to add the Sanborn East Federal Coal Tract to the Sanborn Creek Mine plan. The application was deemed complete on April 23, 1992. Somerset Mining Company published its notice of the revision application in the Delta County Independent on May 13, 20 and 27, and on June 3, 1992. The permit revision area was located within 100 feet of the outside right of way of State Highway 133. Therefore, in accordance with Rule 2.07.6(2)(d)(iv), apublic hearing was advertised on June 24, 1992 in the Delta County Independent. No comments or requests for a public hearing were received; therefore, a hearing was not held. Preliminary permit revision application adequacy review comments were mailed to the operator on June 22 and July 6, 1992. Somerset Mining Company responded to these concems on July 24, 1992. A second adequacy review letter was mailed to the operator on August 25, 1992, and responses were received on August 27 and September 17, 1992. A third and final adequacy review letter was sent [o the operator on September 21, 1992. Final responses were received on September 24, 1992. The response letters received from Somerset Mining Company adequately addressed the Division's concerns. The Division approved the permit revision, with a stipulation, on September 25, 1992. The stipulation, Stipulation No. 12, required the mine plan approval, from the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), to be in place for coal lease COC-53510 before the permit revision could receive final approval. OSM approval was received by the Division on March 19, 1993, and final approval of Permit Revision No. 2 was thereby issued. This revision 4