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1 1 <br /> <br />STAFF PRESENTATION <br />During the application review process, DMG considered the issues raised by objecting parties and <br />commenting agencies, as well as the applicant's responses to those comments. <br />DMG's recommendation for approval and the "Rationale for Approval Recommendation Over <br />Objections" was mailed to all parties on April 20, 2006. The Rationale explains the process by <br />which DMG determined this application complies with the requirements of the Colorado Land <br />Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials, and the Construction Materials Rules <br />and Regulations. <br />During the pre-hearing conference, parties, with the help of the pre-hearing conference officer, <br />identified ten of the jurisdictional issues to be addressed at this formal public hearing. These <br />issues have been consolidated into five categories based on the applicable Rule under which the <br />issue falls. <br />ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED are <br />Is the information submitted with the application accurate and complete for the <br />following items as required by Rule 1.4.1(3): <br />First Item -the pre-mining land use and site description; <br />and second -the plat map? <br />Rationale Issue #4 includes comments regarding a false and misleading land use <br />description for the surrounding area, indicating if is not a mining or industrial area, but a <br />residential area. <br />Rule 1.4.1(3) requires application information to be accurate and complete. In addition, Rule <br />6.4.5 (2)(b) requires that an application include a comparison of the proposed post-mining land <br />use to other land uses in the vicinity and to adopted state and local land use plans and programs. <br />The rangeland post-mining land use is compatible with adjacent rangeland, reclaimed mine sites, <br />ranches, agricultural, and rural residential land use. Though the area is increasing in residential <br />properties, it is primarily forest and rangeland with same pastureland, orchards and small ranches. <br />It is also a historic mining area and is adjacent to an active shale mine, as is accurately stated in <br />the application. <br />The Act and Rules do not address compatibility of a mining operation to surrounding land uses, <br />but leaves that to local government that in this case currently has no zoning. <br />The applicant also added additional residential density information to the permit in their response <br />to the preliminary adequacy review. Therefore, DMG believes the application is accurate and <br />complete in it's description of the surrounding area. <br />Rationale Issue #6 includes comments regarding a false and misleading current site <br />description-indicating rangeland rather than old growth pinyon juniper forest. <br />