PERMFILE120845 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The advent of the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining and their regulations known • as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 ISMCRA) generated the need for yet another mining and reclamation plan. The required information was to be more detailed than ever before. Therefore, lengthy baseline studies were again required because initial studies did not meet the requirement of the new regulations. So, even though Peabody Coal Company had an approved Federal Mining and Reclamation Plan, the SMCRA regulations, in effect, negated any previously-approved permits and required the submittal of another permit application. The Colorado Mined Land Reclamation approved the existing Permit No. C-82-057 effective December 31, 1985, with 13 stipulations. Due to changing coal delivery requirements, the permit was put into temporary cessation on February 12, 1988. The permit was reactivated on April 24, 1989 when development activities were again resumed. In 1989, the activities necessary to begin operations were initiated with construction of the Tie- Across Haul Road and initial mine site development. Coal haulage from Seneca II-W began in September, 1990 after the 770 dragline was moved from the Seneca II Mine. The permitting effort to open up the mine, even with an approved permit, was exhaustive. Several revisions were required in order to respond to the outstanding stipulations, and modification of facilities. Permit Revision No. 1, approved o n September 4, 1991, incorporated • additional coal areas, modified the mining progression, and added a haul road from the north mining block. Because of the magnitude of these changes and the myriad changes that have occurred in the past Peabody, in conjunction with Permit Revision No. 1, took the opportunity to restructure the permit into a more workable document and clean up discrepancies that had developed over the years. Much of the baseline environmental information remained the same, especially in the areas of archaeology, land use, wildlife, and alluvial valley floors. Additions included updates in the soils and vegetation sections to include new areas within the permit area. The hydrology discussion (Tab 71 was extensively rewritten in 1990 to incorporate the five years of monitoring accomplished since permit issuance. Further, the discussions on potential hydrologic consequences, probable hydrologic balance, and cumulative impacts were revised to incorporate the revised mining plan. Other major changes included the mining and reclamation plans, hydrologic control plan, and concomitant changes to the postmine topography. In any case, the approved postmining land use remains the same as originally approved, i.e., range grazing and wildlife. • TR-50 2 Revised 11/04