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I.U EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION Northern Coal Company (now called Enron Coal Company) began operating Rienau N 2 Mine since 1978. It was purchased from another party and was operated under the interim permit program. Northern opened the Northern N 1 Mine in 1980. It was located approximately 3 miles north of the Rienau N 2, about 9 miles north of Meeker, Colorado. In June of 1980. Northern submitted both existing mines and two new mines in new mines were to be called the Northern Mines. The application was submitted to because o4 the federal land involved. A submitted in the application for the 4- a permit application for the same area. The two N 2 and the Northern N 3 the State and to OSM total of 12 volumes were nine complex CMLRD furnished a completeness review of the application on March 2, 1981. OSM furnished the Apparent Adequacy Review on April 4,1981 and CMLRD furnished the Technical Adequacy Review on June 14, 1982. During mid-1982, market considerations forced the temporary cessation of the Rienau M 2 and Northern N 1 Mines. It was also during this time that Northern decided to only achieve full permit status for the Rienau N 2 and Northern N 1 Mines. On October 7, 1982, a modified permit application was submitted which removed most references to the Milk Creak Loadout, the Northern N 2 and the Northern N 3 Mines. Responses to all completeness and adequacy concerns were also incorporated. • Production and 5 year projections were scaled back for the Rienau N 2 and Northern N 1 Mines in this submittal. In early 1983, a potential environmental concern was raised over the Rienau N 2 Mine entries extending under Curtis Creek. Since the Northern N 1 Mine was temporarily sealed, it was decided to submit a new application for mining only at the Rienau N 2 Mine. The operation plan called for mining 10,000 tons per year for 5 years, where all coal was to be produced from the 1st East section, which had already extended below Curtis Creek. In this way, no additional mining under the creek would be allowed until the situation was resolved. The permit application was submitted in Junv of 1984 and the findings for approval was published by CMLRD in October of 1984. The permit was actually signed on January 4, 1985. Some mining for local stoker markets did take place during this time. In early 1986, plans to fully reclaim both minesites and the refuse facility were underway. p}so, the Wilson Loudy Loadout was fully reclaimed in 1987. All bond liability for the Loadout has been removed. By fall 1986, the back4illing, grading, topsoil replacement, • seeding and mulching had been done at all sites. Only 2 sediment ponds at the Rienau N 2 site remain, which are to be removed once the vegetation is established. A partial bond release request for backfilling and grading was submitted to the Division on February 12, 1987. R-I ~/~/89 ~~7 /~ 7