PERMFILE139658

• Permit No: M1997054
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Name: RESPONSE TO CANON CITY REPORTER
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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Response to Canon City Reporter
1) The Parks Board was in Salida for their regular July board meeting. As part of that
meeting, a raft trip was planned along with a bus trip from Salida south along the river to
tour the Christo project sites. Two Parks Board members, staff from the Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation, two representatives ofthe Christo-Jean Claude project, the
deputy director of DNR and DMG Director Mike Long (who was in the area for a MEGA
board meeting) took a raft trip on the Arkansas to get a better understanding of a number
of projects -- the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, proposed Christo-Jean Claude
"over the river" project and Heart of the Rockies rail trail project. Potential impacts of
the proposed mining operation were discussed, but this was not the primary purpose nor a
major focus of the either the raft trip or bus tour.
2) No state official encouraged citizens to call the Governor's Citizens Advocate Office.
3) The Department and the divisions have not taken any formal position on the proposal.
Certainly we will monitor the situation. We have a vested interest in maintaining
a balance between the environmental and recreational quality of the area and in
helping to sustain natural resource-based industries, such as mining, that also
contribute to the health of local economies.
4) The Department respects local governments' authority to make land use decisions.
Therefore, citizens should direct their concerns to appropriate county officials, who have
sole authority to determine whether the gravel operation should be permitted or not.
Comments may be directed to the Governor's Citizens Advocate Office.
However, at this point in the permitting process, we encourage them to focus theic
efforts on county zoning officials. It is our understanding that the issue will come
before the county on August 12.
• If a county permits a mining operation, the state's regulatory authority through the
Mined Land Reclamation Board is limited to how mining and reclamation
activities are conducted. The state does not have the authority to ovemde a local
(ipu~P ~ land use decision and, for this reason,_ca_n not pro ct mining once a.permit is
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7~ ~ granted by the county. A mining permit is currently under review by Division of
~ pe0-rj Minerals and eology staff. The Mined Land Reclamation Board decision date is
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r '~ /~i ~~ ~e~ October 9 -- if the county grants apermit -- and will include formal public
If hearin s ,;~
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~~ / Questions concerning Parks were referred to Antonette DeLauro.
Questions conceming DMG's process were referred to Loretta Pineda and Mike Long.
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