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ollar Amount of Bond to be Released <br />The Blue Flame Mine is arevoked-permit site. No bond money exists for release because it was <br />forfeited to the State and was used for reclamation of the site. The former permittee is not due any <br />monetary consideration of any kind as a result of this TOJ process. <br />II. HISTORY OF THE BLUE FLAME MINE <br />Mining Operations <br />The Blue Flame Mine was aroom-and-pillar, underground coal mine. Land and coal ownership are <br />private. Coal was mined from the "Pueblo" coal seam of the upper Menefee Formation. Coal in the <br />underground workings was brought to a surface portal area by shuttle car, and then was screened for <br />size and hauled away by truck. The mine disturbed 4.1 acres of surface area, consisting of: a portal <br />bench area, two access roads, drainage ditches, a sediment control pond, and two upland diversion <br />ditches. With the exception of the pond and the ditches, all surface disturbance had been previously <br />disturbed during mining activities conducted as early as 1950. <br />Permitting and Bonding <br />In August 1987, the Division issued permit C-81-053 to Blue Flame Coal Mining Company for <br />mining at the site. The initial required reclamation bond was $10,000. L & L Energy took over as <br />mine permittee and operator in 1991, with required reclamation bond of $41,600. This amount was <br />secured by certificate of deposit number 78-702388 issued August 26,1987 by Key Bank of Utah in <br />the amount of $10,000 and by letter of credit number 287 issued by Triad Bank of Oklahoma on <br />January 11, 1991 in the amount of $31,600. Numerous violations and two show cause orders <br />resulted in the Division revoking the mining and reclamation permit on June 27,1991, and ordering <br />forfeiture of the entire $41,600 of bond on July 8,1991. The Division received the forfeited bond by <br />a check issued July 16, 1991 by Triad Bank of Oklahoma in the amount of $31,600 and by a check <br />issued August 29, 1991 by Key Bank of Utah for $10,000. <br />Reclamation Plan <br />The approved reclamation plan called for the following reclamation tasks: sealing of portals, <br />removal of structures, backfilling, regrading, and seeding (permit section 2.05.4). The portal area <br />was to be regraded to an approximate 3:1 slope. As a pre-law site, topsoil from most of the <br />disturbed area had not been salvaged. The reclamation plan called for 4,410 cubic yards of topsoil to <br />be imported and spread over the regraded areas at thicknesses of 4 to 8 inches. No items were <br />approved as permanent. The approved post-mining land use is rangeland and wildlife habit. <br />2 <br />