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In 2004, 0.7 acres of the Blue Ribbon Mine permit area were transferred to the Elk Creek Mine permit area so <br />that Oxbow Mining; LLC could construct two exploration holes and associated roads and drill pads. In 2005, an <br />additional 2.8 acre:. of the Blue Ribbon permit area were transferred to the Elk Creek Mine permit area for <br />Oxbow Mining's construction of vent shaft facilities. <br />Blue Ribbon Coal (:ompany mined the E, or Hawk's Nest, seam. The total anticipated life ofthe mine was 5.5 <br />years. The production rate was approximately 192,000 tons per year. The Blue Ribbon Mine was a drift mine, <br />and was mining down the dip of the coal. Mining was done using room and pillar methods with continuous <br />mining equipment. The coal was removed from the mine via a conveyor system to the surface, where it was <br />screened and loaded onto trucks for shipment to market. The coal was weighed at the truck scale facility <br />located along Highway 133. <br />Access to the Blue Ribbon Mine site is provided by the Hubbard Creek Road. The entrance to the road is off <br />the old State Highway 133. The Hubbard Creek Road enters the southwest corner of the permit area and <br />continues across the permit area in a northerly course as a Forest Service Access Road. Maintenance of the <br />road is the responsibility of Delta County and will not be subject to reclamation. The Blue Ribbon Mine site <br />contains a haul road, which is now reclaimed, and a light use road, which provides access to Pond No. 5 and <br />the mine bench. The original reclamation plan called for the reclamation ofthe light use road that leads to Pond <br />5. However, the fee surface owner, Oxbow Mining LLC, requested that the road remain. The request letter can <br />be found in Appendix G of Volume I. <br />Surface water runo~Ff from disturbed areas at the Blue Ribbon Mine is now controlled by two sediment ponds. <br />Pond No. 5 holds runoff from the mine bench area and replaced Pond No. 1 when it was reclaimed in 1986. <br />Pond No. 4 receives water from the reclaimed coal stock pile area. Pond No. 3 and the disturbed area that it <br />treats were transferred to the Elk Creek Mine permit of Oxbow Mining LLC so that Oxbow could construct a <br />vent fan and access, road site. Pond No. 2 was eliminated with the bench stabilization project. <br />Upon cessation of ruining activities in 1985, all surface disturbances except ponds 4, and 5, the light use road, <br />and the Hubbard Creek crossing were reclaimed. The three mine portals were sealed, surface facilities removed <br />in late 1985, and foundations and other non-combustible, non-toxic material was used to backfill the portal <br />bench in 1986. Reclamation around the lower stockpile and two scale locations was done in 1986. <br />Ponds 4 and 5 will be reclaimed after successful revegetation is assured, and the sediment control structures are <br />no longer needed. However, Oxbow Mining LLC, the fee surface owner for the disturbed land, has requested <br />that the light use road to Pond 5 be retained. Oxbow's request letter, dated June 29, 2005, can be found in <br />Appendix G of Volume I of the Blue Ribbon Permit Application. Although the operator originally planned to <br />remove the Hubbard Creek culvert upon final reclamation, two requests to leave the culvert in place <br />permanently were nnade. The first request was by G. H. Allen, who owns grazing rights on the permit area and <br />some of the mineral. rights in the E seam. The second request was by Oxbow Mining LLC in the June 29, 2005 <br />letter found in Appendix G. Oxbow Mining is owner of the fee surface at the culvert crossing and has taken <br />over liability of the 9 foot diameter culvert. The company has requested that the culvert remain so that they <br />have access to their Elk Creek Mine fan site. <br />Topsoil was not cornpletely salvaged from all the disturbed areas. Much ofthe mine site was disturbed prior to <br />any such statutory or regulatory requirement; therefore, no obligation existed to salvage topsoil. However, soil <br />surveys conducted by the operator have indicated that the existing disturbed soils are suitable as a plant growth <br />medium. This material was stripped prior to the backfilling operation, temporarily stockpiled, and upon <br />