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~~ <br />Midterm Review <br />Yoast Mine <br />C-1994-082 <br />This document presents the results of the Division's Midterm Review for the Seneca Coal <br />Company's (SCC's) Yoast Mine permit. This Midterm Review was conducted to fulfill the <br />requirements of Rules 2.08.3, 2.06.2 (10), 2.06.3 (4), 2.06.5 (2), and 3.02(4). <br />Rule 2.08.3 requires that the Division conduct a review of each permit issued, prior to its <br />midterm. Based on this review, for good cause shown, the Division may require reasonable <br />revisions or modifications of the permit provisions to ensure compliance with the Act and the <br />Regulation. <br />Rules 2.06.2, 2.06.3, 2.06.5 and 2.06.7 require that experimental practices, mountaintop removal <br />variances, variances from approximate original contour (AOC), and variances from <br />contemporaneous reclamation, respectively, be reviewed by the Division where applicable <br />during the Midterm Review. The Yoast Mine does not have any experimental practices or any <br />variances from mountaintop removal or approximate original contour. However, the Division <br />previously granted a variance from contemporaneous reclamation (see Section V of this <br />document). <br />Rule 3.02.2 (4) requires that the Division review the amount of performance bond liability and <br />the terms of acceptance of the bond every 2-%2 years. <br />This Midterm Review consists of a review of the Yoast Mine permit application and Findings <br />Document to identify items that may have been overlooked during the initial review. The <br />Division also reviewed all subsequent revisions and stipulation responses to ensure that all <br />permit commitments and conditions were being followed. Problems and observations from past <br />Division inspection reports were also considered. <br />SECTION I -HISTORY OF SITE <br />The Yoast Mine is a surface coal mining operation located in Routt County, approximately seven <br />miles SSE of the town of Hayden. The mine is one of three surface mines operated by SCC, <br />with Yoast situated aerially between the Seneca II and Seneca II West mines. The Yoast Mine <br />comprises 2318.3 permitted acres, consisting of a narrow corridor for the former haul road which <br />runs approximately five miles south from Routt County Road 27 to the main body of the mine. <br />Approximately 1019 acres have been disturbed by surface operations. <br />SCC submitted the original application for a new permit on 16 November 1994. The application <br />was deemed complete on 21 November 1994. By 10 March 1995, the Division had received <br />comments from all the required agencies and entities and issued the permit effective 5 August <br />1995. Haul road construction began at the mine site shortly before the first Division inspection, <br />which occurred on 18 August 1995. In mid-August 1996, the operator began stripping topsoil at <br />