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Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Colorado entered into a cooperative agreement <br />with the Secretary of the Interior authorizing Colorado to regulate surface coal mining operations • <br />and the surface effects of underaaround coal minim- on federal lands within the state. <br />Pursuant to the cooperative agreement, Federal coal lease holders in Colorado must submit a <br />permit application package to the USDI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement <br />and Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology for proposed mining and reclamation operations <br />on Federal lands in the state. Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology reviews the package <br />to ensure that the permit application complies with the permitting requirements and that the coal <br />mining operation will meet the approved permanent program's performance standards. If it does <br />comply, Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology issues the applicant a pennit to conduct <br />coal mining operations. USDI Office of Surface Mining and Enforcement, BLM, and other <br />Federal agencies including the Forest Service (if National Forest lands are involved) review the <br />pen-nit application package to ensure that it contains the necessary information for compliance <br />with the coal lease, the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the National Environmental <br />Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and other applicable Federal laws and their attendant <br />regulations (Clean Water Act). The USDI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and <br />Enforcement recommends approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the Mineral <br />Leasing Act mining plan to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Land and Minerals <br />Management. Before the mining plan can be approved, the USDI Office of Surface Mining <br />Reclamation and Enforcement obtains input from BLM and the surface managing agency (if <br />other than BLM). <br />Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology enforces the performance standards and permit is <br />requirements during the mine's operation and has primary authority in enviromnental <br />emergencies. OSM retains oversight responsibility for this enforcement. BLM and the surface <br />management agency (in this case the Forest Service) have authority in emergency situations in <br />which the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology or OSM inspectors cannot act before <br />environmental harm or damage occurs. <br />As part of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology permitting process, a new mining <br />operations plan or an amendment to an existing plan would be developed to show how lands in <br />the lease tract would be mined and reclaimed. Specific impacts that would occur during mining <br />would be addressed in the permit or revision, and specific measures for anticipated impacts <br />would be identified at that time. <br />The Multiple-use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 declared that NFS lands are.to be administered for <br />outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed and wildlife and fish purposes, but also expressly <br />provides that the Act shall not be construed to affect the use or administration of mineral <br />resources on NFS lands. <br />The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 states in part that it is the "continuing policy of the <br />Federal government in the national interest to foster and encourage private enterprise in the <br />development of economically sound and stable domestic mining minerals and mineral <br />reclamation industries, ... (and) the orderly and economic development of domestic mineral • <br />resources..." <br />1)