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TECHNICAL REVISION #014 -;TENMILE TUNNEL REHABILITATION; TAILING DELIVERY <br />LINE; ROBINSON LAKE PUMP STATION/PIPELINE; NEW MILL BUILDING <br />Climax Molybdenum Company <br />Climax Mine -Permit # M-77-493 <br />07 May 2008 <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />The Climax Mine (Climax) is a molybdenum mining and milling operation wholly owned and operated by the <br />Climax Molybdenum Company (CMC). Climax is located in the historic Consolidated Tenmile Mining <br />District completely within a private land block of approximately 14,000 acres straddling the Continental <br />Divide at Fremont Pass. The land ownership lies within Lake, Summit, and Eagle Counties. Climax, one of <br />the world's largest primary producers of molybdenum, was generally in constant operation from about 1917 <br />until the mid-1980s. Climax also operated briefly in 1995. Climax remains an active operation with ongoing <br />and documented closure/reclamation and composting operations, dust control, water treatment, compliance <br />management, and general property management activities. It is estimated that remaining economic ore reserves <br />at Climax total approximately 182.1 million tons. Engineering design, as part of the Climax 2010 Project, is <br />currently in the final planning stages and initial snow removal and drainage activities are commencing. <br />The Mining and Reclamation Permit (Permit) required under the Colorado Mined. Land Reclamation.Act of'.. <br />1976 (Act) was approved by the Colorado Mined Land. Reclamation Board (MLRB) in late 1977 (Permit M- <br />77-493). The. Permit was formally amended in 1.980 (AM-001), 1989 (AM-002), 1997 (AM-003); 2001 (AM- <br />004), and 2006 .(AM-005). In addition, 13 Technical Revisions (TR) to ,the Permit. have been approved by the <br />.Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DBMS),-formerly the Colorado Division of Minerals- <br />, and Geology (DMG). <br />The history of Climax is well documented. Briefly, molybdenite was discovered on Bartlett Mountain in 1916. <br />With the start of World War [, the ore body was developed by underground techniques and production. <br />initiated. The mine closed briefly following the war,.but opened again in the early 1920s. Both production. and <br />the facilities grew for approximately 60 years, reaching a production peak in the late 1970s of approximately <br />50,000 tons per day of ore from both underground and open pit operations. At its peak, Climax employed more <br />than 3,200 people. <br />Beginning in 1982, the world molybdenum market experienced a significant decline. At Climax, production <br />was curtailed causing widespread and large-scale layoffs and facility shutdowns. Climax ceased production <br />and reduced its workforce by more than 3,000 during the early to mid-1980s. By early 1987, the mine was <br />producing at a low rate exclusively from the higher grade portions of the underground facility. Production <br />operations were curtailed later in 1987. At that time, Climax was placed in a ready state, care and maintenance <br />condition as a swing producer capable of production from the open pit as the market dictated. Since that time, <br />Climax has operated as market dictates. Other than a brief period of limited production in early ]995 in <br />response to a short-lived market upswing, recent activities at Climax have involved upgrading and <br />maintenance of the complex water control and treatment system and extensive closure and reclamation of <br />facilities no longer foreseen as required for production. Presently, the operation employs 29 full-time <br />employees and several contractors at the site. Recently, on-Site activities have increased as Climax prepares <br />for the Climax 2010 Restart Project. <br />