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• 1.1 Location and History of Traooer Mine <br />The Trapper Mine is located in northwest Colorado along the northern slope of the Williams Fork <br />Mountains, approximately four to six miles southwest of the City of Craig. The boundaries of the permit <br />area are about six miles long (east to west) by two miles wide (north to south) (Figure 1.1-1 ). <br />Utah International Inc. began exploration drilling operations for Trapper Mine in 1954 to obtain geologic <br />information on the structure of coal beds and estimates of mineable coal reserves. In 1973, Utah Inter- <br />national Inc. and four electric utilities signed a contract for delivery of coal to fuel the mine mouth Craig <br />Generating Station. This coal delivery obligation of approximately sixty five million tons over a thirty five <br />year period will require strip mining five to six thousand acres of land since the start of mining activities in <br />1977 and continuing into the year 2014. <br />Environmental studies for the Trapper Mine were started in 1972 and intensified in 1973 and 1974. Most <br />of those studies will continue throughout the life of the project. Trapper Mine's objective is to reclaim the <br />disturbed lands to as good as or better condition than before mining. A high priority is attached to the <br />reclamation programs, all of which are designed to protect wildlife, water, air quality and other <br />environmental resources of the mine area. <br />The shop and warehouse buildings were completed in November of 1975, while the office complex was <br />• completed in November of 1976. The construction of the first of three 30 cubic yard walking draglines <br />started in February, 1976. <br />Actual mining operations began in May, 1977, and coal deliveries started in August, 1978. <br />The original owner of Trapper Mine was Utah International, Inc. (Utah), an international mining company. <br />All initial permitting and mining efforts were performed by Utah. In July, 1982, Utah formed a subsidiary <br />called Trapper Mining Inc. to consolidate and hold the properties and rights that make up Trapper Mine. <br />In July, 1983, Trapper Mining Inc. was purchased by the owners of the Craig Generating Station, the <br />electric utility receiving its coal from Trapper Mine. Section 1.2 of this application provides further <br />information concerning the owners of Trapper Mining Inc. <br />r 1 <br />LJ <br />1-2 <br />F?evisior~: P2-s <br />Hpprov'/.i: .3U U3 <br />