2009-02-04_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2008086

• Permit No: C2008086
• IBM Index Class Name: APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE
• Doc Date: 2/4/2009
• Doc Name: Response to BLM Letter dated 9/15/08
• From: Fish and Wildlife
• To: BLM
• Email Name: MPB
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

pile, railroad loop, the unit train loadout, and a conveyor system to move the coal and
waste rock. Mesa County Road (CR) X (also known as Mitchell Road or Power Line
Road) would be upgraded to serve as the mine access road from SH 139. Construction
was broken down into two phases. Phase I (heavy earthwork) is estimated to take
approximately six months; Phase II structure and installation) would require nine months,
for an estimated total construction time of 12 to 15 months.
Proposed facilities associated with the mine include:
• Portal conveyor transfer buildings
• Fuel oil storage/fueling stations
• Electrical transformers
• Bathhouse/office building/parking lot
• Outdoor material storage areas
• Equipment shop
• Warehouse
• Washbay
• Covered storage
• Sewage treatment plant
• Water.tank
• Water treatment building
• Mine vent fan
• Power line
• Non-coal waste storage
• Rock dust storage
• Pump house
• Conveyor transfer buildings
• Railroad
• Maintenance Road
• Water pipeline and diversion
• Coal storage piles
• Unit train loadout
• Coal preparation plant
• Mine access roads
A number of surface facilities are proposed to support the mining operation including, but
not limited to, a ventilation fan, office, shop, package sewage treatment plant, and raw
coal stockpile. These facilities would be located on the existing and proposed coal leases.
It is also proposed to locate surface facilities on non-leased BLM managed lands for
which a land-use permit will be required. CAM submitted a Land Use Application and
Permit dated February 10, 2006, to BLM for facilities to be located on BLM managed
lands.
Coal would be stored in one of two open stockpiles: run-of-mine or clean coal. There
will be two potential streams of coal that will make up the clean coal pile. They are coal
that has been washed through the preparation plant and raw coal that has bypassed the
preparation plant.
Significant mining of these coal reserves has not occurred because of the remote location
and difficulties and cost to transport the coal to market. A key element of the proposal is
the railroad spur from the Red Cliff Mine to the railroad main line near Mack, Colorado.
The railroad would be located on BLM and private lands, with the railroad connecting to
the existing UPRR near Mack, Colorado. The proposed railroad would traverse
approximately 9.5 miles of BLM land, including one crossing of SH 139 and
approximately 5 miles of private land. The proposed railroad would also cross Mesa CR
M.8, CR 10, and CR T.

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