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<br />Received <br />Mr. Jim Boyd 22 April 2009 <br />District Conservationist APR 27 2000 <br />USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service <br />P.O. Box 29 Lora ,-, <br />Norwood, CO 81423-0488 Dmsion ©g iQ. raabon' <br />nnira and safely . <br />Re: Evaluation of Prime Farmland Soils in the Western Fuels North Adjacent Permit <br />Expansion Area. <br />Dear Jim: <br />This letter is being written as a followup to discussions we had in your office in January, <br />regarding the plans of Western Fuels LLC, to mine a parcel of land located approximately two <br />miles northwest of the Town of Nucla. <br />According to the published soils map for this area, which you provided to us and the information <br />found in Table 6, Prime Farmland, found on page 214 of online version of the, "Soil Survey of <br />the San Miguel Area, Colorado - Parts of Dolores, Montrose, and San Miguel Counties " there <br />is one soils mapping unit found in the proposed mine expansion area that is potentially listed as <br />being an NRCS designated Prime Farmland Soil. This area corresponds to soils mapping unit <br />71, Nyswonger silty clay loam, 1 to 4 percent slopes. According to this information, this soils <br />mapping unit is to be considered "Prime Farmland If Irrigated." <br />In a pre-consultation meeting held with personnel from the Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety in Grand Junction on 2 December 2008, we pointed out that this site was still <br />dominated by natural vegetation consisting mostly of Wyoming Big Sagebrush and there was no <br />evidence of any ditches, either active or abandoned, that are located in this area. We thought that <br />this information would adequately address this issue and lead to a negative determination of the <br />presence of any Prime Farmland Soil being located within this proposed mine: expansion area <br />However, the Division responded that if would be necessary for us to obtain a, letter from your <br />office indicating that the MRCS concurred with our interpretation that there was no Prime <br />Farmland Soil located in this proposed mine expansion area Thus, this letter. <br />The proposed mine expansion area consists of approximately 320 acres and is located in the in <br />the West V2 of Section 25 of Township 47 North, Range 16 West. The entire parcel is located <br />with the area north of Montrose County Road.AA Road, west of County Road 26.50 Road, south <br />of County Road Z and east of County Road 2600 Road, within the boundaries; of the area <br />designated on the enclosed map. The entire parcel is located within the boundaries of Sheet 10 <br />of 43 of the "Soil Survey of the San Miguel Area, Colorado - Parts of Dolores, Montrose, and <br />San Miguel Counties " <br />To refresh your memory, while in your office, you provided me with copies of various other <br />items related to this matter. Namely, the June 1978 "SCS - Land Use and Natural Plant <br />Communities Map" The SCS 1973 Aerial Photography at a scale of V equals 24,000' and the 2 <br />June 1993 NRCS Aerial Photograph NAPP-6710-277 at a scale of 1 " equals 660 feet. My