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I. PROCEDURES AND SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS
<br />Coors Energy Company applied for a final bond release (Phase III) on a portion of the Keenesburg
<br />Strip Mine, consisting of 165.29 acres, that has been reclaimed in accordance with the Colorado
<br />Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act. The mine is located in Weld County, in all or portions
<br />of Sections 2 and 11, T2N, R64W; and Sections 25 and 36, T3N, R64W; 6th Principal Meridian.
<br />The mine area is located in:
<br />Township 3 North, Range 64 West
<br />Sections 25 and 36
<br />Coors Energy Company (CEC) has previously requested and been approved for three bond releases.
<br />Bond release SL1 was approved on August 11, 1998 for Phase I on 179 acres and Phase II on 111
<br />acres. Bond release SL1 released $1,787,113.00 of the reclamation bond.
<br />A second bond release, SL2, was approved August 31, 2005. Bond release No. 2 approved Phase I
<br />release on 51.76 acres. The Division approved $287,918.00 for release from the reclamation
<br />liability for ten (10) reclamation parcels included in the request.
<br />A third bond release application, SL3, was approved on April 18, 2006. Bond release SL3 was a
<br />Phase II bond release. The Division approved the release of $130,189.80 of the reclamation bond
<br />for Phase II bond release on ten reclamation parcels.
<br />The Division received Coors Energy Company's application for a final (Phase III) bond release
<br />(SL4) on a 165.29 acre portion of the reclaimed area, on March 16, 2009. Following four
<br />consecutive weeks of publication of the public notice in the Fort Lupton Press, the application was
<br />deemed complete on May 8, 2009. The Division conducted a bond release inspection on May 14,
<br />2009. The site inspection was conducted in accordance with Rule 3.03.2(2). Persons at the bond
<br />release inspection included Mr. Don MacDonald and Mr. Danny Kipp, representing Coors Energy
<br />Company, and Janet Binns of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. The
<br />surface ownership of the property included in the bond release area is privately owned by Coors
<br />Energy Company.
<br />II. CRITERIA AND SCHEDULE FOR BOND RELEASE
<br />PHASEI
<br />Rule 3.03.1(2)(a) states, "Up to sixty percent of the applicable bond amount shall be released when
<br />the permittee successfully completes backfilling, regrading, and drainage control in accordance with
<br />the approved reclamation plan." With regard to Phase I bond release, the approved reclamation plan
<br />for the Keenesburg Strip Mine calls for backfilling mine pits to the approximate original contour
<br />(permit page 113). All parcels included in SL4 (1, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26,
<br />27, and 28) have previously received Phase I bond release approval.
<br />C1981-028, SL4 3 9/21/2009
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