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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />C O L O P A D O <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />D t v t s ION o f <br />RECLAMATION <br />Phone: (303) 866 -3567 <br />MINING <br />FAX: (303) 832 -8106 <br />—&— <br />November 16, 2009 <br />SAFETY <br />Mr. Jim Fulton <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Office of Surface Mining <br />Governor <br />1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Denver, CO 80202 <br />Executive Director <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Re: Termination of Jurisdiction for the Arness- McGriffin Mine, DRMS file C -81 -042 <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />Dear Sir or Madam <br />The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division) is initiating the process of terminating its <br />jurisdiction over the reclaimed Arness- McGriffin Mine. The Arness- McGriffin Mine is an underground coal mine where <br />mining activities were most recently conducted under Minerals Program permit 77 -3 ug/c, which expired in 1981. The <br />site is located in La Plata County, Colorado, 4.5 miles west of the town of Durango, next to U.S. Highway 160 on the <br />north side of the road. The permit area is located on private land in the SWt/ Section 16, T35N, R10W, of the New <br />Mexico Principal Meridian. Coal ownership is state. The permit area encompassed 40 acres, of which approximately 5 <br />acres of land surface were disturbed. <br />The operator of the mine was Arness and McGriffin Coal Company who held Minerals Program permit 77 -3 ug/c, issued <br />in 1977. The operator applied for a coal mining and reclamation permit (file no. C -81 -042), but did not complete the <br />application process. The permittee had disturbed 5 acres on the site in preparation for underground mining, but ceased <br />operations prior to excavating a portal and underground entries. The Mined Land Reclamation Board issued a Cessation <br />Order in 1984, and ordered forfeiture of the $13,750 of reclamation bond that had been associated with permit 77 -3 ug/c. <br />The Division reclaimed the disturbed area on the Arness- McGriffin site in 1989 and 1990, using all of the funds from the <br />forfeiture of bond associated with permit 77 -3 ug/c. Reclamation work included backfilling the portal face -up area, <br />replacing growth medium, and seeding. In 2000, the Division had a private contractor regrade the access road and install <br />a post and cable guardrail next to the road in the portal face -up area. No additional funds are available for reclamation or <br />site maintenance. <br />Successful achievement of reclamation of the site has been demonstrated during the last 19 years by: stability of slopes; <br />local successful revegetation of grasses, forbs, and shrubs; lack of noxious weeds on most of the site; minimization of <br />impacts to the hydrologic balance within the previously permitted area; and prevention of material damage to the <br />hydrologic balance outside of the permitted area. <br />Written comments, objections, and requests for an informal conference or a formal public hearing before the Colorado <br />Mined Land Reclamation Board may be submitted to the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology at the address above <br />within 30 days of the site inspection that will be conducted for this termination of jurisdiction. If you have any questions, <br />comments, or concerns regarding this termination of jurisdiction, please contact the Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety at 1313 Sherman St, Room 215, Denver, Colorado, 80203 or call (303) 866 -3567, extension 8128. <br />Sincerely, <br />I�lar- <br />Tom Kaldenbach <br />Environmental Protection Specialist 4ce (- �C� , `� 0D 8 �kyD OW-1 SDIS '16-S <br />Office of <br />Office of <br />ive and Inactive Mines <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Act <br />