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reclaimed acres. The area requested for release includes a 125.8 acre block of reclamation in <br />the southeast portion of the permit area referred to as the "East Wadge Area ", along with 8 <br />acres of reclaimed solid waste disposal site in the southwest portion of the permit area, and a <br />1.5 acre corridor associated with new postmining drainage channel PM -12A, located <br />approximately mid -way between the solid waste disposal area and the East Wadge Area. Phase <br />I bond release was initially requested in the SL -1 application, but was not approved at that time. <br />The areas requested for Phase I bond release with this SL4 application are shown on Figure No. <br />1, attached to this document. Not included by SCC in this bond release request, and not yet <br />Phase I released, are the Shop & Facilities including the diesel storage area, and the old and <br />new bone yards. These areas (approximately 40 acres) are shown on Figure No. 2, as disturbed <br />areas not yet bond released. The three previous bond releases at the Seneca II Mine are also <br />shown on Figure No. 2. <br />The SL -4 application for Phase I bond release was received by the Division on October 15, 2008. <br />The application was deemed complete on December 1, 2008, after the Division received proof of <br />publication of the applicant's required public notice. Seneca Coal Company published a notice of <br />the bond release application in Steamboat Pilot once weekly for four consecutive weeks, <br />beginning October 19, 2008. Seneca also notified land owners within and adjacent to the mine <br />permit area, and other interested parties of the application for bond release, as required by Rule <br />3.03.2(1). No comments, written objections, or requests for an informal conference regarding the <br />bond release application were received by the Division. <br />The Division scheduled and conducted a bond release inspection on July 14, 2009. The site <br />inspection was conducted in accordance with Rule 3.03.2(2). Dan Mathews of the Division; <br />Howard Strand of OSMRE -DFD; Jennifer Maiolo of the Bureau of Land Management, - Little Snake <br />Field Office;; and Scott Belden, Ryan Costa, and Roy Karo of Seneca Coal Company attended the <br />inspection. Frank and Ed Camiletti, grazing lessees, attended the initial overview of the inspection <br />but did not participate in the site inspection. No landowners were present during the inspection; <br />however, all land owners were notified of the inspection via certified mail. <br />Adequacy questions and concerns raised by the Division during the inspection are detailed in the <br />Division's inspection report dated September 25, 2009 and are summarized below in Section III of <br />this document. There were no separate adequacy correspondence letters sent to Seneca Coal <br />Company. <br />II. CRITERIA FOR BOND RELEASE <br />Since mining began at Seneca II in 1972 prior to Colorado's permanent regulatory program, <br />affected lands within Seneca II Mine fall within pre -law, interim program and permanent program <br />categories. All lands within the SL -4 bond release request are permanent program lands. <br />Page 7 of 30 <br />