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I. PROCEDURES AND SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS <br />Coors Energy Company applied for a bond release (Phase II) on a portion of the Keenesburg Strip <br />Mine, consisting of 51.05 acres, that has been reclaimed in accordance with the Colorado Surface <br />Coal Mining and Reclamation Act. The mine is located in Weld County, in all or portions of <br />Sections 2 and 11, T2N, R64W; and Sections 25 and 36, T3N, R64W; 6th Principal Meridian. <br />Coors Energy Company (CEC) has previously requested and been approved for four bond releases. <br />Bond release SL was approved on August 11, 1998 for Phase I on 179 acres and Phase II on 111 <br />acres. Bond release SLl released $1,787,113.00 of the reclamation liability. <br />A second bond release, SL2, was approved August 31, 2005. Bond release SL2 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 53.90 acres. The Division approved the release of $130,189.80 of the <br />reclamation liability for Phase II bond release on ten (10) reclamation parcels. <br />A fourth bond release application, SL4, was approved on January 8, 2010. Bond release SL4 was a <br />Phase III bond release of 165.29 acres. The Division approved the release of $167,911.00 of the <br />reclamation liability for bond release on 17 reclamation parcels. <br />The Division received CEC's application for a Phase II bond release (SL -05) on a 51.05 -acre <br />portion of the reclaimed area on February 19, 2010. Following four consecutive weeks of <br />publication of the public notice in the Fort Lupton Press, the application was deemed complete on <br />April 12, 2010. CEC also notified landowners within and adjacent to the mine permit area and <br />other interested parties of the application for bond release as required by Rule 3.03.2(1). No <br />comments, written objections, or requests for an informal conference regarding the bond release <br />application were received by the Division. <br />The Division conducted a bond release inspection on April 22, 2010. The site inspection was <br />conducted in accordance with Rule 3.03.2(2). Persons at the bond release inspection included. Mr. <br />Don MacDonald and Mr. Danny Kipp, representing Coors Energy Company (CEC); Robert Zuber, <br />Dan Hernandez, and Janet Binns of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety; <br />Christine Belka of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM); and Mike <br />Savage, of Savage and Savage, a CEC consultant. The surface ownership of the property included <br />in the bond release area is privately owned by CEC. <br />The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Hazardous Materials and Waste <br />Management Division, Solid Waste Unit (CDPHE -SWU) was notified of the SL -05 bond release <br />application by mail and by telephone. Ms. Cindy Smith of CDPHE -SWU stated in a phone <br />conversation on March 30, 2010 that representatives of the Solid Waste Unit did not need to inspect <br />the bond release areas at the Keenesburg Mine prior to the Division's proposed decision. <br />The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment was also notified of the SL -05 <br />C1981 -028, SL -05 3 9/10/2010 <br />