2010-10-26_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2010089

• Permit No: C2010089
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Date: 10/26/2010
• Doc Name: Completeness Letters
• From: DRMS
• To: State & Federal Agencies
• Email Name: MLT
• Email Name: SB1
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
October 26, 2010
Shina Duvall
Colorado Historical Society
The Colorado History Museum
Office Archeology & Historical Preservation
1560 Broadway, Suite 400
Denver, CO 80202
Re: New Horizon North Mine (Permit No. C-2010-089)
New Permit Application
Dear Ms. Duvall:
COLORADO
D IV IS I ON OF
RECLAMATION
MINING
SAFETY
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
Mike King
Executive Director
Loretta E. Pineda
Director
The Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety hereby issues notice, in accordance with Title 34, Article 33,
Section 118, Paragraph 3 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, that on October 25, 2010, an application for a permit to
conduct coal mining operations at the New Horizon North Mine was considered complete for the purposes of
filing. All review and comment periods as provided in the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act and
the Rules and Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board for Coal Mining initiate from this date
of filing.
The applicant Western Fuels-Colorado, LLC, proposes to conduct surface coal mining operations on land located
approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Nucla. The permit area is further described as follows:
Section 25 and 36, Township 47 North, Range 16 West, New Mexico Prime Meridian
The applicant proposes to develop a new surface coal mine covering approximately 322 acres in the western half
of Section 25. Surface and mineral ownership is private. Current land uses are generally agricultural in nature,
and include irrigated and dryland pasture and grazing land. The proposed post-mining land uses are irrigated and
dryland pasture. The permit area also includes an equipment haul corridor which connects to the currently active
New Horizon 2 Mine (see attached photo).
The above-mentioned tracts of land are shown on USGS 7.5 minute Quadrangle map of Nucla.
In order for us to approve this application, we are required to make a finding that "the proposed operations will not
adversely affect any publicly owned park or place listed on or those places eligible for listing, as determined by the
SHPO, on the National Register of Historic Places, unless approved jointly by the Board and the Federal, State, or
local agency with jurisdiction over the park or place." We request your evaluation and concurrence in order to
make this finding, pursuant to the May 1991 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our agencies.
Please refer to the MOU when undertaking your review.
Enclosed are pertinent portions of the application, including a mine plan map. Please advise us if you require
additional information. In order for us to comply with regulatory time frames, we request that comments be
submitted to Marcia Talvitie, Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, at the above address by 5:00 p.m. on
December 19, 2010. If no comments are received by this date, we will proceed on the assumption that your agency
office of Office of
Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines