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I. PROCEDURES AND SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS
<br />The Roadside Portals (formerly known as the Roadside and Cameo Mines) is an underground
<br />coal mining operation located in Mesa County, approximately three miles northeast of Palisade,
<br />Colorado, adjacent to Interstate 70 and the Colorado River, at the Cameo exit in DeBeque
<br />Canyon. Although the official status of the operation is "Active", there has been no coal
<br />extraction at the mine since December 1999. The operation includes the South Portal Area and
<br />associated facilities and mine workings located east of I-70 and the Colorado River, the North
<br />Portal Area and associated facilities and workings including coal waste disposal sites located to
<br />the west of I-70 and the Colorado River, and the Unit Train Loadout, also located to the west of
<br />I-70 and the Colorado River. With the exception of the train loadout facility, ongoing activity is
<br />limited to monitoring, maintenance, and reclamation. The train loadout facility is approved for
<br />storage and rail loading and unloading of construction materials.
<br />The Xcel Energy Cameo Power Plant, which was a customer for coal from the Roadside Portals
<br />when the mine was operating, is located just south of the North Portal facilities, on the west side
<br />of the river.
<br />Underground mining operations using modern, mechanized methods began in 1974, and
<br />continued, under various operators and with several periods of temporary inactivity, until final
<br />cessation of coal extraction in December 1999. Between 1974 and 1999, approximately 242
<br />acres of surface lands were disturbed in conjunction with the operation, which produced up to
<br />70,000 tons of clean coal per month. Including areas overlying underground workings,
<br />approximately 3,524 acres were affected by the operation, within the 10,310 acre permit area.
<br />During the period of operations, coal was produced from both portals. South Portal operations
<br />ceased in early 1997, and all coal production was shifted to the North Portal. Mining ceased at
<br />the North Portal on December 2, 1999. Both the North and South Portals were subsequently
<br />sealed and reclamation was initiated shortly thereafter. There are no plans for future coal
<br />extraction at the operation, and reclamation work is largely completed.
<br />Following Division approval of bond release request SL-03 in October 2007 releasing full
<br />reclamation liability on 7,294 acres, the permit area now encompasses approximately 3016 acres.
<br />The remaining acreage in the permit boundary include all surface disturbance areas associated
<br />with above ground mine operations, reclamation, and ancillary facilities, including environmental
<br />monitoring site locations. SCC applied for a Phase II and III bond release of 14.8 acres (SL-06)
<br />under the Colorado Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act following final reclamation of the
<br />South Portal and associated facilities.
<br />The mine is located three miles northeast of Palisade, Colorado in Mesa County on lands included
<br />within:
<br />Portions of Sections 26, 27, 28, 34, and 35, T10S, R98W, 6th PM; Portions of Sections 1, 2, 11, 12,
<br />and 13, T11 S, R98W, 6th PM; and Portions of Section 7, T11 S, R97W, 6th PM.
<br />The location of these sections is contained within the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 minute Cameo
<br />and Palisade Quadrangle maps.
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