2011-10-17_REVISION - C1981008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

United States Department of the Interior° OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING Reclamation and Enforcement Western Region Office 1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 Denver, CO 80202 -3050 October 14, 2011 Mr. David Berry Director, Coal Regulatory Program Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety 1313 Sherman St. Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Dear Mr. Berry: OSM Review Comments OCI 1 1 201 01V151011 01 vwC t n, Mining and Re: Technical Review Comments — Permit Revision Application TR -61: Western Fuels - Colorado's Proposed Soil/Overburden Sampling and Analysis Plan for the New Horizon Mine In a letter to the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) dated August 1, 2011, OSM had expressed concerns regarding the soil handling procedures included within approved Permit C- 1981 -008 for the New Horizon Mine, located near Nucla, Colorado. In response to a letter from DRMS dated August 8, 2011, in a submittal dated September 30, 2011, Western Fuels — Colorado (WFC), the mine operator, proposed a technical revision application (TR -61) for Mine Permit C- 1981 -008, as an initial step in addressing the soil handling concerns previously identified. The proposed permit revision application includes a plan to conduct sampling and analysis of identified in -place undisturbed soil and stockpiled soil materials, as well as overburden materials that have been redistributed over previously mined lands and graded. Undisturbed Native Soil Proposed within the permit revision application is a plan to conduct a soil survey on the undisturbed portion of the Morgan property. The revision application includes the following Permit Revision Application TR -61 generally addresses the need for WFC to obtain additional chemical and physical data for the undistributed soil, reclaimed areas, and stockpiled soil on the Morgan property, for the purpose of determining what steps (if any) need to be taken to ensure that the prime farmlands mined on this property are eventually reclaimed to a condition that reasonably restores the agricultural yield capability that existed prior to mining. At the request of and in cooperation with DRMS, our office has conducted a technical review of the plans included within WFC's TR -61 submittal. The OSM review comments herein address areas within WFC's proposed soil sampling/analysis plans where additional detail and specificity is needed to enable the development of a revised plan which may adequately determine the capabilities of the soil materials proposed for use in prime farmland reclamation.