_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 ‎(251)‎

• Permit No: C1981017
• IBM Index Class Name: GENERAL DOCUMENTS
• Doc Name: Bid Documents ‎(IMP)‎ 1993 Correspondence
• Permit Index Doc Type: General Correspondence
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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��;;"zthiited States Forest White River Sopris Ranger District
v�department of Service National P.O. -Box 309� 816z3
Agrieulture Forest Carbondale,
[phone]
Reply: 2720
Date: December 10, 1993
Mr. Robert Hagen
Director, Albuquerque Field Office
Office of Surface Mining, Suite 1200
505 Marquette Avenue, N.W. DEC 14 1993
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
Dear Mr. Hagen: `g
As per your request, we our addressing the reclamation of Coal Basin on the
White River National Forest, Colorado, as a result of Mid-Continent Resources
(MCR) bankruptcy in 1991 . More specifically, we would like to address the
reclamation of the roads on National Forest.
When my predecessor reviewed MCR's last reclamation plan (1987) , the following
events were working in Coal Basin. There was no hint of a bankruptcy and
discontinuation of coal mining operations; in fact, all indications pointed to
MCR having the coal resources, the market, and the ability to mine coal well
into the 21st Century. Coal Basin had an inventoried ski area as a result of
our Forest Plan efforts in 1981 . The roads in Coal Basin were under permit to
and built by MCR to mine coal, and when MCR ran out of coal indications were
that the roads would be needed to access the potential ski area. These events
gave the staff of the Sopris District a sense of security that MCR was going to
be a continuing operation, and more reclamation plans would be forth coming in
upcoming decades as more ground disturbance was bound to occur. The
Reclamation Plan even recognized this and there is language in it that states
detailed reclamation plans would be prepared the closer the mine got to fully
extracting the coal resource. Admittedly, not much Forest Service specialist
or staff time was spent reviewing the 1987 reclamation plan presented to the
District.
When MCR's bankruptcy happened in 1991 , it caught the Forest Service with the
realization that reclamation would need to occur in Coal Basin. We had at the
same time taken a realistic look at what the recreation public wanted to do in
Coal Basin, since they had been basically shut out of the area for 35 years for
safety and mine security reasons. The District had also realized that a ski
area was not, for many reasons, in the best interest for Coal Basin. We along
with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and the public had noticed that during
major storm events the streams and rivers were carrying a large sediment load,
some of which could be contributed to the roads. We set a priority for our
Forest soil scientist, hydrologist, fisheries biologist, and zone engineer to
look at these roads, and they confirmed that these roads were causing some
environmental damage. They -also advised the roads were sliding off the very
steep slopes characteristic of Coal Basin, and trying to keep them in place
would be a continual monetary drain on the Forest Service resources. We now
have better data to make a more informed decision.
Caring for the Lend and Sowing People
FS-8200-28(7-82)