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pitkin county <br /> f 506 east main street <br /> aspen, Colorado 81611 <br /> September 19, 19C5 <br /> Air. David Shelton, Director <br /> Mined Land Peclamation Division <br /> 131.3 Sherman Street <br /> Denver, Colorado <br /> P.F: Mid-Continent Resources Dearing before the Mined-Land <br /> Reclamation BoE� rd <br /> Dear Mr. Shelton: <br /> The Pitkin County Commissioners would like to take this opportun- <br /> ity to present to you and your colleagues our viet,,s on the current <br /> proceedings rccarcing t-lid-Continent F:esources ' operation of the <br /> Coal }Basin Mines in Pitkin County. <br /> Paid-Continence Resources has been mining coal in Pitkin County <br /> since 195E and ha:c been operating under the terms of Special Use <br /> Permits from Pitkin County since 1977 . The ori.oinal Special Use <br /> Permit from; Pitkin County addressed Vid--Continent ' s impacts on <br /> air , grater and vegetation resources in the Coal Basin area in <br /> c;etail as well as a Bride range of secondary and socio-economic <br /> impacts. This Permit was , as far as we know, the first regulatory <br /> attempt to quantify and address Mid-Continent ' s environmental <br /> impacts and clearly inuicated Pitkin County 's strong concern with <br /> such impacts . Since that time the Fec'era•l and State governments <br /> have belatedly i;:L-ose6 their own regulatory schercles on coal <br /> mining. ire acknoN•rledged the appropriateness of this development <br /> in 19£'1 , when revised Special Use Per,t,it recognized the state <br /> Mined Land Reclamation Division as having the primary responsi- <br /> bility for enforcing environmental protection standards at the <br /> mine site . Since that time , we have generally confined our <br /> involvement to reviews of MLRD monthly inspection reports and to <br /> regulation of areas outside the responsibility of the MtLRD such <br /> as traffic impacts. <br /> This recital of background information is intended to make the <br /> following points : <br /> 1 . Pitki.n. County has a long history of concern ' for the Coal <br /> Basin and Coal Creek environments as exFre=sed in the 1977 <br /> Special Use Permit and subsequent inspections, hearings, and <br /> technical reviews of on-site conditions. These concerns and <br />