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<br />Governor Ritter <br />200 East Colfax, Roots 11 36 <br />Denver,, Colorado 80203 <br />January 6, 2010 <br />Tear Governor Ritter; <br />My name is JoElletn 'T'urner and we need your help. I live in Nucla, Colorado and we have <br />property that is presently being mined by a surface coal ?mine, Westem Fuels LLB:. Western <br />Fuels has been doing a very nice job mining and reclairnirig our farms until this last year. Our <br />property has the only designated PRIME FARM LAND iii dais area.. 1:1ne property that they are <br />raining was all in corn and alfalfa fields before they entered it. WFC took some our prime soil <br />for three days and three nights and put it on another mans land that they were reclaiming. When <br />we went to the mine manager, he said, "this is a communist state, those who have give and those <br />who need take." After numerous calls to the, Division of Reclamation, Mining., and Safety, we <br />finally got ; TFC to stop. This soil cannot ever be replaced, and to its, our topsoil is like gold to a <br />miner. <br />I know quite a bit about the law and how all of this works. I know that the Federal government <br />cannot get involved in this until the f.DRMS has gone through all of their processes. I know that <br />the lain says that the "Operator" r gust put the laird back as good as or better than when the <br />operator entered the property and to a higher use according to Federal and State laws. 'T'his is <br />where I need your help. WFC has put out a Permit-Revision that is requesting our paid <br />farmland and most of the nei hborin farms to put in. DR`r I.A' D, not irrigated. a ??IS has <br />no stepped in and just said " NO." The DRMS should be telling the OPERATOR that they must <br />abide by the laws, but they are just stringing them along. The DRMS is making us fight every bit <br />of the way instead of up holding their own laws. The State laws have to be even more strict than <br />tine Federal lags, but we are having to object and write letters and fight every day instead of the <br />DRMI S doing their jobs which is to make sure the OPERATOR does his job. This is prince <br />farmland and we have already been out of production for 10 years.( The law states that it must be <br />putt back in a timely- manner to avoid top soil deterioration) Before WFC began mining, I trot 643 <br />torn of corn off this place and 360 ton of alfalfa hay. We do not raise cattle or livestock, we only <br />raise had- and corn for the 'local ranchers, so if the ravine gees by with putting our farm: back to <br />daylatid, we lase our entire livelihood. I do not know if you have any authority over the DR.MS <br />since the law states that no other state agency can interfere, but I do know that you could help its <br />a great deal by sending an Objection to the Permit-Revision #6 to the DRMS. No one should be. <br />allowed. to put farmlands into diylaand. We need our agricultural production greatly in this <br />economic depressed area. 17he DRNIS has already allowed Western Fuels to turn either farms that <br />were very, nice into drylard. WFC is willfully and knovAngly provided false information to the <br />DRIi!TS and instead of DRMS checking all the facts outs thoroughly, they are accepting what the <br />OPERATOR. is telling therm and allowing therm to do whatever they wart. This is very wooing <br />and against all of their laws. 'T`hese laws were made so that the landowner was protected and the <br />landowners property would be plat back as good if not better Haar- it was when the iniine entered