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Dear Ms. Janet Binns: <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />Janet Binns, Environmental Protection Specialist <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety <br />The Centennial Building <br />1313 Sherman St., Rm. 215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING <br />Reclamation and Enforcement <br />Western Region Office <br />1999 Broadway, Suite 3320 <br />Denver, CO 80202 -3050 <br />December 14, 2012 <br />Reco <br />DEC 1'L0% <br />pivision of Re \aie y,on, <br />CO -0015 <br />RE: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement section 7 coordination with the <br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife for proposed actions at Colowyo Mine within Moffat County and <br />Rio Blanco County, Colorado, State Permit C- 1981 -019 <br />The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's Western Region (OSM) <br />conducted a section 7 biological assessment (BA) on the Colowyo Mine as requested by the <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS). OSM coordinated with the U.S. <br />Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for federally listed protected species within Moffat County <br />and Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The concluding determinations of effects of Colowyo Mine <br />proposed actions on Threatened and/or Endangered and/or their critical habitats were as follows: <br />Humpback chub (Gila cypha) <br />• since drainage from the Collom Expansion mining area does not enter the Colorado River <br />drainages, the mining activity will not affect the Humpback chub <br />Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) <br />• due to the possible occurrence of Colorado pikeminnow in the Green River, which <br />receives tributary waters from the project area and an estimated water depletion amount <br />of 36 acre -feet per year, the Collom Expansion mining activities may effect, and is likely <br />to adversely affect the Colorado pikeminnow <br />Bonytail chub (Gila elegans) <br />• due to the possible occurrence of Bonytail chub in the Green River, which receives <br />tributary waters from the project area and an estimated water depletion amount of 36 <br />acre -feet per year, the Collom Expansion mining activities may effect, and is likely to <br />adversely affect the Bonytail chub <br />