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Home My WebLink About20111066.tiff � f 1 v 11: .te019114 kk ENERGY COMPANY Og P.O.BOX 467 GOLDEN, COLORADO 80402 April 25,2011 City Clerk's Office Keenesburg Town Hall 140 South Main Keenesburg, Colorado 80643 Weld County Clerk&Recorder P.O. Box 459 Greeley, Colorado 80632 Re: Technical Revision No. 42 Incidental Boundary Change Keenesburg Mine Keenesburg, Colorado Ladies and Gentlemen: In accordance with the rules and regulations governing coal mining and reclamation operations in the State of Colorado, public notice and a public review period is to be provided when a Technical Revision to an existing Permit is proposed. Coors Energy Company has submitted its Technical Revision No. 42,requesting approval of an incidental boundary change for the Keenesburg Mine near Keenesburg, Colorado. This change will result in a small (57 acre) reduction in the size of the Permit Area. When approved, the modification will accommodate additional oil and gas exploration activity outside of the revised Permit area. Notice has been placed in a newspaper closest to the operations site (the Ft. Lupton Press) and a copy of the proposed Technical Revision documentation is enclosed. Please place this letter and the enclosed documents in a location where they can be made available to members of the public who wish to review the contents. Thank you for your assistance. Sinc Donald W. Manager, Energy Services Enclosures -kbkjc, R(Art t, 2011-1066 - a 1)t).-.\ q II • Ift ce0014 ENERGY COMPANY V.O.BOX 467 GOLDEN, COLORADO 80402 April 4, 2011 Mr. Robert Zuber Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety Department of Natural Resources 1313 Sherman Street,Room 215 Denver, Colorado 80203 Re: Technical Revision No 42 Modification of Permit Boundary Keenesburg Mine Site Permit No. C-+981-028 Dear Mr. Zuber: The purpose of this Technical Revision No.42 is to request consideration by the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety(DRMS)for an adjustment of the mine permit boundary for Permit C- 1981-028. Coors Energy Company (CEC) submits this request following a review of miscellaneous oil and gas activities contemplated by Petroleum Development Corporation (PDC), the owner of the oil and gas mineral interests beneath portions of the Keenesburg Mine site, specifically Section 25. PDC is indicating that they have received Colorado Oil and Gas Commission approval to pursue a"horizontal" well.. The well will be drilled from an oversized pad located adjacent to and including the west edge of the present CEC property/permit line. In anticipation of this contemplated activity by others, and the associated disturbances, CEC seeks approval to remove from the Permit Area a 400 foot wide strip of land along the entire west edge of the present permit boundary. With the exception of a negligible portion(2+ acres), once used for an evaporation pit and currently Phase III released, this entire west 400 feet of the currently described Permit Area has not been disturbed by coal mining operations. The area is currently described on the mine maps as, "Natural Undisturbed". CEC is submitting its request for an Incidental Boundary Change together with copies of revised documents applicable to the Permit, along with a proposed"Public Notice". The notice will be placed in the local newspaper when CEC receives concurrence from DRMS as to format and content. Copies of the Technical Revision 42 Application will be delivered to the Keenesburg Town Hall and to the Weld County Clerk and Recorder's office for public review once approval is received, and concurrent with publication of the Public Notice. 0 • CEC believes that the documentation herein submitted is complete and sufficient for the processing of Technical Revision No.42. However, should there be questions, please contact us at 303 927-3670. Sincerel Donald W. MacDonald Manager, Energy Services Enclosures (3 copies) • • .-tts COLORADO DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY ` ;A;,/- 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215, Denver, Colorado 80203, (303) 866-3567 • APPLICATION FORM FOR A REVISION TO A COAL MINING AND RECLAMATION PERMIT This form must be completed and submitted with all requests for minor revisions, as defined in Rule 1.04(73), technical revisions, as defined in Rule 1.04(136), and permit revisions, as defined in Rule 1.04(90). All revisions are to address the requirements of Rule 2.08.4. Three (3) copies of the revision, including maps, must be submitted in order for it to be complete. All revisions are to be formatted so they can be inserted into the permit to replace the revised sections, maps, tables and/or figures, with a revised table of contents, if necessary. The revision submittal date should be printed in the lower right corner of each revision page. A cover letter to the revision should explain the nature of the revision and reference the specific permit sections being revised. For federal mines, a copy of the revision application must be submitted to all agencies on the federal mailing list (except OSM) at the same time the application is submitted to the Division, and proof of distribution must be submitted to the Division along with the application. Copies of revision pages modified during the review process must be distributed in the same manner, along with proof of distribution. Proof of distribution must be submitted prior to implementation of the revision. Permit No.: C - 1981 - 028 Date: 04 / 04 / 2011 Permittee: Coors Energy Company • Street: P.O. Box 467 City: Golden State: CO Zip Code: 80402 - 0467 Brief Description of Revision: Incidental Boundary Change -- Adjust West Side of Permit Area Public Notice Attached: Yes g No_ (Required for PRs and TRs) Bond Increase: Yes_ No X Federal _ Non-Federal x Mine Proposed Change in: Permit Area - Surface Ownership - Disturbed (+/-)_ = 2 . 3 Acres Private Land (+/-)= 5 7 . 1 Acres Permit (+/-) - 1 L . 1 Acres Federal Land (+/-)_ _ Q . _Acres • Affected (+/-)_ = 2 . 3 Acres State Land (+/-) _ _ 4 . _Acres Mineral Ownership - Mineral Private (+/-)= 4 6 . 6 Acres Mineral State (+/-) - 1 0 . 5 Acres Mineral Federal (+/-)_ _ 0 . _Acres • PUBLIC NOTICE Coors Energy Company (CEC), P.O. Box 467, Golden, CO 80402, (303) 927-3670, has applied to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety (CDRMS) for a technical revision to remove from the Permit Area a tract of acreage in Sections 25 and 36, Township 3 North, Range 64 West, 6th P.M. The tract of acreage, while presently included within the Permit Area of the Keenesburg Mine, has not (with only a small exception) been disturbed by mining, or by the subsequent disposal/reclamation activities. Coors Energy Company owns and operates the Keenesburg Mine under the current CDRMS Permit C- 1981-028. The Keenesburg Mine is located 7 miles north of Keenesburg, Colorado, and is accessed by Weld County Road 59. The USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle maps "Klug Ranch" and "Tampa" contain the described operation. The permitted area is portions of Sections 25 and 36, T3N- R64W, 6th Principal Meridian, Weld County, Colorado. A more exact • description of the permit boundary, included herein by reference, may be found in the Permit Application Package under "Legal Description". Copies of the application may be viewed at the Town Hall 140 S. Main, Keenesburg, Colorado; at the Weld County Clerk and Recorder's Office, 1402 N. 17`h Ave., Greeley, Colorado; and at the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215,Denver, Colorado 80203, (303) 866-3567. Copies of the Permit Application Package are on file at the Keenesburg Mine Site and at the offices of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety. All comments, objections, and requests must be submitted in writing to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety at the above address. The public comment period extends for ten days following the date of publication of this notice. • Published in the Ft. Lupton Press on April , 2011 TECHNICAL REVISION NO. 42 • INCIDENTAL BOUNDARY CHANGE With the submission of this Technical Revision No. 42, Coors Energy Company (CEC) seeks to reduce the size and extent of the Keenesburg Mine Permit Area (Permit Number C-81-028). The reduction will be accomplished by removing a 400 foot wide strip of land (57.07 acres, more or less) along the entire western boundary of the current Permit Area. The acreage will be removed from both Section 25 and Section 36, Township 3 North, Range 64 West, 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. With the exception of a small parcel (2.31 acres, more or less), at the extreme north end of the Permit Area, these lands have not been disturbed by either the mining activities or the subsequent reclamation work associated with the former Keenesburg Coal Mine operation. The small parcel (2.31± acres) was previously part of designated "Area 24" During mining operations it was an extension of the evaporation pond, but with the mining concluded, it is now fully reclaimed and was recently included in an approved "Phase III" acreage release. CEC is being advised that newly planned oil and gas development activities in the area will result in development work along the western property boundary (currently also the Permit Area boundary). While CEC has been successful in persuading the operator to confine the activities to the 400 foot perimeter, we have not been able to deter them further. The proposed 400 foot reduction will still leave a minimum 100 foot buffer • between the Permit Area boundary and the western edge of B-Pit, the closest "disturbed" mining area that has not been fully reclaimed. CEC proposes that the existing west fence line, located approximately 100 feet east of the current Permit Area boundary, would remain in place. The fence's location is currently an advantage in convincing the oil and gas development parties to keep much of their activity further away from the mine reclamation work. The fence has been in place, at its current location, for many years. Submitted with this application are copies (3 each) of the following revised permit pages: - Exhibit "A" —Legal Description—Property - 2.03.6 (2)—Page 15 - Right of Entry and Operation Information - 2.04.7 —Pages 60-61 —Mine Boundary Changes - Appendix A-1 —Permit Area Map - Appendix A-2— Surface and Mineral Ownership Map - Appendix A-3 —Adjacent Property Owners Map - Appendix L-5 —Vegetation/Revegetation Map CEC does not seek an adjustment to the bonding amounts with this Technical Revision submittal, since the lands which would be subject to this proposed revision have not become part of any "disturbed acreage" computation, or, in the case of the 2.31± acre parcel (part of Area 24), have previously been released. S The Division's approval of this Technical Revision No. 42, to remove a 400 foot wide • strip of land from the west boundary of the current Permit Area (portions in both Section 25 and Section 36), is hereby requested. • EXHIBIT "A" LEGAL DESCRIPTION - PROPERTY A tract of land in Sections 25 and 36, Township 3 North, Range 64 West, of the 6TH P.M., Weld County, Colorado, described as follows: Beginning at the Northwest corner of Section 25; THENCE South 45°44'19" East, 564.4598 feet to a point 1A, The Permit Beginning; THENCE South 45°44'19"East, 3154.4502 feet to the Center 1/4 corner of Section 25; THENCE North 89°07'15"East, along the East — West centerline of said Section, 2635.63 feet to the East 1/4 corner of Section 25; THENCE South 0°32'57" East, along the east line of said Section, 2639.70 feet to the Southeast corner of Section 25; THENCE South 0°04'57" West along the east line of Section 36; 1201.5094 feet to a point on said east line of Section 36; THENCE South 89°48'08" West, a distance of 1299.1826 feet; THENCE South 3°14'35" West a distance of 685.7649 feet; THENCE • South 88°02'55" West a distance of 673.5076 feet; THENCE South 88°34'13" West a distance of 422.7007 feet; THENCE North 82°35'25" West a distance of 40.8223 feet; THENCE North 77°56'14" West a distance of 977.0058 feet; THENCE North 14°32'15"East a distance of 521.2452 feet; THENCE South 89°47'06"West a distance of 1565.9726 feet to a point 2A; THENCE North 0°04'35"West a distance of 1145.1327 feet to a point 3A on the Southwest Section Line of Section 25; THENCE North 0°36'32" West a distance of 4871.8943 feet to point 1A, the Permit Beginning. Said tract contains 514.50 acres, more or less. Also, various parcels of land in Sections 2 and 11, Township 2 North, Range 64 West, and in Sections 25 and 36, Township 3 North, all of the 6`h P.M., Weld County, Colorado, which define the access road right of way, the topsand storage areas and vegetation plots, as described on the following drawings: Road Easement in S ''/z Section 11 Sheet 2 of 5 dated 2/15/92, 60 foot Access Road Easement Sheet 3 of 5 dated 9/29/92, Sheet 4 of 5 dated 10/3/92 and Sheet 5 of 5 dated 10/6/92, and Permit Area Map dated 03/2000 (last rev. 03/2011), and comprising, in aggregate, 40.94 acres, more or less. The total permit area contains 555.44 acres, more or less. 04/11 • 2.03.6 (2) Following are copies of the documents of conveyance granting to Applicant the right to extract coal by surface mining methods in such instance where the private mineral estate is severed from the private surface estate. Also, following is a copy of a General conveyance, Assignment and Transfer document to Coors Energy Company from Adolph Coors Company. In 1993, both the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology and the Weld County Commissioners approved a Mine Boundary Change. This change released and vacated from the Permit Area and the Certificate of Designation, Sections 26 and 35, all in Township 3 North, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. Coors Energy Company had never disturbed the lands in these sections with its ash disposal or mining activities and has no future plans to do so. In 2000, the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology approved a further Mine Boundary Change. This change released and vacated from the Permit Area a portion of Section 36, Township 3 North, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County Colorado. The Weld County Certificate of Designation is unaffected by this change since its' described area, "Part of Sections 25 and 36,---" continues to encompass the entire Permit Area, as revised. Except for the installation of • electrical service facilities (no longer owned by Coors) and the main access road (which continues to be part of the Permit Area), Coors Energy Company has not disturbed the lands in this portion of Section 36 with its mining operation, or with the ash/mine waste rock disposal and reclamation activity, and has no future plan to do so. In 2011, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety(formerly CDMG) approved a further Mine Boundary Change. This change released and vacated from the Permit Area a portion of both Sections 25 and 36, Township 3 North, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County Colorado. The Weld County Certificate of Designation is unaffected by this change since its described area, "Part of Sections 25 and 36,---" continues to encompass the entire Permit Area, as revised. Except for a small (2+ acre) area previously used for an evaporation pit, and now totally reclaimed and released from further Permit obligation, Coors Energy Company has not disturbed the lands in these portions of Sections 25 or • 36 with its mining operation, or with the ash/mine waste rock disposal and reclamation activity, and has no future plan to do so. • 15 04/11 Mine Boundary Changes • Change 1• The Division's approval of Technical Revision#30, dated 10/28/94, formalized the process of removing Sections 26 and 35,Township 3 North,Range 64 West, from the Permit Area of the Keenesburg Mine. Coors Energy Company (CEC) recognizes that while these two Sections have not been disturbed by mining or ash/mine waste rock disposal activities, the property was disturbed in the process of gathering baseline groundwater data for the original permit. The following well nests are still located within the area vacated under TR-30: Section 26: wells# 134, 137 & 138; #162 & 163; #171, 172, 173 & 174 Section 35: wells# 132 & 133 The map location of these wells can be found on Figure 3 (page 62). Pursuant to an agreement with Waste Services Company, the Division has been provided with certain baseline information from monitoring and analysis wells located within the boundary of the newly established East Weld Sanitary Landfill (EWSL),to the west of the Keenesburg Mine permit boundary. This information included a drawing of the monitor well locations, a piezometric surface map and baseline date from the existing wells in the EWSL permit area. When it becomes available,the Division is also to be furnished two years of monitoring data from the EWSL Monitoring Wells#s 1, 5, 7, 8,9 & 10. These wells are complete and data is presently • being collected by Waste Services. In accordance with TR-30, CEC will submit a Minor Revision seeking authorization to permanently seal wells: 132, 133, 134, 137, 138, 162, 163, 171, 172, 173 & 174. The sealing procedure will follow Rule 4.07.3 (Permanent Sealing). Once the wells are sealed and site approval has been obtained,CEC will pursue Performance Bond Release as it may be applicable to Sections 26 and 35. CEC does not anticipate that this change of mine boundary will necessitate any modification of the Hydrology Description (Section 2.04.7), or any change to the present ground water monitoring program: i.e. the quarterly monitoring of the following six wells: DH-96(down gradient of Permit Area), DH-122(Ennis Draw), SMW-2 (Spoil area), AMW-1 and AMW-2 (down gradient of ash disposal areas), and FPW (Fire Protection Well). Change 2• Approval of Technical Revision#33,dated 02/16/01, as an incidental boundary change, provided for removal of a portion of Section 36 from the Permit Area of the Keenesburg Mine. The subject acreage was left undisturbed by both the mining and the ash/mine waste rock disposal activities, and was not disturbed by the process of gathering baseline groundwater data for the original permit. No wells have been identified as being located within the area to be removed from the Permit. For this reason, CEC does not anticipate that the mine boundary change will necessitate modification of the Hydrology Description(Section 2.04.7), or any changes to the ground water monitoring program. • 60 04/11 Change 3: • Approval by the Division of Technical Revision#42 , dated 04/_/l I, as an incidental boundary change, removes from the Permit Area of the Keenesburg Mine certain portions of Section 25 and Section 36 along the western boundary. The acreage removed is a 400 foot wide strip of land along the entire western boundary. With the exception of a small (2+acre) parcel,that was previously part of the evaporation ponds, was fully reclaimed, and has subsequently been released (Phase III) from further reclamation obligation; the 400 foot strip has not been disturbed by either the coal mining, or the ash/mine waste rock disposal and reclamation activities. CEC does not anticipate that this mine boundary change will require modification of the Hydrology Description (Section 2.04.7), or any change to the ground water monitoring program(specifically as it relates to the six monitoring wells) since none of the wells are located within or near the area to be removed from the Permit. • • 61 04/11 LARGE MAPS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT THE CLERK TO THE BOARD 'S OFFICE , IN THE PUBLIC REVIEW FILE . Hello