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The Wyodak Resources Development Corp. d/b/a Black Hills Energy of Wyodak Mine (Permit No. 232-T9), 3338 Garner Lake Road, Gillette, Wyoming 82716 has applied for Phase 1 & 2 bond release from the Land Quality Division of the Environmental Quality Department for the State of Wyoming. This permit was originally approved on 11/26/1974 The coal mining permit area is located in: W1/2W1/2W1/2 of Section 4; NE1/4 (part) of Section 7, Section 8, Section 9; S1/2 (part), NW1/4(part) S1/2 S1/2(part) of Section 10; N1/2 SW1/4 (part), N1/2 SE1/4 (part), SW1/4 (part) of Section 11; W1/2, W1/2 E1/2, W1/2 E1/2 E1/2 (part) of Section 15; Section 16; Section 17; NE1/4, N1/2 NW1/4 of Section 20; Section 21; NW1/4, W1/2 NE1/4, N1/2 SW1/4, W1/2 SE1/4 SW1/4, SW1/4 SW1/4 (part), E1/2 SE1/4 SW1/4 (part), SW1/4 SE1/4 (part) of Section 22; NW1/4 (part), N1/2 NE1/4 (part) of Section 27; N1/2 N1/2, SW1/4 NW1/4, N1/2 N1/2 NW1/4 (part), SE1/4 NW1/4, SW1/4 NE1/4, SE1/4 NE1/4 (part) of Section 28; SE1/4 SE1/4 NE1/4 NE1/4, E1/2 E1/2 SE1/4 NE1/4, NE1/4 NE1/4 SE1/4 (part) of Section 29 of Campbell County, Wyoming. The Wyodak Mine is approximately 5 miles east of Gillette, Wyoming. This area can be found on the Gillette East and Fortin Draw 7.5 minute USGS quadrangle maps. The parcels to be released from bond are located in Sections 9, 15, 16, 21, 22, 28, and 29 in Township 50N, Range 71W. This bond release request includes 87.7 acres of Phase 1 and 155.4 of Phase 2 Bond Release. With this release, Wyodak Mine’s bond will be reduced by $181,968 for the 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2004, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 reclamation of the backfilled portion of Clovis and Peerless pits which have been approved for Rough Backfill (RBV), Soil Depth (SDV), and Stream Channel (SCRV) verification for Phase 1 lands and vegetative cover for Phase 2 lands.
Information regarding the mining operation, reclamation procedures and areas proposed for release may be reviewed in the Office of the Land Quality Division, Department of Environmental Quality in Cheyenne and Sheridan, Wyoming. Written objections to the proposed bond release request must be received by the Administrator of the Land Quality Division, Department of Environmental Quality, 200 W. 17th Street, Suite 10, Cheyenne, WY 82002, before the close of business July 29, 2024. Objections may also be submitted by the same deadline via the Land Quality Division’s electronic comment portal at https://lq.wyomingdeq.commentinput.com/. If written objections are filed, and a public hearing is requested, the Environmental Quality Council (Council) shall hold a public hearing within sixty (60) days after the final date for filing objections unless a different period is stipulated to by all parties. The Council shall publish notice of the time, date, and location of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality of the proposed operation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks immediately prior to the hearing. The hearing shall be conducted as a contested cast in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act (W.S. §16-3-101 through §16-3-115), with a right of judicial review as provided in that act. Without prejudice to the objector or applicant’s right to a hearing before the Council, the Administrator may hold an informal conference to resolve written objections after notification to all parties. The Administrator shall make a record of the conference unless waived by all parties, which shall be accessible to all parties. The Administrator shall furnish all parties of the conference with a written finding of the Division based on the conference, and the reasons for the finding.
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