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Peabody Powder River Mining, LLC, North Antelope Rochelle Mine, of St. Louis, MO (Permit No.
569-T9) has applied for a Phase 3 Bond Release from the Land Quality Division of the Department of
Environmental Quality for the State of Wyoming. This permit was originally approved on December
6, 1984. The coal mining permit area is located in portions or all of: Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17 and 18 in
T41N, R69W; Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29,
30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 in T41N, R70W; Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24, and 25
in T41N, R71W; Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 32 in T42N, R69W; Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 in T42N, R70W; Sections 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 in T42N, R71W; Sections 31 and 32 in T43N, R70W; and Sections 35 and 36 in T43N, R71W; 6th Principal Meridian located in Campbell County, Wyoming. The North Antelope
Rochelle Mine is located approximately 65 miles south of Gillette, Wyoming. This area can be found
on the Coal Bank Draw, Dugout Creek North, Piney Canyon SW, Teckla, Teckla SW, Piney Canyon
NW, Reno Reservoir and Little Thunder Reservoir USGS quadrangle maps. The parcels to be
released from bond are located in Section 7 in T41N, R69W, in Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, and 12 in
T41N, R70W, and in Sections 33, 34, and 35 in T42N, R70W. This bond release request includes
approximately 1,750.4 acres and is for the completion of all reclamation activities through permanent
revegetation. Final revegetation of these parcels began in 1999 and was completed in 2012. The total
amount of bond to be released is $784,932.22 which is 25% of the incremental bond for those 1,750.4
acres.
Information regarding the mining operation, reclamation procedures and areas proposed for release
may be reviewed in the Office of the Land Quality Division of the 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 West 17th Street, Suite 10, Cheyenne, WY 82002, before the close of business October
10, 2022. Objections may also be submitted by the same deadline via the Land Quality Division?s
electronic comment portal at http://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 case 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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