The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) received your comments concerning Peabody Western Coal Company's J-23 Mine Plan Revision Application. In your comments you requested that OSM hold an informal conference regarding the pending application.
Peabody notified OSM by letter dated May 14, 2002, that the Mohave generating station participants and Peabody have identified an alternative source of water from the lower Colorado river to slurry coal from the mine to the generating station, and that plans to commit the resources for constructing the alternative water supply delivery system are linked to a larger decision process for upgrading the generating station's emission control facilities. Peabody indicated that the plans should be finalized and decisions made in the next several months. Peabody also stated that when the plans are finalized, it intends to revise the pending revision application to use the alternative water supply instead of the Navajo Aquifer to slurry the coal.
We believe it would not be an appropriate use of public resources and time to conduct public hearings on the currently proposed revision given the likelihood that it will be substantially revised to eliminate the major concern of the public. Therefore, we have decided to postpone public hearings on the pending permit revision. We will notify you of the specific dates, times and locations of public hearings at least two weeks before the hearings are to be held.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at 303-844-1400 x1496 or by email at ggavette@osmre.gov.
Sincerely,
Jerry D. Gavette, Leader
Black Mesa/Kayenta Mine Team
Program Support Division
-- Carol S. Halberstadt, Migrations
American Indian art and crafts /
Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land
www.migrations.com