King II Mine
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King II Mine is a U.S. coal mine in Hesperus, Colorado, owned by GCC Energy.
Contents
Location
The below satellite image shows the location of the King II coal mine in Hesperus, Colorado.
Background
The King II mine is located in La Plata County in southwestern Colorado, approximately 6 miles west-southwest of Hesperus, Colorado, and about 14 miles west of Durango, Colorado.[1]
Workings at the original mine (King I) were depleted in 2009 and those portals have been sealed. The King II surface facilities were constructed in 2008.[2]
The mine supplies low-ash, low mercury super-compliant, bituminous coal to GCC Energy's domestic and international customers predominantly for the purpose of manufacturing cement and concrete, but also to power the famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad located in Durango.[3]
Expansion
On January 10, 2018, GCC Energy submitted a lease by application for a proposed new federal coal lease to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office. The proposed new lease would contain approximately 2,462 acres located adjacent to and immediately northwest of the King II Mine and existing federal coal lease. Known as the "Dunn Ranch Area," the proposed lease area consists of federal coal beneath surface estate predominantly owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, along with a smaller amount of other private surface owners and BLM-administered surface estate.[1]
On October 11, 2019, the BLM approved GCC Energy's proposal. Before mining can occur, GCC Energy must be the highest qualified bidder in the competitive lease sale, after which the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) would make a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management (ASLM) on whether or not to approve the proposed mining plan modification. If approved, construction could begin in 2020.[4]
GCC Energy estimates the coal lease would allow approximately 22 years of additional coal production at the King II mine. The projected mine life and operating plans are anticipated to extend through the year 2043. Without the expansion, the mine life would only extend through the year 2022.[1]
Project Details
- Sponsor: GCC Energy LLC
- Parent Company: GCC Energy LLC
- Location: Hesperus, Colorado, United States
- GPS Coordinates: 37.247171, -108.131691 (exact)
- Status Operating
- Production Capacity: 600,000 to 800,000 tons per year[1]
- Total Resource:
- Mineable Reserves:
- Coal type: Bituminous
- Mine Size: 2,812 acres
- Mine Type: Underground
- Start Year: 2007
- Source of Financing:
Project Expansion Details
- Status: Proposed
- Production Capacity: 600,000 to 800,000 tons per year (proposed)[1]
- Mineable Reserves: 9.5 million tons
- Mine Expansion Size: 2,462 acres
- Start Year: 2020 (proposed)
- Source of Financing:
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
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- Coal phase-out
- Headquarters of U.S. coal mining companies
- Global list of coal mining companies and agencies
- Proposed coal mines
To see a listing of coal mines in a particular state, click on the map:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bureau of Land Management Final Environmental Assessment Bureau of Land Management Colorado, Oct. 11, 2019.
- ↑ Colorado Coal Mines - Activity Status Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, accessed November 2019.
- ↑ About Us GCC Energy, accessed November 2019.
- ↑ King II Dunn Ranch Area Coal Lease-by-Application & Mine Plan Modification project ePlanning site Bureau of Land Management Colorado, accessed November 2019.
