Proposed air permit for Colowyo released for public comment

RBC | The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released the proposed air permit for the Collom development project at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Colowyo Mine. Public comments on the permit will be accepted through Jan. 28, 2018.
The air permit is required for operations at the northwest Colorado mine to continue. The mine provides a stable fuel supply for electricity generation, more than 200 mining jobs, a $200 million impact to the regional economy and $12 million in local, state and federal tax revenues.
In developing the air permit, CDPHE modeled and analyzed potential emissions from mining operations and set requirements to protect air quality.
“We commend state regulators for their thorough work on the permit,” said Mike McInnes, CEO of Tri-State. “The permit sets stringent requirements and protects public health and the environment. With the issuance of the permit, operations can continue at Colowyo Mine.”
“An important part of the air permitting process is the public comment period,” said Chris McCourt, manager of Colowyo Mine. “It’s important that the community’s voices continue to be heard.”
In January 2017, federal officials approved a mining plan for the Collom project at Colowyo Mine. The approved mining plan includes safeguards for the environment and greater sage-grouse habitat.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., is a wholesale power supplier, operating on a not-for-profit basis, to 43 electric cooperatives and public power districts that serve more than one million consumers throughout nearly 200,000 square-miles of Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. Colowyo Coal Company L.P., a Tri-State subsidiary, operates Colowyo Mine. For more information, visit www.tristate.coop.