In the days following the Jan. 18, 2023, rockslide at the limestone quarry, Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) staff inspected the quarry and issued a notice of possible violation to Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI).
The matter was set for a formal public hearing on April 19 before the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board. (The board is an appointed panel that considers permit violations and imposes penalties and remedies.)
On April 19, the MLRB inked a Stipulated Agreement with RMI in lieu of holding the formal public hearing.
Conditions of the Stipulated Agreement are:
- RMI acknowledges “awareness” of its failure to protect areas outside its permit boundary from slides or damage.
- A cease-and-desist order is imposed on the production bench until a technical revision to RMI’s mining permit is approved by DRMS.
- RMI must seek a technical revision to its permit to establish a long-term geologic monitoring and stability plan. The application must include a geotechnical stability plan prepared by an accredited engineering firm.
- RMI must coordinate its efforts with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure that monitoring and stability analysis and plans meet their requirements.
- Any disturbance to lands outside RMI’s state mining permit boundary will require a permit amendment.
- Failure to comply may lead to an enforcement hearing before the MLRB.
Watch the 10-minute MLRB hearing on the DRMS YouTube channel. (Fast-forward to 0:40:00 to view the RMI agenda item.)
Download the Stipulated Agreement. (4 pages, 338 KB)
Visit the quarry rockslide information page on this website.