Community members in remote Skull Creek, east of Dinosaur, Colo., and west of Massadona, Colo., about 17 miles from the Colorado-Utah border are concerned about impacts from a proposed frac sand pit mine, including truck traffic, noise pollution, water quality and quantity, and proximity to uranium deposits.
According to the Herald Times, Uinta Mining LLC, filed an “application for construction” permit with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety in October 2019. Connected to Alton Coal, from Utah, Uinta Mining filed with the Colorado Secretary of State as a foreign limited liability company with jurisdiction in Nevada and a Naples, Fla., address in November 2019.
The company has leased the Skull Creek property from the Frances Barnett Lewis Trust. The property was previously leased to ranchers for cattle grazing. The HT was unable to reach the Trust by phone before press time.
According to Larry Johnson, who describes himself as a consultant on the project, of the 480 acres in the permit area, only 144 would be affected, and reclamation would take place concurrently. “It’s not leaving a big hole, it would be continually reclaimed,” he said. According to permit documents, the project could produce 1.25 million tons per year.