Craig Daily Press, May 2, 2016

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MONDAY ❖ MAY 2, 2016

MOFFAT COUNTY SWIMMER JESSE KURZ HITS STATE TIME, SEE PAGE 11

craig daily press S E RV I N G C R A I G A N D M O F FAT C O U N T Y

VOL. 117, NO. 5

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Annual horse drive kicks up good time Sombrero Ranches takes 500 equines through Maybell on Sunday By NOELLE LEAVITT RILEY DAILY PRESS EDITOR

CRAIG — The Great American Horse Drive made its way through Maybell on Sunday, entertaining hundreds of spectators as nearly 500 horses were driven from one ranch to another in Moffat County. Each year, Sombrero Ranches hosts the drive in which people from across the world saddle up to take horses from a ranch near Browns Park to a summer pasture roughly 12 miles west of Craig. “I like seeing the kids. It’s fun,” said Zane Bishop, 17, who is the grandson of Rex Walker, owner and operator of Sombrero Ranches. “God blessed us big time.” He was dressed as Zorro on horseback, handing out real coins to children and spectators

noelle leavitt riley/daily press

DOMESTIC HORSES ARE TAKEN FROM one ranch to the other at the Great American Horse Drive on Sunday in Moffat County near Maybell. The horses are domestic and are owned by Rex Walker, who runs the Sombrero Ranch near Browns Park. This year, nearly 500 horses were taken from the Browns Park area to a ranch roughly 12 miles west of Craig. See more photos in a gallery at CraigDailyPress.com.

See HORSES on page 2

Trapper Mine will continue to mine federal coal By PATRICK KELLY DAILY PRESS WRITER

CRAIG — The U.S. Department of the Interior approved a court-ordered environmental assessment of operations at Trapper Mine on Friday, allowing it to continue mining federal coal. The new assessment, which was the result of a successful legal challenge to the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation’s 2009 min-

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ing plan approval for Trapper, allows the mine to access 19.1 million tons of federal coal. “The Department of Interior’s assessment confirmed that Trapper has no significant impact on air or water quality. And once reclamation

CORRECTION

25 cents

In the “Learning Today ... Leading Tomorrow” story from Friday’s Craig Daily Press, Craig Middle School band concert was incorrectly listed. CMS will perform its end-of-year concert at 7 p.m. May 19 at Moffat County High School.

is complete, Trapper has virtually no lasting effect on the surface area in and around the mine — and in many cases actually improves the habitat for wildlife,” said Jim Mattern, Trapper Mining’s president and general manager. Moffat County Commissioners John Kinkaid and Chuck Grobe were both happy to hear the news and clear one more hurdle in maintaining and persevering an industry that is integral to the

WEATHER Chance of storms. High of 60.

regional economy. “It’s a good day for Moffat County,” said Kinkaid on Friday, when the assessment was signed. In May, a federal judge ruled on a complaint brought by the environmental advocacy group WildEarth Guardians. In his decision, Judge R. Brooke Jackson stated that OSMRE failed to facilitate adequate public comment and take into account the indirect impacts of mining coal when it recommend-

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ed approval of mining plans at Trapper and Colowyo Mine. OSMRE was given 120 days to complete a new environmental analysis for Colowyo — a process that was successfully completed Sept. 2, satisfying the judges order and allowing the mine to remain open. Trapper Mine was spared in Jackson’s May ruling, unlike Colowyo Mine, under the pretense that the coal in question

Annie’s Mailbox . . . . . . . . . 13 Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Bulldog Sports . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

See MINE on page 5 Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 13 Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14


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