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PR Springs Tar Sands

Updates

Update October 25, 2012

The Water Quality Board, in a 9-2 vote, agreed with the recommendations of an administrative law judge (ALJ) regarding a permit-by-rule issued by the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) for an open pit tar sands mine on state land in eastern Utah. The judge found, and the Board concurred, that the DWQ division director did not wrongly interpret or apply the administrative rules in determining that the PR Spring facility could operate under a permit-by-rule, since operations would have a de minimis (minimal) actual or potential impact on ground water in the project area. Read more …

Update October 2, 2012

The Water Quality Board will meet Oct. 24 to decide whether to uphold the administrative law judge’s (ALJ) opinion on the issuance of a permit to U.S. Oil Sands for its PR Spring Mine in the Uintah Basin. The public is invited to attend the meeting, but public comment and testimony will not be received by the Board. The Board will only hear oral argument from the parties to the proceeding. The Board’s deliberations will be limited to the administrative record of the proceeding, the ALJ’s proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, order, and oral argument by the parties. The Board will determine whether to approve the ALJ’s recommended order; approve the recommended order with modification; or disapprove the recommended order. The Bard may also choose to return the matter to the ALJ for further action.

In late August, an administrative law judge issued an order upholding Water Quality staff’s approval of issuing a permit to U.S. Oil Sands due to substantial evidence in the administrative record that no shallow ground water exists in the project area. Further, the judge ruled that even if ground water did exist, the project would pose a minimal risk to the quality of that ground water.

The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. in DEQ’s Board Room, 1015.

Hearing

DEQ provided a live Webcast and Internet feed of the administrative hearing held on Wednesday and Thursday, May 16-17, in the Multi-Agency State Office Building. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) held an evidentiary hearing on the Division of Water Quality’s preliminary approval of a groundwater discharge permit issued to US Oil Sands Inc. for its PR Springs Tar Sands Project.

ALJ hearings are typically not public meetings, and are held only for the involved parties, their attorneys, and witnesses. However, due to public interest, DEQ chose to Webcast the proceedings live.

Here are the evidentiary hearing documents from the May 16-17 hearing:

  • Evidentiary Hearing Index
  • Joint Pre Hearing Statement and Order
  • USOS’s Objections to Testimony

100—Executive Secretary

  • 100—2012 02 29—Expert Report—Robert Herbert
  • 101—Utah Administrative Code R317-6
  • 102—2012 02 29—Expert Report—Mark Novak
  • 103—Freeze R A and Cherry JA 1979 Groundwater
  • 104—Well Driller’s Report

200—Living Rivers

  • 200—William Johnson Direct Testimony 2012 01 20
  • 201—William Johnson Ph D Supplemental Testimony
  • 202—Elliott Lips Direct Testimony
  • 203—Elliott Lips Supplemental Direct Testimony 2012 03 16
  • 204—USEPA—Exposure and Risk Assessment
  • 205—International Program on Chemical Safety
  • 206—Schwarzenback Excerpts
  • 207—Third NOI Pages 27 and 28
  • 208—MacKay and Gschwend Article
  • 209—Red Leaf Application

300—USOS

  • 300—Map—Google Mine Site
  • 301—Map—Google Mine Site with Detailed Overlay
  • 302—Resume of Gerald Park
  • 303—Layne Christensen Memo—Coring Program RFQ-11 02 18
  • 304—2011 Coring Program Maps
  • 305—Summary of 2011 Drilling and Coring Program
  • 306—US Oil Water Well #5 Sonic-c
  • 307—Resume of Robert Bayer
  • 308—USGS Map
  • 309—W005 Wet Hole Report
  • 310—Order of the State Engineer
  • 311—The Water Cycle—Groundwater Storage
  • 312—Science in Your Watershed—General Intro and Hydrologic Definitions
  • 313—American West Analytical Lab Cursory Data Review

Initial Agency Record Index—2012 01 10

  • 1 Letter from Novak (DWQ) to Van Loben Sels (EER) re Oil Extraction from Oil Sands 10-14-05
  • 2 Letter from Novak (DWQ) to Van Loben Sels (EER) re Tar Sands Pilot Project Tailings 12-05-05
  • 3 Request for Permit by Rl Det from Bayer (JBR) Env 02-21-08
    • 3a Letter from DWQ Herbert to EER 03-04-08
  • 4 UT DOH DLS Environmental Chemical Analysis Report 07-03-08
  • 5 EER NOI to Commence Large Mining Operations PR Spring M0470090 May 2009
  • 6 EER Letter to DWQ re 4 Op Chg with Alttachments 02-08-1
    • 6a Email Correspondence 1.30.07-2.9.11
    • 6b Letter from Herbert DWQ to EER 02-15-11
  • 7 Hydrologic Reconnaissance of the Southern Uinta Basin Tech Pub 49 UT DNR Price and Miller US Geological Survey 1975
  • 8 DOE Characteristics of the PR Spring Tar Sand Deposit, Dana and Sinks Laramie Energy Technology Center 1984
  • 9 Tar-Sand Resources of the Uinta Basin, Utah: A Catalog of Deposits, Blackett Utah Geological Survey Report 335, May 1996
  • PR Spring Consolidated Initial Record Date-stamped 01-10-12
  • PR Spring Index of Initial Record

Transcripts of Recorded Testimony

  • Edward L. Handl, P.E. Transcript 04 27 12
  • William Johnson, Ph.D. Transcript 04 20 12
  • William Johnson, Ph.D. Transcript 05 04 12

Exhibits

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  • 04
  • 05
  • 06
  • 07
  • 08
  • 09
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
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  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20

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