The coal mining company Luminant, which owns Three Oaks Mine east of Elgin , has submitted a final application to release itself from land reclamation obligations. According to a letter submitted to Bastrop (BAHS-trahp) County, the mining company’s application pertains to 226 acres, located east Elgin, of the mine’s 16,000-acre area, which spans portions of Bastrop and Lee counties. The rural terrain that was once stripped for coal extraction will now be designated as pastureland.  The Three Oaks Mine operated between 2003 and 2010 and vegetation was continuously planted on the land between 2005 and 2012, the company said. The state’s required Extended Responsibility Period, which requires environmental monitoring for five years to ensure the protection of surface water and groundwater resources, began in 2013. The mine was shuttered in 2017.