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GCC Energy, LLC <br />3482.1 (a) (3) (iv) Typical Drilling Methods and Activities that May Occur During the <br />Exploration, Reclamation, and Abandonment of Operations including, but not limited to - <br />(A) The types, Sizes, Numbers, Capacity, and uses of equipment for drilling and blasting, <br />and road or other access route construction <br />The 24 exploration drill holes would be rotary- drilled; nominally 5 to 6 inches in diameter to <br />predetermined core points. This predetermined zone will be cored by conventional 3 -inch coring methods. <br />Drilling will be done with air and water injection, or water with synthetic polymer lubricant. Cutting pits <br />would be necessary at all locations and would be drilled by conventional methods. <br />Drilling will be accomplished with a truck - mounted core rig, accompanied by a water truck typically of a <br />3,000 - gallon capacity. When necessary, a flat -bed service truck and smaller pickup trucks would also be <br />required for service and transportation to and from the drill sites. Water would be provided to the drill <br />sites from the mine water supply. <br />Some or all of the holes may be geophysically logged. The equipment necessary for such work is <br />typically mounted in a full -size Suburban -type 4X4. If only oil -field equipment is available, larger trucks, <br />similar in size to a 3,000 - gallon water truck, may be required. <br />Ten of the drill sites (GCC- 14 -02, 03, 07, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, and 24) would require construction of <br />access routes. All access routes would include an approximate 12- foot -wide travel surface. Existing <br />access road may require normal maintenance to access sites, which may include use of a grader, dozer, or <br />backhoe to allow for passage of the project equipment. Road maintenance would not exceed 12 feet in <br />width. Proposed new access routes to the drill sites account for 3.06 acres of disturbance. Road work and <br />drilling is planned for late Fall 2014. <br />(B) Excavated Earth, or Debris; Disposal Activities <br />The anticipated activities for the proposed drill program include replacement of drill cuttings, cores into <br />the drill hole, and sealing of the drill hole with and "octo" plug of Portland cement. Topsoil would be <br />replaced over the drill hole location, and tracks would be raked or brushed to remove obvious signs of <br />activity; cut brush would be scattered across the disturbed area. <br />(C) Proposed Method for Plugging Drill Holes <br />Drill holes would be sealed by replacing cuttings or other suitable media in the hole and then placing a <br />suitable plug 10 feet below the ground surface for support of a cement plug, within 3 feet of the ground <br />surface. No water is anticipated to be intercepted during the drilling. <br />(D) Estimated Size and Depth of Drill Holes, Trenches, and Test Pits <br />Site disturbance would be restricted to a 100 -foot by 100 -foot square at each proposed drill site. Each drill <br />site would be up to 10,000 square feet (0.23 acre) in size, resulting in a maximum total surface <br />disturbance of 5.52 acres for the 24 drill sites. Drilling will be with air, air with water injection or water. <br />Cuttings pits will be necessary at all locations drilled by conventional methods. <br />Federal Coal Exploration Plan <br />May 2014 <br />4 <br />