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Lorencito Canyon Mine (C-1996-084) MT- 04 <br />Section I - Mine History and the Environment <br />Mine Status and His <br />The Lorencito Canyon mine was a surface mine using mountain top removal methods to mine multiple <br />coal seams of the Raton Formation. Mining operations commenced in September 2001 and continued <br />until June 2002 when operations were ceased due to market conditions. Shortly after that time the mine <br />began reclamation operations. The backfilling and grading of all pit areas has been completed. Topsoil <br />replacement and seeding activities are nearly completed (a 1.8 -acre topsoil borrow area remains). <br />Operations continue with maintenance work as needed, including (but not limited to) weed control and <br />rill/gully repair. <br />Description of the Environment (Location, Land Use, and Climate) <br />The mine is located on private lands within Las Animas County, Colorado, southeast of the town of <br />Weston. A detailed legal description of the lands included within the permit area is described in <br />Exhibit 2 of the PAP. The USGS 7.5 minute Quadrangle map "Little Pine Canyon" encompasses the <br />majority of the permit area. The mine area can generally be described as lands south of the <br />Purgatoire River, lands east of Cow Canyon, lands north of Puertecito Canyon, and lands west of Little <br />Jeff Canyon, covering approximately 384 acres. (This area was reduced from 3,142 acres with TR -18 <br />in 2014.) <br />Land use of the permit area is dominated by rangeland/wildlife habitat. <br />Climate in the area is semi -arid, with approximately 15 inches of precipitation annually. Forty-four <br />percent of the total annual precipitation comes in the form of rainfall during the months of May, July <br />and August; sixty-seven percent occurs between May and October. <br />Resource to be Mined <br />Coal mining has been conducted in the area since the 1850's, mostly in underground mines faced -up <br />into coal seam outcrops in the valleys. Coal quality is generally very good, with low sulfur content <br />and good coking qualities in many of the seams. Due to parting and splits in the seams, much of the <br />coal mined in the region requires washing prior to loadout and shipment. <br />There are two categories of coal in the mining plan. The Ciruela coal (consisting of the "R" seam) is the <br />uppermost mineable seam in the permit area; thickness varies from one to six feet, and depths range <br />from approximately 100 to 500 feet. The Primero coal is located in the Lower Raton Formation; <br />thickness varies from zero to nine feet, and depths range from approximately 200 to 800 feet. <br />Page 3 of 10 <br />