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<br />Daub & Associates, Inc. Page 3-9 2015 NS Mine Plan Modification <br />1/5/2016 Section 3 General Site Conditions <br />(as well as the large majority of the Piceance Creek Basin) is natural gas <br />development, oil shale RD&D activities, natural gas processing, livestock grazing, <br />wildlife habitat, and hunting. Some coal and oil shale projects are located in and <br />around the Piceance Creek Basin. Many cattle ranches operate along the major <br />perennial streams, including Piceance Creek, with much of the valley floor in hay <br />meadows. <br />The proposed post-mining land use will be natural gas development and production, <br />livestock grazing, possible oil shale RD&D, hunting and wildlife habitat. The <br />reclamation plan has been designed to provide a permanent vegetative cover that, in <br />terms of productivity and quality, is at least equal to or better than the existing <br />vegetative cover in surrounding areas. Details of the Reclamation Plan are provided <br />in Section 8.0. <br />3.6. Climate and Air Quality <br />3.6.1. Regional Climatology <br />The Piceance Creek Basin (Basin) is generally characterized as being within a <br />continental climate regime; however, the specific climate type for the region is not <br />clearly defined. The Basin is positioned in the transition zone between two climate <br />types (steppe and highlands) as defined by Koppen (1931). <br />The steppe climate, which is used most commonly to characterize the Basin, is <br />defined by slight precipitation with vegetation restricted to sparse trees and short <br />grasses. The arid nature of this climate type is strongly influenced by its location <br />with respect to moisture sources. This type of climate is generally found in areas far <br />removed from windward coasts (Critchfield 1974); in this case, the Pacific coast lies <br />approximately 800 miles to the west. The aridity of the Piceance Creek Basin region <br />is further enhanced by major mountain barriers to the west. <br />Indicative of this continental climate type, mean monthly temperatures tend to have <br />a large annual range. Summer temperatures, influenced predominantly by subsiding <br />continental tropical air masses, are frequently above 80°F during the day. This is