2016-06-10_PERMIT FILE - M2016009

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6.4.4 Exhibit D Mining Plan The 44th Lane Project proposes mining the mesa tops of the formations known as Badger Hills in eastern Pueblo County. The site is located south of Olson Road and east of 40th Lane. The target reserve is the Cascajo gravel terrace that ranges in thickness from 10 to 15 feet. Gravel will be mined 10 to 15 feet deep to shale or clay loam, the anticipated stratum immediately beneath the material to be mined. Topsoil and overburden is minimal with prominent gravel outcrops. The primary commodity is gravel with fines as a secondary commodity. The life of 44th Lane Project is market driven. The life of the operation is 20 years or five years per phase. Approximately 20 acres will be mined each year. Fremont requests phased bonding of the affected area. The bond for Phase 1 will include the 21 -acre processing and stockpile area, 78 acres of mine area, and 64 acres of internal and external haul roads for a total of approximately 178 acres. The mine will have two haul roads both on private property to minimize potential interruptions to the community and agricultural industry in the area. The proposed haul road construction is included in this exhibit. The southwest haul road will access the southwest corner of the mine permit area and extend west to 36th Lane, a Pueblo County commercial vehicle corridor (Amended Pueblo Area 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan, pg 2-13, 2010), crossing private property and CO State Land Board parcels. The north haul road will access the northeast corner of the permit area, crossing the Bessemer irrigation ditch and extend north to CO Hwy 50. A typical construction diagram is included in this exhibit. The mine will develop in four (4) phases each encompassing one Cascajo gravel mesa. Each phase will be bonded prior to commencement of mining. To protect the view shed of the neighbors to the west and north, Fremont is proposing a View Shed Buffer Area between the west and north faces of the mesa and the permit boundary. The mesa face in the buffer area will remain undisturbed during mining. Mining will begin in Phase 1 on the mesa in the southwest portion of the permit area. Of the approximately 600 acres in Phase 1 over 400 acres will remain undisturbed. Please refer to the table of Total Affected Area by Phase for the anticipated affected acres per phase. The active mining area will be limited to 25 acres at any one time. Reclamation will occur concurrently with mining. As mining progresses into a new 25 acre area, the mined out 25 acres will be sloped and contoured in preparation for final reclamation. This rotational progression of mining and reclaiming will continue across the mesa and will be consistent throughout the life of the mine. Earthmoving equipment will vary with mine development. Depending on depth of plant growth material and overburden, bulldozers and/or scrapers will be used to expose the target reserve. Loaders will extract the gravel reserve and feed the processing plant. Bulldozers will maintain slopes and manage stockpiles when necessary. Reclamation will utilize bulldozers and graders to contour slopes and prepare surfaces for seeding. 5 Edited June 6, 2016