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PEABODY SAGE CREEK MINE - 2016 ANNUAL RECLAMATION REPORT <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Peabody Sage Creek Mine (PSCM) received permit approval from the Colorado Division of <br />Reclamation Mining and Safety (CDRMS) on August 20, 2010 and began surface disturbance for the <br />construction of an underground mine in the summer of 2011. Development mining commenced at the <br />PSCM in the spring of 2012 using the continuous mining method. Mining in the Wadge Seam <br />extended from four separate entries to approximately 600 feet before mining activities were idled in <br />the fall of 2012. The Mine has remained on care and maintenance status since 2012, with activities <br />generally limited to monitoring, site maintenance, and revegetation success monitoring for reclaimed <br />areas. <br />The permit area contains 10,164 acres, of which approximately 1,844 acres were previously disturbed <br />by Seneca Coal Company. Within the 1,844 previously disturbed/reclaimed acres, PSCM has utilized <br />or re -disturbed an area of approximately 356 acres for future mining and related activities. Within the <br />existing 356 acre PSCM disturbance area, no additional disturbance occurred in 2016, and no <br />additional areas were disturbed. <br />Permitting actions during 2016 were limited to a Technical Revision (TR9-16) modifying the <br />hydrologic monitoring plan, a Minor Revision (MR28-16) reflecting a change in parent company <br />(subsequently withdrawn due to cancellation of the potential Bowie sale), and a Minor Revision <br />(MR29-16) changing the location of the public review copy of the Permit from the Hayden Library to <br />the Foidel Creek Mine. <br />2016 DISTURBANCE STATUS AND BOND RELEASE <br />Based on the CDRMS acreage accounting summary provided in the Division's comments on the 2014 <br />PSCM Annual Reclamation Report, a total of 1,844 acres, including both interim program and <br />permanent program areas for the former Seneca Mine (1,775 acres) and the new Sage Creek Mine (69 <br />acres), have been disturbed within the Sage Creek Permit Area, including: <br />• 1,628.8 interim program and permanent program acres previously permitted under the <br />Seneca II Mine Permit <br />• 146.4 Seneca II Phase III -released acres approved to be re -disturbed under the PSCM <br />Permit as new permanent program acres <br />• 68.8 new permanent program acres approved to be disturbed under the PSCM Permit <br />For the permitted Sage Creek Mine operations, the following summarizes the relevant permit and <br />permitted disturbance area acreages <br />Permit Area <br />Currently Permitted Disturbance Area <br />10,164.0 acres <br />356.4 acres (287.6 to be re -disturbed, 68.8 <br />new disturbance) <br />PSCM submitted SL -01 and received approval (09/05/13) for Phase II bond release in 2013 on 445.8 <br />acres of interim program and permanent program lands that had received Phase I bond release under <br />SL -01 and SL -04 for the Seneca II Mine (C-80-005). PSCM also submitted and received approval <br />(01/30/14) for Phase I release on 67.4 acres, and final bond release (Phase II/III) on 68.8 acres of pre - <br />law areas under SL -02. In 2014, PSCM submitted SL -03 for Phase III bond release on 1,028 acres of <br />2016 SRR <br />