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traffic, no ungraded spoils will remain behind the pit or the trucks could not reach the edge of the <br />pit. The overburden spoil is placed at angle of repose in the backfill, at an approximate angle of <br />35.2 degrees. The cut slopes for the overburden removal range from 0.3H:1 V in the upper <br />portion to near vertical in the competent lower portions. <br />Mining will generally progress south to north with the long axis of the pits generally east to west. <br />The overburden will be placed or pushed into an adjacent or nearby mined out pit panel except <br />for the initial cut where topsoil and overburden will be placed adjacent to the pit onto land <br />designated as Topsoil Stockpile and Overburden Stockpile. These stockpiles are shown in the <br />southern portion of the permit area. This topsoil and overburden will be used to reclaim the last <br />cut but would also be used to reclaim any cut if the mine were to cease operation before the last <br />cut is reached (See Map 2.05.2-1). During overburden removal operations, some selective <br />handling of material may be performed based on chemical and physical core data contained in <br />Section 2.04.6, Geology Description, and discussions presented in Section 2.05.4(2)(d), <br />Overburden and Topsoil Handling. <br />After the upper coal seam is removed, the parting material composed of alternating layers of <br />sandstone, shale or clay will be removed. Partings and interburden material may range in <br />thickness from a few tenths of a foot to approximately 12 feet. The thinner partings will be <br />removed by loader or dozer and hauled or pushed into an adjacent mined out pit. The thicker <br />partings and interburden will be dozed into a mined out pit or excavated by the shovel and trucks <br />and hauled to a mined out pit. After the overburden or parting has been removed above each <br />individual coal seam, a dozer, loader or motor grader will clean off any overburden or parting <br />material remaining on top of the coal. In order to facilitate handling of the coal, a dozer will rip <br />or break up the coal. Contracted haulage trucks of approximately 25 ton capacity will be loaded <br />by a loader. Once a truck is loaded, the coal will be transported approximately eight miles to the <br />power station. Table 2.05.3-1 lists the major mining equipment to be used at the NHN Mine. <br />A coal stockpile will be established out of, but adjacent to the pit. The stockpile will be located <br />in an area with controlled drainage to a permitted discharge outfall. The stockpile location may <br />change with pit advancement to ensure the stockpile location is close the active mining area. The <br />estimated coal tonnage, overburden and parting volumes to be extracted for all mining areas are <br />presented on Table 2.05.3-2. The coal quantities required from the NHN Mine under Elk Ridge <br />Mining and Reclamation's contract to supply Tri -State's Nucla Station are estimated to be about <br />250,000 tons to 460,000 tons per year. For the purpose of this permit application, the maximum <br />rate of 460,000 tons per year was assumed. Whenever possible, overburden stripping and coal <br />loading will be sequenced to maintain an in -pit inventory of approximately one month's coal <br />requirements. Additionally, coal loading will be sequenced to allow blending to enable delivery <br />of the required quality coal to the power plant. <br />Section 2.05.3 Page 2 March 2018 (TR -16) <br />