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II. PROCEDURES AND SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS
<br />Colowyo applied for a partial Phase II and III Bond Release for a total of 822.4 disturbed acres of
<br />Phase II and 222.6 acres of Phase III as shown on Map 1 and 2 of the SL -14 application as well as
<br />Figure 1 and Figure 2 of this document. This area is located in Moffat County, Colorado. The bond
<br />release areas are located in the Mine's East and West Pit areas in portions of Township 3 North,
<br />Range 93 West (6th Principal Meridian), Sections 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, and 34. The permit area
<br />can be found on the USGS Quadrangle 7.5 Minute Series Maps of Axial and Nine Mile Gap.
<br />The permit area and surface ownership can be found on Map 1, and the coal ownership can be
<br />found on Map 2 of the Permit Application Package (PAP).
<br />Background
<br />The East Pit and West Pit mining sites lie just west of the northward flowing Goodspring (also
<br />referred to as Good Spring) Creek, which is paralleled by Colorado Highway 13. The area
<br />includes gently sloping uplands and valleys that cut into the upland surface. These valleys are
<br />generally narrow, v -shaped, and about 250 to 500 feet deep. Elevations range from
<br />approximately 7,650 feet in the upper portion of East Pit reclamation to 6,600 feet near the
<br />Streeter Pond.
<br />Mining operations began in 1976 with the East Pit, a multi -seam coal operation that continued to
<br />move in a southerly direction. Eight coal seams (Y, X, A, B, C, D, E, F) were mined from the
<br />East Pit, ranging in thickness from two to fifteen feet. The East Pit is nearly 6,000 feet from east
<br />to west (width), 1,000 feet in breadth (highwall to highwall), and 450 feet deep. Due to the
<br />number of coal seams, immense size of the pit, and manpower and equipment employed, pit
<br />progression was slow, with additional disturbances of approximately 40 to 50 acres per year.
<br />Extraction of coal from the East Pit was terminated in 2006. The last reclamation parcel of the
<br />East Pit was backfilled, graded, and topsoiled in 2016.
<br />The West Pit is located to the west of the East Pit. The method of operation utilized in, and the
<br />coal seams extracted from, the West Pit were the same as those of the East Pit. The West Pit was
<br />roughly the same overall size as the East Pit. Mining in the West Pit advanced from the north to
<br />south, paralleling the movement of the adjacent East Pit. Mining operations in the West Pit were
<br />completed in 2015.
<br />Colowyo is continuing to perform reclamation activities in the East Pit and West Pit.
<br />Reclamation in the East Pit and West Pit is expected to conclude in 2029.
<br />Operations in the South Taylor Pit began after the approval of PR -02 in 2007. This pit is located
<br />north and west of the northward flowing Good Spring Creek and southwest of the West Pit. It
<br />lies partially in Rio Blanco County. In the South Taylor Pit, 17 seam and sub -seam complexes
<br />will be mined. The seams are the A, B, C, D, E, F and G seams and their seam complexes (for
<br />example, the G -Seam is separated into G7, G8 and G9 in the South Taylor Area). The South
<br />Taylor Pit will be nearly 4,000 feet wide, 6,000 feet long, and 550 feet deep. Pit progression is
<br />Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance October 2018
<br />Partial Phase II and III Bond Release SL -14 Page 2
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