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5. The reclamation supports the approved post -mining land use (Rule 4.16.1); <br />6. Sample adequacy and revegetation success for cover and productivity shall be made with <br />one of the following statistically valid approaches in Rule 4.15.11(2)(a), (b), or (c). <br />Demonstrations of sample adequacy and revegetation success for woody plant density shall <br />be made with one of the following statistically valid approaches in (a), (b), or (c), or with <br />one of the alternative approaches specified in 4.15.11(3); and <br />7. All areas requested for Phase III bond release meet the requirements for Phase I and Phase II <br />bond release or have previously received Phase I and Phase II bond release approval. <br />Coal Ridge provided vegetation monitoring reports for the Phase III Bond Release area in the <br />SL -03 application. <br />IV. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br />The following discussion of observations and findings focuses on the results of vegetation re- <br />establishment and compliance with the reclamation plan for the Coal Ridge No 1. Mine for Phase <br />III Bond Release. Reclamation was initiated in 1994 for the majority of the site with the sediment <br />control structures reclaimed during the fall of 2015. Vegetation sampling was conducted in 2018 <br />and 2019. The area requested under the Coal Ridge SL -03 application have met or surpassed the <br />minimum lability time frame of ten years in accordance with Rule 3.02.3(2)(b). <br />The evaluation of the bond release application included a review of past inspection reports, annual <br />reclamation reports, and annual hydrology reports, as well as a pre -inspection meeting to discuss <br />permit requirements and regulatory criteria and the bond release inspection. The bond release <br />inspection was conducted on June 3, 2020. Revegetation success data that was included in the bond <br />release application was reviewed by the Division in the office during the technical evaluation of the <br />bond release application before, during and after the inspection. <br />During the Phase III Bond Release inspection, participants walked through each of the bond <br />release request parcels to allow for visual assessment of compliance with pertinent requirements <br />as described above in Section III of this document. A summary of the observations are discussed <br />below and the details are further discussed in the associated inspection report. <br />Phase III <br />Coal Ridge is approved for Dry Land Pasture and Wildlife Habitat (Sagebrush Revegetation) post - <br />mining land use as shown on Figure 1 of this document. Based on the 2018 and 2019 vegetation <br />sampling results for Phase III Bond Release, the Division finds that Coal Ridge has achieved <br />adequate cover, productivity and diversity in the SL -03 application area in conjunction with the <br />approved post -mining land use. These results are summarized below. <br />Phase III Bond Release Vegetation Results — Dry Land Pasture <br />2018 Cover: Herbaceous cover: 51.5% <br />Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance July 2020 <br />Phase III Bond Release SL -03 Page 4 <br />