2022-12-20_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A (3)

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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-34 Revision Date: 12/14/22 Revision No.: MR-245 In 2021, approximately 641 acres within Colowyo’s permit boundary, directly adajencet to the east side of the Collom Pit, was affected by a wild land fire. The location of the wild land fire is shown on Figure 4.12-8. The area that was burned is mostly comprised of sagebrush. Additional surface disturbance within the permit boundary of approximately five acres was created to cut in a fire lines to control and fight the fire. The relatively low intensity nature of the fire does not appear to warrant or require supplemental seeding; however, the areas impacted by the fire lines will be roughened, seeded with the approved reclamation seed mix, and reported in the annual reclamation report. On September 28, 2022, approximately 11 acres within Colowyo’s permit boundary, directly adjacent to the Gossard Loadout was affected by a wild land fire. The location of the wild land fire is shown on Figure 4.12-7. The area that was burned is mostly comprised of sagebrush. The local Bureau of Land Management field office deterimed the fire was due to a bird striking a power line and the fire was not related to Colowyo’s mining operations. 4.13 CONTEMPORANEOUS RECLAMATION All reclamation actives, including but not limited to backfilling, grading, topsoil, replacement and revegetation, will be carried out as contemporaneously as practicable with mining operations. Implementation of the reclamation plan, as described in Section 2.05.4, will assure that each step in the reclamation process is completed in a timely manner. Because of the multi-seam nature of the mining operation described in Section 2.05, backfilling and grading cannot be completed within 180 days following the coal removal. Backfilling and grading will be completed in variance of the 180 day requirement in a manner previously approved and described below, and in Sections 2.05 and 4.14.1. A series of benches will be necessary in the operation to recover the lower coal seams, and an additional series of benches will be necessary to dump the shovel/truck overburden material in a configuration that achieves the topography shown on the post-mining Topography Map (Map 19). When multi-seams are mined, backfilling and rough grading cannot begin until the lower-most seam is mined. See Spoil Grading Map (Map 29), which shows the time frames in which grading will occur. Topsoil will be removed prior to the mining disturbance according to the timetable established on the Topsoil Handling – South Map (Map 28). As can be observed from this map, the initial topsoil removed at the operation must be stockpiled; however, as the operation progresses, topsoil can be immediately redistributed rather than stockpiled. Revegetation will commence as soon as the topsoil has been redistributed and prepared for seeding as described in Section 2.05.4. The area will be seeded with the seed mixture described in Section 2.05.4 as quickly as possible. 4.14 BACKFILLING AND GRADING 4.14.1 General Requirements The mining operations of Colowyo will not employ the use of contour mining methods.