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Coors Energy Company Keenesburg Mine—Phase III Bond Release Application <br /> Revegetation Success Demonstration <br /> 1 Introduction <br /> The information contained in this application includes results and analysis of 2021 and 2022 <br /> vegetation sampling. This information supports Phase III bond release for Reclamation Areas 23, <br /> 29, 30, and 31 totaling 30.6 acres. Figure 1 shows the location and extent of the Phase III <br /> application area within the Keenesburg Mine. Per approval from DRMS, Reclamation Area 23 <br /> was combined with Reclamation Area 29 in 2019 for vegetation sampling. This combined area is <br /> referred to as Area 29/23 in this report. <br /> 2 Revegetation and Bond Release History <br /> Reclamation Areas 23, 29, 30, and 31 were formerly part of the B Pit mining area. These areas <br /> were graded to blend into the undisturbed area to the west and the reclaimed mining and <br /> operational areas to the east resulting in a gentle, east-facing slope. Each area was backfilled and <br /> graded. Final revegetation seeding with the DRMS-approved permanent seed mixture in each <br /> area took place in the year shown in Table 1. <br /> Table 1: Reclamation Year by Reclamation Area <br /> Year <br /> Area Acres Seeded <br /> 23 0.67 2002 <br /> 29 8.31 2003 <br /> 30 9.68 2006 <br /> 31 11.89 2009 <br /> Phase I bond release was granted for Areas 23 and 29 in 2004 with SL-02 and for Areas 30 and <br /> 31 in 2014 with SL-07. Phase II bond release was granted for Areas 23 and 29 in 2010 with SL- <br /> 05 and for Area 31 in 2019 with SL-10. Area 30 has not yet received Phase II bond release but <br /> has met the Phase II requirements as demonstrated in this application. <br /> 3 Vegetation Sampling <br /> The monitoring methods and revegetation standards used to evaluate these areas are those <br /> currently in effect under the Colorado Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Act(CRS 34-33-101) <br /> and the Keenesburg Mining and Reclamation Permit. Vegetation monitoring occurred on August <br /> 9— 13, 2021 and August 15—25, 2022 Monitoring coincided with maximum vegetation <br /> development of most plant species found in the reclaimed and adjacent native areas. <br /> 3.1 Sampling Design <br /> Thirty sample points were placed prior to going into the field using mapping software to create a <br /> square grid overlaid on each Reclamation Area being sampled. The sample points were located <br /> at the intersection of each square created by the grid. The grid size was adjusted to create the <br /> appropriate number of sample locations within each Reclamation Area. Sample numbers (1-30) <br /> were randomly assigned to each generated sample point along with a randomly generated <br /> azimuth (Figure 2 and Figure 3). A minimum of 15 vegetation cover samples were collected in <br /> each Reclamation Area with additional samples collected, if necessary,to meet sample adequacy <br /> per DRMS guidelines (DRMS 1995)up to a maximum of 30 samples. The maximum of 30 <br /> production samples were collected in each area. <br /> SL-12 2 May 2024 <br />