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RULE 2 PERMITS <br /> <br />South Taylor – Rule 2, Page 4 Revision Date: 7/21/25 <br /> Revision No.: MR-267 <br />2.04 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR SURFACE OR UNDERGROUND MINING <br />ACTIVITIES – MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL <br />RESOURCES <br /> <br />This section of the application provides a complete and accurate description of the environmental <br />resources that may be affected by the surface mining activities to be conducted by Colowyo in the South <br />Taylor permit revision area. <br /> <br />This application also provides a description of the environmental resources for the life-of-mine operations <br />area. <br /> <br />2.04.1 – 2.04.2 Objectives and Responsibilities <br /> <br />The following sections provide a complete and accurate description of the environmental resources that <br />may be impacted by surface coal mining operations at the South Taylor Pit. The applicant and federal <br />and state agencies have provided information required by this section. <br /> <br />2.04.3 Land Use Information <br /> <br />Information regarding the existing mining areas is presented in the previously approved permit document. <br /> <br />The pre-mine land use of the South Taylor area and adjacent lands were mapped. Land use for the permit <br />and adjacent areas was digitized and is provided on Map 17. Natural color aerial photographs, printed at <br />a scale of approximately 1:24,000 from photography taken in September 1997, were used to update the <br />Land Use information in the previously-approved permit document. Air photo interpretation resulted in a <br />few boundary changes for the crop and pasture land use types. The "surface mine" category was <br />expanded to include all mining associated disturbance. <br /> <br />Primary land use types identified in the permit area are rangeland and cropland. Present and potential <br />production of these land uses according to the soil types which lie within them are discussed in Section <br />2.04.9 Soil Resource Information. Areas designated as “Existing Mine” on Map 17 include surface coal <br />mine pits and mine facilities (e.g. maintenance shops, haulage routes, loadouts, offices, etc.) and areas <br />that have been mined, backfilled, topsoiled, and revegetated. “Rangeland” includes sheep and cattle <br />grazing. The croplands adjacent to the permit area have been traditionally cultivated for grass/alfalfa hay <br />and winter wheat. According to the information provided in the previously approved permit document, <br />winter wheat yields an average of 30 bushels/acre while irrigated hayland averages 3 tons/acre. Land <br />conditions within areas designated as rangeland may be described as good to fair with continued <br />improvement due to better land management techniques. Range Site Description and BLM estimates of <br />forage production on an animal unit month basis for the vegetation communities identified in the South <br />Taylor permit area are provided in Exhibit 9, Item 2 of Volume 2A of the existing permit document. No <br />areas within the South Taylor permit revision area have been previously mined. <br /> <br />The post-mine land use for the South Taylor permit revision area will be rangeland condition capable of <br />supporting a diversity of wildlife. Alternative post-mine land uses may be proposed for suitable areas <br />within the permit revision area as deemed necessary. <br />