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Raw coal will be screened in [he pi[ then hauled to [he coal storage area. From the storage area, coal <br />will be transported off site utilizing normal highway approved [rucks. <br />Coal processing waste that is generated will be temporarily stored in a small pile, less than 10,000 <br />cubic yards, then will be placed in horizontal lifts, compacted and covered with at least four feet of <br />overburden. The coal waste will be placed no less than 20 feet above the lowest pit water elevation. <br />Prior to any of the mining events, woody vegetative cover will be bladed into a pile for preparation <br />of soil salvage and storage. Next, all available topsoil will be removed and stored for redistribution. <br />Topsoil stripping will vary from 6 inches to 36 inches in depth (Refer to Map 5-3 for stripping and <br />respreading depths). After the topsoil has been removed, an initial pit will be opened to provide <br />sufficient room to create a haulback method of open-pit mining. The initial cut material will be placed <br />in the fill. The mining will proceed by placing the sequential cuts in the mined out area. The final cut <br />will be backfilled and regraded. <br />It is planned that the massive sandstones overlying the Lewis seam will be placed mostly at the <br />bottom of the pit, with the remaining siltstone, sandstone and shale placed on top of it. The suitable <br />soil will be removed and directly redistributed over the regraded area, in sequence with mining, as <br />much as possible. If additional topsoil is needed, it will be taken from the topsoil stockpiles. Soils <br />will be tested just prior to respreading to determine application rates of nitrogen and phosphorus. <br />Small tree seedlings and shrubs will be removed from topsoil stripping areas and mechanically <br />transplanted to reclaimed areas concurrently with the distribution of topsoil during the dormant <br />season. <br />Reclamation <br />The initial reclamation will be the contemporaneous reclamation of the west half of the North Pit as <br />mining occurs. A series of benches will be developed to excavate the coal from the North Pit. After <br />moving the coal, a solid sandstone face (the Pictured Cliff Sandstone) will remain as a 20 degree <br />sloping low wall. The reclamation of this low wall will require Oakridge Energy to blast six rubble <br />zones along strike to create a base to hold overburden and topsoil. The rubble zones will be <br />approximately 50 feet wide and will run the length of the pit. The rubble zones will be separated by <br />barriers of approximately 10 feet in width ofnon-blasted material to act as retaining and stabilizing <br />walls. <br />The rubble zones will be blasted to create fractured material at least five feet below the retainers to <br />insure a moisture "pocket" will be created. After the rubble zone has been constructed, a minimum <br />of four feet of overburden will be spread over the rubble zones. Topsoil will be placed on the <br />overburden, rubble, and retainer walls to insure a bond with the blasted material. As necessary, the <br />topsoil will be anchored with hay bales to prevent erosion. The low wall will be reclaimed as mining <br />progresses such that no more than one 50-foot rubble zone will be left for reclamation. <br />The remaining pit and fill will be reclaimed in a conventional fashion utilizing dozers and scrapers. <br />13 <br />