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HOC Date:1?/11/2001 II I I II I II I II IIII III <br />999 <br />Section 816.115 Revegetation: Grazing. <br />Reclaimed lands and the corresponding references areas will be managed in the same <br />way for at least the last two full years of liability as required under Section 816.116 <br />Ibl• <br />As mandated by In re: Permanent Surface Mining Regulation Litigation, F Supp <br />_, 14 ERC 1083 (19801, Kerr is no longer required to actually graze affected lands <br />proposed to be returned to rangeland land use. To demonstrate the success of its <br />reclamation plan, however, Kerr proposes to allow limited grazing within reclaimed <br />areas at such time as the revegetated stands have become sufficiently established to <br />support such grazing. <br /> <br />Revegetation Success Monitoring <br />Vegetation sampling was conducted on reclaimed mine areas in 1979, 1981, 1983, <br />1986, 1996 and most recently, during July 1999. The most recent sampling included <br />all reclaimed areas and three reference areas as a basis of comparison. Based on the <br />results of the 1999 sampling effort, a grazing plan (stocking rate) will be developed and <br />implemented during 2000, if feasible, consistent with the interim grazing management <br />program outlined in Section 780.18. <br />r~fG Section 816.116 Revegetation: Standards for Success. <br />lal Success of revegetation shall be measured by techniques approved by the <br />regulatory authority after consultation with appropriate State and Federal agencies. <br />Comparison of ground cover and productivity may be made on the basis of reference <br />areas or through the use of technical guidance procedures published by USDA or USDI <br />for assessing ground cover and productivity. Management of the reference area, if <br />applicable, shall be comparable to that which is required for the approved postmining <br />land use of the permit area. <br /> <br />TR-19 <br />816-155 <br />Revised 12/99 <br />