Laserfiche WebLink
• environmental resources information required under 2.04.3. The narrative <br />shall provide analyses of: <br />(i) The capability of the land before any mining to support <br />a variety of uses, giving consideration to soil and foundation <br />characteristics, topography, vegetative cover and the hydrology of the <br />proposed permit area; and <br />ii) The productivity of the proposed permit area before <br />mining, expressed as average .yield of food, fiber, forage, or wood products <br />from such lands obtained under high levels of management. The productivity <br />shall be determined by yield data or estimates for similar sites based on <br />current data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, State agricultural <br />universities or aoorooriate State natural resources or agricultural <br />agencies. <br />RESPONSE: <br />• Land Capability <br />The capability of the land before mining to support a variety of <br />alternative land uses was determined by evaluating physical, <br />environmental, and socioeconomic factors along with the historic land <br />uses. Historic trends indicate that rangeland, pastureland, cropland <br />and coal mining have been the only feasible land uses of the proposed <br />permit area. Lands used for mining historically reverted back to <br />pastureland once the mining activities ceased. <br />Land capability and productivity from a soils standpoint will be <br />discussed in two respects. The first is the SCS Soil Survey <br />Interpretations, based on a guide for interpreting engineering uses of <br />soils in conjunction with the National Soils Handbook Part II, Section <br />400, Application of Soil Survey Information. Under this system, <br />ratings for proposed uses are defined in terms of limitations and <br />restricted features. Factors that restrict changes in land use are <br />listed according to soil series in Table 22, Soil Foundation <br />C~ <br />2.04-4 <br />