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block. As shown by Exhibit 12-2, a narrow pit will be extended to the south along the Wadge seam cropline <br />from the final pit highwall in the lower block. Given the initial pit configuration, same development material <br />may be moved by scrapers to facilitate partial backfilling of the foal cut in the lower block. The pit will be <br />widened and extended further to the south and west, following the Wadge seam outcrop. A box cut will be <br />opened approximately in the middle of the south extension mining area where the outcrop extends around a <br />natural topographic feature. The resulting pit will connect with the main pit with mining continuing to the <br />south and west to the defined reserve limit. Once the final highwall is established, augering operations will be <br />conducfed and progress to the south, as shown on Exhibit 12-2. All aspecfs of the augering operations are <br />described in Attachment 12-2, Auger Mining. As stated previously in the discussion regarding auger <br />mining in the Lower Block, the auger operation produced unacceptably low recovery rates. <br />SCC will mine the Wadge, Sage Creek, and Wolf Creek seams wherever possible in the South Block. <br />The Sage Creek seam is present in only portions of the South Black. The Wadge and the Wolf Creek <br />seams are the most prevalent and will be the seams concentrated on for dragline mining operations. <br />The mining areas are shown on Exhibit 12.2, Operations Plan. <br />Initially, coal will be hauled from the south block using Haul Road H, which will be extended from existing <br />Haul Road A. As mining proceeds to the south, the haul road network will be extended with construction of <br />additional Haul Roads, I, J, K and L. In order to minimize overall mining-related disturbance, new haul roads <br />will be extended from existing roads with Haul Road I connecting to Haul Road H and Haul Road K <br />connecfing to Haul Road J as shown by Exhibit 12-2. <br />An additional mining area in the South 81ock will allow recovery of the Sage Creek and Wolf Creek coal <br />seams, which are located stratigraphically below the Wadge coal as shown on Exhibit 6-16, Site Specific <br />Geology. The Sage Creek coal is present in only fhe extreme northern and extreme southern portions of the <br />overall area. <br />As mining has progressed south, SCC has gained additional experience in dealing with the ever- <br />increasing steepness of the topography. This affect was not considered in the original timing and <br />sequencing. The addition of the Sage Creek/Wolf Creek mining areas has altered the original <br />sequencing and timing coal removal and reclamation. The Walf Creek mining block began by <br />opening a box cut with initial pre-stripping by scrapers and them completing the box cut with the <br />dragline. The coal removal is a complex operation involving: 1) sufficient room for coal trucks to <br />enter the pit; 2) removing the upper portion of the Wolf Creek seam; 3) removing and disposing of the <br />rock parting; 4) removing the lower portion of the Wolf Creek seam. The short pits in the Sage <br />Creek/WOIf Creek mining block further complicates the coal removal, the dragline needs to complete <br />the entire length of pit prior to coal removal. The reason for having to open an entire pit length before <br />coa! removal cart begin is also due to the extreme grade within the pit. Haul trucks cannot negotiate <br />up the steep pit grade, therefore, they must enter the pit from the upper end and exit from the lower <br />end. <br />PR-06 9 Revised 01/06 <br />