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-9- Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan • The proposed Foidel Creek mine will be an underground mine employing room and pillar mining. The mine bench will be situated near the base of the final Energy No. 1 highwall. By partially backfilling the pit, the bench will oe above the static water level. Portals will face up in competent sandstone and the slope entries will be driven down into the Wadge Coal Seam. Within the coal seam main entries will be developed dawndip with the submains mined to either side. Butt sections will be developed from the submains for full pillar extraction. The proposed life-of-mine is five years with a total production of 2,156,000 tons. Approximately 924 acres will oe added to the 79-177 permit boundary to accomodate the underground mine. All coal reserves are within the privately owned Tieken lease. All planned surface disturbance is within the existing permit boundary of Permit No. 79-177 on privately owned land. The disturbed area includes the portal area, the waste disposal site, surfi ace support facilities and the access/haul road which runs from the portal area to Routt County road 27. All surface disturbance associated with the Foidel Creek Mine has been previously disturbed by surface mining with the exception of portions of the access/haul road. A delay in contemporaneous reclamation was approved in Special Stipulation 13 of Permit No. 79-177 to allow for the development of an underground mine. The exempted area was within the final pit of the Energy No. 1 Mine. The proposed portal area is within the previously exempted area. The applicant is requesting an expansion of the variance for delay in contemporaneous reclamation to allow pit modification within the portal area and to include the entire length of the unreclaimed Energy pit No. 1 for surface support facilities. Coal and waste rock will be conveyed from the mine portals. The coal will be transferred by conveyor to a transfer building where it will be loaded into highway trucks and taken to the tipple at Energy Mine No. 3. The rock will be loaded and taken by truck to the waste rock disposal area. Mine water and surface runoff will be handled through existing structures. Mine water will be collected and pumped to a sump near the portals and then into Pond D. Disturbed area drainage will be controlled by the Area 2 pit, Pond D, or Pond G. Besides including a request for an expansion of the variance for delay in contemporaneous reclamation, the applicant proposes disturbance within lU0 feet of Foidel Creek (discussed in Sections XXI and XVII of this document). The Division proposes to approve these requests.