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Land and Coal Ownership at Apex Mine <br />The Apex No. 2 Mine was an underground coal mine. Ownership of the land for which bond release <br />has been requested is private. Ownership of the coal that was mined from the bond release azea was <br />federal. <br />Lands included in the Bond Release Request <br />A total of 4.5 acres was disturbed at the Apex Mine. The permit azea covers 226.70 acres. Sunland <br />is requesting Phase II and Phase III (final) bond release for a11226.70 acres of the permit azea. As <br />a prerequisite to the Phase III release, Sunland is also requesting Phase I bond release for the only <br />azeas that previously have not received Phase I bond release; these aze the drainage control berm on <br />the east side of the former facilities yazd and the sediment pond. All other azeas in the permit area <br />previously either received Phase I bond release, or have been approved to remain as. permanent. <br />Dollar Amount of Bond Release Request <br />The Division currently holds a reclamation bond in the amount of $172,020 from Sunland, of which <br />$68,808 covers the remaining reclamation liability at the Apex Mine. Sunland is requesting release <br />of this remaining $68,808 of bond. <br />II. SUMMARY OF THE BOND RELEASE PROCESS <br />Reclamation History of Bond Release Area <br />The Apex No. 2 Mine began operations in 1966. The mine adjoins the Apex No. 1 Mine to the <br />east which operated from approximately 1937 to 1963. Like the Apex No. 1 Mine, the Apex No. <br />2 Mine used room-and-pillar methods to extract coal from the lower Pinnacle seam of the Iles <br />Formation. Continuous miners extracted the coal in the Apex No. 2. Electric shuttle cars hauled <br />coal to belt conveyors that brought coal to the surface portal. From the portal, a belt conveyor <br />carried coal over Rout County Road 29 to coal handling and support facilities in the facilities <br />yazd area south of the road. As a pre-law mine, topsoil from the land disturbance at the Apex No. <br />2 Mine was not salvaged. Mining was completed in 1986. The portals were sealed and the <br />facilities yard azea was reclaimed in Fall 1992. Stmctures were cleazed from the yazd azea (with <br />the exception of the building, the pond, and the east yazd drainage control berm), and the land <br />was regraded and seeded. The seeded areas were mulched and fertilized. Imported topsoil was <br />spread on the yard azea in Fall 1992. Limited interseeding was done in 1995 and 1996. The east <br />yard drainage control berm and the two alluvial monitoring piezometers were reclaimed in 2002 <br />and 2003. <br />Apex No. 2 Mine Page 2 January 24, 2003 <br />Phases I, II, and III Bond Release <br />