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-38- XIV. Prime Farmland - Rules 2.04.12, 2.06.6, and 4.25 The Division has made a negative determination for the presence of prime farmlands within the proposed permit area. The decision was based on the fact that there are no prime farmland mapping units (Exhibit 7R2) and the land has not been historically used as cropland. Contact with Mr. Don Lynn of the U.S.S.C.S. in Pagosa Springs by Mariah Associates, Inc., also verified that no prime farmland exists on the Permit Revision No. 2 area The proposed operation is in compliance with this section. XV. Operations Description -Rules 2.05.2, 2.05.3(2), and 4.01 The Chimney Rock Mine is an open pit truck and shovel operation which is removing two coal seams in the Deep Creek area. The overburden and interburden is blasted, loaded into trucks and transported to a spoil pile adjacent to the pit or backfilled into the previous pit. The coal is then shot, loaded into trucks and hauled to the crushing facility. Some angering of coal along the exposed highwall is also done. Following crushing, the coal is shipped to several markets via highway trucks. Coal removal operations involve complete extraction of the "A" and "B" seams through open pit mining in all mining areas to the economic limits determined by the coal/overburden ratio. Auger mining has been utilized to increase coal recovery in the East and Barren Ridge pits and will also be utilized in the Deep Creek pits. XVI. Explosives - Rule 2.05.3(6 The notification, pre-blasting survey, recording and signing aspects of the blasting plan are in conformance with the regulatory requirements. The blast loading limitations tabulated on Table 18 of the approved permit application, entitled "Blasting Alternative", are in compliance with the standard equation contained within Rule 4.08.4(10)(b)(1). Chimney Rock Coal has requested approval of a permit revision to conduct blasting in combination with mining in the Deep Creek Permit Revision Area, east of Highway 151. The applicant's amended application depicts potentially affected structures on Map 4AR2, including Colorado State Highway 151 and the Hamilton Residence. The permit revision application states that the explosive loading limitations of Rule 4.08.4(10)(b)(ii) will be complied with. However, the application also states "... Traffic on Colorado State Highway 151 will be halted approximately five (5) minutes prior to blasting operations which occur within a distance where flyrock onto the highway is a possibility." In the opinion