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<br /> <br />Surface ownership includes a variety of private leases, subleases and <br />easements. The tie-across haul road also includes same lands owned by the <br />State of Colorado. <br />The total area to be permitted, including the tie-across haul road is <br />approximately 1558 acres. The proposed disturbed area is 650 acres. The <br />disturbed area includes the mine pit area, surface support facilities, haul <br />roads and drainage control facilities. Mining will occur in the southern area <br />for a total of 10 years. The proposed total life-of-mine (both north and <br />south areas) is 13 years, with a total estimated production of 8,369,700 tons <br />of coal. Annual production will range from approximately 280,000 tons to <br />821,000 tons. <br />Topsoil will be removed and stockpiled or when possible live-handled. <br />Following topsoil removal the overburden will be blasted. Using the dragline, <br />the initial box cut will be spoiled onto previously stripped but unmined <br />ground creating a temporary overburden stockpile with each successive cut <br />going into the previous pit. The operator has requested that three areas <br />receive a variance from contemporaneous reclamation. See the backfilling and <br />grading section of this document fora discussion of these variances. Two <br />areas will be temporarily stabilized the third will not be since it will be <br />redisturbed before vegetation would have a chance to be established. <br />Raw coal will be loaded onto haul trucks in each pit. The trucks will travel <br />along the permitted haul road to County Road 53. The trucks continue on <br />County Road 53 to the tie-across haul road which provides direct access to the <br />Colorado-Ute generating station at Hayden, Colorado. <br />All disturbed area runoff will be controlled, treated and conveyed throughout <br />the site to ensure compliance with applicable laws. One sediment pond, Pond <br />006, is proposed for this permit term. The pond is also proposed as a <br />permanent stock watering pond. <br />Upon cessation of mining activities, the following activities will occur, <br />surface facilities will be removed, all surface disturbances including <br />variance areas will be regraded to approximate original contour, topsoil will <br />be redistributed over the area, the area will be revegetated. Reclamation <br />success will be determined by statistically comparing the reclaimed areas to <br />approved reference areas. <br />-10- <br />