GENERAL41728 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

historic site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Foidel Canyon Schoolhouse, and is located in the general area of the main facilities along Foidel Creek. It will not be undermined or subsided and ie protected appropriately. The prehistoric site (SRT345) is a rock art site located on the outcrop of the Twentymile Sandstone directly above the mine office area! PR-02 proposes to undexmine and subside this area which could potentially damage this site. Stipulation 33 is therefore attached to this finding to insure appropriate measures are taken prior to undermining this site. Land uses within the proposed permit area are cropland, pastureland, and rangeland. Some of the surface was previously disturbed by surface mining methods under the Mine No. 1, Mine No. 2, and Eckman Park Mine, #C-81=071. Prior to mining, most of the land was classified as cropland. Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan The originally permitted Foidel Creek Mine was an underground operation employing room and pillar mining on privately owned coal within a 924 acre permit area. TCC referred to the original permit as a pilot project designed to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of underground mining operations on the Wadge coal seam, which previously was surface mined in the portal area, and on dip slopes to the south and southwest by TCC's sister company, CYCC. Existing surface disturbance along Foidel Creek consist of portals, surface support facilities, office, low-quality coal stockpiles, conveyors, tipple facility, ROM coal stockpile, rock dust tank, explosives magazine, rail spur, and sediment control ditches and ponds. A large area of the main facility area was within a disturbed area called the Area 2 pit within the CYCC permit # C-81-071. Since the completion of mining associated with the #C-81-071 permit most facilities were transferred to the Foidel Creek permit. A variance from contemporaneous reclamation was approved to accommodate the underground mine portals and associated surface facilities. The Life of Mine (LAM) permit revision (PR-O1) application was approved in 1986 to expand the project into a 35 year mining operation utilizing both room and pillar and longwall techniques, with a peak production of approximately 3.5 million tons per year. The proposed LAM permit boundary encompassed 13,114 acres and involves both federal and privately owned coal. New and expanded surface facilities were required due to the LOM permit revision and included an office/bath house complex, new conveyor facilities, transfer building and 150,000 ton open coal stockpile and loadout facilities. The existing waste disposal site within the Area 2 pit was expanded. In addition, approximately 5 acres was disturbed by construction of a dewatering borehole and associated facilities on Fieh Creek, approximately 2 miles north east of the existing facilities on Foidel Creek. Upon cessation of mining activities, all surface disturbance will be reclaimed. Surface facilities will be removed. The portal area, Area 2 pit and the waste disposal site will be backfilled with previously mined spoils existing within areas adjoining the old Energy No. 1 pit. All surface disturbance will be regraded to approximate original contour. Topsoil from existing and proposed topsoil stockpiles will be redistributed over the entire disturbed area to depths ranging from .71 feet to 1.5 feet depending on the area to be reclaimed. Revegetation will occur following topsoil operations. Reclamation success will be determined by statistically comparing the reclaimed areas to reference areas except at the Fish Creek Tipple, which was constructed prior to implementation of the current laws and regulations.