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<br />Coal will be removed using an area strip method allowing for multiple <br />seam removal. Two coal seams are mined using draglines to uncover the <br />coal and dozers and front end loaders to remove and load coal. The long <br />axis of the active pit is oriented east-west and moves to the north. <br />Another small pit exists next to the office and shop facilities. Small <br />amounts of coal are removed from this pit and blended with coal from the <br />dragline pit as necessary. <br />Prior to disturbance, and in advance of the pit, brush is cleared and <br />topsoil is removed and salvaged. Topsoil is stockpiled if a replacement <br />area is not available. If stockpiled, topsoil is seeded for protection. <br />After topsoil removal, the overburden is drilled and blasted in advance <br />of the pit. Overburden is then stripped by the draglines. Due to the <br />nature of the overburden after it has been blasted and removed from the <br />pit, the material occupies approximately 25% more volume than in its <br />original condition. When replaced and reyraded, the result will be that <br />the topography of the reclaimed surface will be slightly higher than the <br />original surface (a maximum of 12 feet). <br />After removal of all coal seams which can economically be recovered, the <br />pits are backfilled and yraded by the dragline and dozers. The dragline <br />creates spoil ridges by dumping backfill material from the pit being <br />opened into the mined out pit. Dozers and graders then smooth the spoil <br />ridges and blend them into the existing topography. <br />After final grading of the spoil, topsoil is then placed on the spoil to <br />a depth commensurate with the post-mining land use. Areas are then <br />seeded. <br />Reclamation efforts are monitored to insure sucress of backf'illing and <br />revegetation on the reclaimed areas. <br />Coal mined at the Nucla Mine is used by the Colorado-Ute Nucla Generating <br />Station to the southeast of the mine site. <br />FINDINGS OF THE <br />COLORADO .MINED LAND RECLAMATION DIVISION <br />FOR <br />THE NUCLA M[NE <br />I. Legal, Financial, and l:ompliance Information - Rules 2.03 <br />~ n~CTir ~ ~~ rT1T~ ~ n~ ci %~C'7 ~..~ <br />-lo- <br />The private mineral estate will not be severed from the surface estate by <br />