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The Division has previously made a negative determination pertaining to the presence of <br />prime farmland at this site. The basis of this detemunation has been letters from the <br />Soil Conservation Society specifying there aze no prime farmland mapping units within <br />the permit azea. <br />The Division has no received any information causing a change to this previous <br />determination. Therefore, the Division reaffirms a negative determination pertaining to <br />the presence of prime farmland within the permit azea. <br />The operation is in compliance with [he requirements of [his section. <br />XIX. Mountaintop Removal -Rule 4.26 <br />This section is not applicable to the Bowie No. 1 Mine. <br />XX. Operations on Steep Slopes -Rule 4.27 <br />The Bowie No. 1 Mine has obtained a variance from the requirement for restoration of <br />affected lands to their approximate original contour in accordance with Rules 2.06.5 and <br />4.27. The vaziance was granted under the 1981 permit and is hereby reissued. The <br />variance applies to the mine benches only and was granted because it was demonstrated <br />that backfilling the benches to approximate original contour on such a steep slope would <br />not achieve the required slope stability safety factor of 1.3 (see Volumes 6 and 6A, <br />Stability Analysis, for a complete discussion). <br />The original Bowie No. 1 Mine permit application specified that, because the mine was <br />an underground mine, Rule 4.27 regarding steep slope mining was not applicable. This <br />is not the case, as surface facilities of an underground mine are considered to be surface <br />coal mining operations, therefore rendering Bowie No. 1 Mine subject to Rule 4.27. A <br />requirement for Bowie No. 1 Mine's compliance with Rule 4.27 was partially addressed <br />in Stipulation No. 43 of the permit renewal no. 2 decision. This stipulation was <br />complied with through the submittal and approval of Minor Revision No. 86. Technical <br />Revision No. 28 detailed the backfilling and grading reclamation requirements for the <br />cut and fill aeeas of the mine site. The cut and fill areas are to be restored to approximate <br />original contour except for apost-reclamation access road. The present haul road and <br />access road are to remain, although narrowed to a 16 foot width. The access road will be <br />positioned inside a 20 foot wide terrace corridor running the length of the road. <br />XXI. In Situ Processing -Rule 4.29 <br />49 <br />