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16. The Division has contacted the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation Fee Branch. As of <br />this time, Gnurd Valley Coal Company, the operator, is current in the payment of <br />reclamation 1.'ees required by 30 CFR Chapter VII, subchapter R (2.07.6(2)(0)). <br />SECTION B- Rule 4G <br />Roads -Rule 4.03 <br />Much of this section addresses proposed roads which were approved as a part of the <br />initial permanent program permit approval, but have not been constructed to date (Mazch <br />1998), as the operation has been in temporary cessation, essentially since it was originally <br />permitted. The only existing road is a "pioneer" roadway constructed in 1977, which <br />provides aca:ss from Highway 139 to the portals azea. Findings for the existing road are <br />included under "Access Roads" in this section. <br />Road Constnlction <br />Information dealing with road design and construction for the Munger Canyon Mine is <br />located in Section 2.2.2 of Volume I and Appendix O of Volume V of the application. <br />This material. has been reviewed by the Division for compliance with the Rules and <br />Regulations. <br />The proposed haul road for the Munger Canyon Mine is approximately two miles in <br />length. This road follows the alignment of an existing pioneer road excavated in 1977. <br />This road, as the applicant observes, can be divided into two distinct design segments. <br />The lower segment connects State Highway No. 139 (Sta. 0+00'), and the confluence of <br />the Munger (:reek Canyon with the canyon of the unnamed tributary to Munger Creek on <br />which the portals are located (Sta. 67+00'). This segment occupies the relatively broad <br />canyon floor at a fairly low gradient (2.6%). The majority of this segment consists of a <br />low constructed road berm. <br />The upper segment of the haul road connects the confluence of the two stream valleys <br />(Sta. 67+00') with the mine portal bench (Sta. 140+30'). This roughly 3700-foot-long <br />segment climbs at a steeper gradient (7.5%) along the southern valley wall of the valley <br />of the unnamed tributary to Munger Creek. The southern wall of this canyon is steep, <br />with cross-sections in excess of 30°, obviously qualifying as a "steep slope mining azea." <br />In order to straighten the alignment of the existing pioneer road to accommodate larger <br />coal hauling vehicles, the applicant proposes to enlarge existing road cuts and construct <br />road berms across several drainage swales. <br />Grand Valley Coal Company submitted a geo-technical analysis and amended design <br />recommendations for the proposed haul road. This report, prepared by Geo-Hydro <br />I9 <br />