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-43- <br />d. A discussion of current or estimated yields for the adjacent <br />prime farmland area. <br />e. A plan to re vegetate the land to cropland after mining, along <br />with revegetation standards that will ensure it's productivity <br />will be returned to equivalent or higher levels. <br />Even though the prime farmland was disturbed prior to the enactment of <br />the prime farmland regulations, the Division must still issue a permit <br />authorizing the continued use and restoration of the disturbance. With <br />regards to this, the Division makes the following approval findings <br />required by rule 2.06.6(4}: <br />a. The approved proposed post-mining land use of these prime <br />farmlands will be cropland; <br />b. The permit incorporates, as specific conditions, the contents <br />of the plan submitted under 2.06.6(2}; <br />c. The applicant has the technological capability to restore the <br />prime farmland, within a reasonable time, to equivalent or <br />higher levels of yield as non-mined prime farmland in the <br />surrounding area under equivalent levels of management; and <br />d. The proposed operations will be conducted in compliance with <br />the requirements of 4.25 and other environmental protection <br />performance and reclamation standards of the Rules for mining <br />and reclamation of prime farmland. <br />With the acceptance of the above stipulation, the Division finds the <br />operation in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />XIV. Operations Description - Rules 2.05.2, 2.05.3 and 4.01 <br />The operations discussion can be found in Volume I, Sections 4.1, 4.2 and <br />4.3 of the Snowmass Coal Company application. <br />The mine will extract coal from two seams. Mine portal no. 1 serves as <br />access to the "A" seam, while mine portal No. 3 serves as access to the <br />Anderson seam. <br />Tn Mine No. 1, room and pillar mining was used to prepare the mine for <br />longwall operation. Longwall production started August 4, 1981. The <br />longwall is located at the south end of Stony Ridge and is retreating <br />northward at a rate of 61 feet per week. The pitch of the longwall is 26 <br />degrees westerly and has a face length of 330 feet. Peak production is <br />2800 tons per day. The life of this longwall operation is expected to be <br />20 years. <br />Mine No. 3 currently uses eight continuous mining machines. If the Mine <br />No. 1 longwall operations proves profitable, longwall techniques may be <br />used in Mine No. 3 by 1984. <br />