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IX. Post-mining Land Use <br />The mine permit area consists of two separate areas of land use; the mine area <br />and the tie-across haul road. Each is addressed separately. <br />The predominant pre-mining land use on the mining area is rangeland <br />supporting both domestic livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Secondary uses <br />consist of a small industrial area (one active oil well) and minor water resources <br />{three stock ponds). The tie-across haul road pre-mining land use is classified as <br />cropland and rangeland with the western end classified as industrial due to the <br />Hayden Gulch coal loading facility. The cropland is non-irrigated small grain <br />and represents an insignificant portion of the total farming unit (0.2%). These <br />uses are depicted on Exhibit 4.1 and described in Volume I, Tab 4. After <br />mining, the applicant plans to restore the pre-mining land uses. Vegetation <br />supporting rangeland use will be established in areas which were not cropped <br />prior to mining, and areas which were cropped prior to raining will be <br />incorporated into the original farming units. Post-mining land use is discussed in <br />Volume 13, Tab 22 of the application. <br />The applicant, during the original permit review, contacted the legal or equitable <br />owners of record of the surface of the proposed permit area, and the State and <br />local government agencies which would have to initiate, implement, approve or <br />authorize the proposed use of the land following reclamation. The contacts were <br />made by certified mail in order to solicit any concerns or comments for the <br />proposed post-mining land use plan (Tab 13) as required by Rule 2.05.5(1)(b). <br />No objections to the proposed post-mining land use were received. The original <br />application proposed that the mine entrance haul road, haul road A, and the first <br />segment of Haul Road F (to the oil well pad) would be retained in a reduced <br />configuration for the post mine land use. Pond 006 was proposed and approved <br />as a permanent impoundment. The permit revision application (PR-Ol) <br />proposed retention of Pond 005 and Roads G and H, in reduced configurations. <br />Subsequently, Haul Road H was removed from the permit due to stability issues. <br />The road segments will replace pre-existing ranch roads and the impoundments <br />will replace stock ponds which existed prior to mining. These structures are <br />appropriate for the post-mining land use. <br />The Division hereby approves the primary post-mining land uses <br />rangeland/wildlife habitat, and non-irrigated cropland, and industrial use as the <br />secondary land use(2.07.6(2}(1)). The proposed operation is in wmpliance with <br />the requirements of this section. <br />X. Protection of Fish, Wildlife and Related Environmental Values <br />The fish and wildlife resources information is presented in Tab 10 of Volume 6 <br />of the permit application. The fish and wildlife mitigation measures to be used <br />are contained in Tab 23 in Volume 14 of the permit application. <br />38 <br />