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II. Land Use - Rule 2.04.3, 2.05.5 and 4.16 <br />Information pertaining to land use is presented nn pages 12-13.6 and <br />187.1-188 of the permit application. <br />The land use within the permit area prior to any mining was rangeland and <br />wildlife habitat. In the early 1900's, the first coal mining operations <br />were opened along Trout Creek. These mines were accessed by what is now <br />Routt County Road 29. The Apex No. 2 Mine portals and work area are <br />constructed on the previously disturbed site of the old Apex No. 1 work <br />area. <br />Sunland proposes returning these disturbed areas back to the premising <br />land use of grazing land and wildlife habitat except for Routt County <br />Road 29. Routt County has requested that this road remain after mine <br />reclamation. The Division approves the proposed postmining land use of <br />grazing and wildlife habitat. <br />The operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />III. Cultural and Historical Resources - Rules 2.04.4 and <br />Information pertaining to cultural and historic resources can be found on <br />pages 14-22 of the permit application. <br />Based upon information suhmitted by Sunland and from the State Historic <br />Preservation Office, the Division finds that this operation will not <br />adversely affect any areas considered eligible for the National Register <br />of Historic Places. <br />The operation is in compliance with the requirements of this section. <br />IV. Geology -Pules 2.04.5 and 2.04.6(21 <br />Information pertaining to regional and site-specific geology is presented <br />on pages 24-49 of the permit application. <br />The Apex Nn. 2 Mine is located in the Iles Formation of the Cretaceous <br />Mesa Verde Group which lies above the Tow Creek Sandstone and below the <br />Trout Creek Sandstone. In the area of the mine, the Trout Creek <br />Sandstone has been entirely eroded away and first outcrops about <br />2.5 miles down dip. As depicted on Figure 1, there are three coal seams <br />in ascending order: Lower Pinnacle, Upper Pinnacle, and Zone 3. The <br />existing Apex No. 2 Mine and the previous Apex No. 1 Mine are and were <br />developing the Lower Pinnacle coal seam, respectively. Horst and graben <br />faulting has divided the permit area into three fault blocks. Each fault <br />block runs to the northwest and the coal dips 10 degrees also to the <br />northwest (Map 2). During the Permit Renewal No. 1 application, Sunland <br />decided to forego coal extraction in Fault Block No. 3, therefore, mining <br />is proposed to occur only in Fault Blocks Nos. 1 and 2. <br />-8- <br />