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After the upper coal seam is removed the parting material, composed of alternating layers of <br />sandstone, shale or clay, sometimes alternating, will be removed. Partings and interburden material <br />may range in thickness from a few tenths of a foot to over 20 feet. The thinner partings will be <br />removed by loader or dozer and hauled or pushed into an adjacent mined out pit. The thicker partings <br />and interburden will be dozed into a mined out pit or excavated by the shovel and trucks and hauled <br />to a mined out pit. <br />After the overburden or parting has been removed above each individual coal seam, a dozer, loader <br />or motor grader will clean off any overburden or parting material remaining on top of the coal. In order <br />to facilitate handling of the coal, a dozer will rip or break up the coal. Contracted haulage trucks of <br />approximately 25 ton capacity will be loaded by a wheel loader. Once a truck is loaded, the coal will <br />be transported approximately six miles to the power station. Table 2.05.3-1 lists the major mining <br />equipment to be used at the New Horizon Mine. <br />The estimated coal tonnage, overburden and parting volumes to be extracted and corresponding <br />swelled volumes for all mining areas are presented on Table 2.05.3-2. <br />Mining began in 1993 and will carry on through at least 2010. The coal quantities required from the <br />New Horizon Mine under Western Fuels-Colorado's contract to supply Tri-State Generating and <br />Transmission Associations' Nucla Station are estimated to be from 320,000 to 400,000 tons per year. <br />For purposes of this permit application, the maximum rate of 400,000 tons per year was assumed. <br />Whenever possible overburden stripping and coal loading will be sequenced to maintain an in-pit <br />inventory of approximately one month's coal requirements. Additionally, overburden stripping and coal <br />loading will be sequenced to allow blending of coal in the pit to enable delivery of relatively uniform <br />quality coal to the power plant. <br />Forthe 1999 amendment area shown on the revised Map 2.05.3-1, mining requires that various roads <br />and other infrastructure be relocated. The CC Company West Lateral Ditch is also scheduled to be <br />temporarily detoured into a large HPDE pipeline. <br />As of May, 1999, the mine is operating in cuts 40-45 as shown on Map 2.05.3-1. This encompasses <br />the full operation sequence from topsoil stripping, overburden blasting and stripping, coal removal, <br />backfilling and soil replacement. A temporary open cut is being left south of BB Road and a detour will <br />be built for BB Road in mid-2000 in preparation for the crossing of BB Road. The design of this detour <br />is presented in detail in the Montrose County Special Use permit application. The detour road will be <br />paved and although it is within the permit boundary for the mine, it will be outside the disturbed area <br />boundary and is not part of the mine facilities. The road design meets all County and state <br />specifications for a rural 2 lane collector road. Nevertheless, the road will be reclaimed for the <br />landowner once the original road has been restored. Mining in mid-2000 will proceed north on the <br />(REVISED 9199) 2.05.3 - 2 <br />