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`J 2.04.3 Site Description and Land Use Information The General Location and Land Use Map (next page) shows only rangeland and industrial use of the land within the vicinity of the permit area. The land has historically been rangeland. There is a producing oil well just outside the permit boundary in Section 21. Further, there is evidence of an abandoned strip coal mine along the haul road into the permit area. The permit area is private property on which no cultivation has ever taken place. The Rockcastle Company began surface mining operations at this site in the summer of 1978 and has continuously mined coal at the rate of about 200,000 tons/year since then. Approximately 400,000 tons of coal have been removed from the Grassy Creek Coal Mine to date by strip mining some 75 acres. Of this approximately 30 acres have been reclaimed. • Dr. C. Wayne Cook studied the site in the summer of 1980 under contract to perform a baseline vegetation survey. Dr. Cook's resume is enclosed with the vegetation report (Section 2.04.10). Dr. Cook also pre- pared a short description on the area's carrying capacity and his "recon- naissance" report is herein enclosed. (See page II.A-3). The land of the permit area could be capable of supporting a variety of uses except that its remote location away from other populated and devel- oped areas constrain such uses, such as residential or industrial/commercial, because of economics and lack of demand. Use as cropland or timber-producing land is also constrained because the overall combination of slopes, soils and extant plant communities is not suitable. The land may be suitable for certain types of recreation but due to private ownership this type of use is legitimately limited. The current predominant use of the area (besides coal mining) is for • grazing by domestic livestock. This use corresponds to the definition in Section 1.04 of "rangeland". There is great potential for the permit area to 8-81 II.A-1