2008-03-13_PERMIT FILE - C1992081A (7)

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An existing rail spur and loop, approximately 17,000 feet in total length, connect the coal handling facility to the Union Pacific Railroad mainline track. • An existing haul road (HGLF-HG1) connects that coal handling facility to Routt County Road 53 and provides vehicular access to the site. A second haul road (HGLF-HG2), which will route haul trucks from the loadout building to HGLF-HG1 is approved, but has not been constructed. Because no additional operational disturbances were anticipated and planned operational aspects remained consistent with past practices, environmental assessments and operational findings contained in reviews of the previous owner's permit (H-G Coal Company, Permit C-80-003) were directly applicable to HGTI's permit application and future operation of the facility. During HGTI's preparation of this permit application (application date of December 14, 1992), the analysis of affected lands identified additional acres of disturbance associated with the construction and operation of the loadout facility than what was reported in the original permit by the pervious owner. With CDMGs subsequent approval of HGTI's permit application package (Permit C-92-081), the permitted area is 176.3 acres, of which 105.5 is identified as being disturbed. This includes 8.4 acres of disturbance that will occur at the time of final reclamation to accommodate grading activities (i.e., slope reduction). Peabody Coal Company operated the loadout for HGTI from January 1993 to July 1994. Seneca Coal Company operated the loadout from July 1994 to August 1996. Coal was shipped from the Hayden Gulch Loadout to market via railcar during 1994 and 1995. HGTI has operated the loadout since September 1996. On November 3, 1997, HGTI notified CDMG that the Hayden Gulch Loadout had been put into temporary cessation as a result of HGTI or its affiliates not having an existing mine requiring the use of a loadout facility at that time. In July 2000 the loadout was returned to active status as part of Technical Revision TR-05. TR-05 was filed with the CDMG to upgrade the loadout facility to provide for railcar unloading (or load-in: 500,000 ton per year unloading throughput) in addition to the permitted railcar and truck loadout operations (1,000,000 tons per year throughput - for a total permitted combined throughput of 1,500,000 tons per year). The technical revision provided for greater flexibility in the operation of the facility, MR-16 3 Revised 11/07