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• III. The Proposed Action
<br />On September 30, 2007, Mountain Coal Company, L.L.C. submitted Permit Revision
<br />PR-12 to CO-DRMS proposing to add new Federal lease COC-067232 to the West Elk
<br />Mine's permit area the impacts of which were described in the USDA Forest Services'
<br />Dry Fork Federal Coal Lease-by-Application (COC-67232) EIS, and is the subject of this
<br />mining plan modification.
<br />This mining plan action consists of a mining plan modification for new Federal lease
<br />COC-67232. Specifically, this mining plan action proposed by Mountain Coal Company,
<br />L.L.C. consists of the extending coal recovery operations in the E seam, on 1,517.10 acres
<br />of new Federal lease COC-67232 within the area covered by Colorado State permit
<br />C-1980-007, in:
<br />Township 13 South, Range 90 West 6th P.M.
<br />Section 35, lots 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, less and except
<br />land in coal leases C-1362 and COC-56447, as modified;
<br />Section 36, WI/2SWI/4NW'/a, WI/2SWI/a, less and except land in coal lease
<br />COC-57446, as modified.
<br />Township 14 South, Range 90 West 6th P.M.
<br />Section 1, lots 3, 4, SI/2NWI/a, SWI/a, WI/2NWI/4SEI/a, SWI/4SEI/a;
<br />Section 2, lots 1, 2, 3, 4, SI/2NI/2, SI/2;
<br />Section 11, NI/2N'/2;
<br />Section 12, NI/2NWI/a, NWI/4NEI/a.
<br />The life of the mining operations is expected to continue for an additional two (2)
<br />years under Colorado Permit C-1980-007 and this proposed mining plan modification.
<br />The average annual production rate and the maximum production rate would not change.
<br />The approved State permit area would increase by 1,517.10 acres from its present
<br />15,637.80 acres to a new total of 17,154.90 acres.
<br />Surface disturbance within the approved State permit area would not increase from its
<br />present 402.25 acres.
<br />This mining plan modification would add 1,517.10 Federal acres of coal an additional
<br />12.1 million tons of recoverable Federal coal to the approved mining plan area shown on
<br />the map included with this decision document.
<br />• The post mining land use within the permit and mining plan area would not change.
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