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III. CRITERIA FOR BOND RELEASE <br />Phase I Bond Release <br />Rule 3.03.1(2)(a) states, "Up to sixty percent of the applicable bond amount shall be <br />released when the permittee successfully completes backfilling, regarding, and drainage <br />control in accordance with the approved reclamation plan." All lands requested in the <br />current Phase III bond release application, SL-10, have received Phase I bond release <br />during SL-05 approval (August 3, 2004). <br />Phase II Bond Release <br />Rule 3.03.1(2)(b) states, "Up to eighty-five percent of the applicable bond amount shall be <br />released upon the establishment of vegetation which supports the approved postmining land use <br />and which meets the approved success standard for cover based on statistically valid data <br />collected during a single year of the liability period". In regard to Phase II bond release, Rule <br />3.03.2(3)(b) also states, "No more than (60) percent of the bond shall be released so long as the <br />lands to which the release would be applicable are contributing suspended solids to streamflow <br />or runoff outside the permit area in excess of premining levels as determined by baseline data or <br />in excess of levels determined on adjacent nonmined areas". <br />The post mining land use for the land applicable to SL-10 is rangeland. There are three <br />different range communities that the reclaimed parcels are compared to. Range site C <br />standards apply to elevations below 6700 feet, range site B standards apply to elevations <br />above 6700 feet and below 7200 feet, and range site A standards apply to elevations greater <br />that 7200 feet (permit section 41). Contiguous areas of range site A and range site B seeded <br />in the same year and receiving similar reclamation practices may be lumped together into one <br />range site AB parcel. When bond release blocks are comprised of both A and B range site <br />areas cover and production standards for range site A will be applied to the block relative to <br />demonstrating reclamation success (permit section 415). Permit topsoil depth requirement on <br />rangeland is 12 inches plus or minus 2 inches (permit page 4256). Trapper Mine verifies <br />topsoil replacement thickness by scraper load counts. Load counts for each reclamation <br />parcel are included in the SL- 06 bond release application. Topsoil verification was <br />conducted during monthly inspections verified. <br />Trapper Mine provided an acceptable suspended solids demonstration during SL-06 to <br />demonstrate that the reclaimed areas did not contribute suspended solids to streamflow or runoff <br />outside the permit area in excess of pre-mining levels. Drainages and sedimentation ponds <br />located within and down slope of the bond release blocks were not included in the SL-06 bond <br />release application. Portions of Coyote, No Name, Johnson and East Pyeatt drainages and <br />associated sediment ponds remain in the permitted area and are not a part of the SL-10 Phase III <br />bond release. The Division found that all reclamation efforts pertaining to the Phase II bond <br />release were completed and in compliance on 10/27/2005. <br />Trapper Mine Page 6 November 17, 2007 <br />Phase III Bond Release