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spoil rows to create suffident spoil area to allow final grading to "daylight" and blend into the sunounding <br />• topography. Secontl, in some cases, the box cut spoil material is required to be dozed or hauled forward <br />into the mined area. In this case, the pit progression must move ahead more than four pit widths and the <br />coal must be removed before the spoil can be backfilled and graded to its design configuration. The <br />completion of backfilling and grading at select locations along final pit highwalls may require additional time <br />beyond 180 days due to these areas being scheduled for future highwall mining. <br />SCC previously conducted auger mining along certain areas of final dragline highwall. Due to operational <br />and coal recovery deficiencies the auger mining was discontinued and was replaced with a highwall mining <br />system. Highwall mining was conducted at select locations along final pit highwalls (as shown on F~dribtt <br />12-1 and described in Attachment 12-2). The planning and scheduling for coal availability, whether dragline <br />or highwall miner, in some cases resu0ed in delay to contemporaneous backfilling and grading of some <br />final pits and previously disturbetl areas. Therefore, a variance to Rule 4.14.1(1)(c) was requested for <br />select areas of final dragline pits in existing artd future mining auras. The areas of variance inducted select <br />portions of final dragline pits to accommodate highwall mining and coal haulage access and to bring a <br />portion of the lower "Neck" pit into compliance. <br />After encountering limited success with the highwall miner operation, the mining eras terminated <br />earlier than originalh anticipated. This elimination of the highwall miner operation insulted in <br />significant sctreduling changes to the mine plan and the backfilling and grading schedule. The <br />• initial approved variance areas included final pits in the "Neck" pit, the South Valore Pit and the <br />access to the "Scraper' pit The lower "Neck" pit was backfilled according to schedule. <br />The revised variance request and schedule based on PR-02 includes the following areas. <br />North Valora Pit (directly east of Pond 012) <br />- Revised schedule indicates the lower 1,800 ft of ok area th be final traded and toosoiled <br />to 2006 when the haul road is removed and lower end of channel YPM~i is oonslructed (the <br />existing fill material removed from the haul road and channel area will need to be placed <br />against the rrorthem side slope to achieve PMT). <br />- The actual final dragline pit was previously backfilled and rough graded in 2004. <br />South Valore Pk (extends southeast from Pond 012) <br />- Approximately 2.200 ft of final pit was backfilled and oreded prior to 10/01/2005. <br />"Scraper' Pit and Access Corridor (north and east of Pond 014) <br />- Backfillinn and gredine of the final pit laoaroximateiv 1.400 ftl was completed prior to <br />10/0112005. <br />• . Wolf Creek Pit <br />- The entire Wolf Creek coal recovery area is long and narrow and the dragline must alternate <br />between various pits in this area. <br />PR-02 fi Revised 10/05 <br />