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Irrigated hay cropland and dryland pasture areas currently have no established <br />diversity criteria. <br />The Division proposes to approve these standards. <br />F. The Division has approved the use of the dryland pasture reference areas described <br />above for Mine 1 permit block dryland pasture cover success evaluation, and Mine <br />2 permit block cover and production success evaluation. The irrigated pasture <br />reference area described above has been approved for evaluation of NH-2 block <br />irrigated pasture success evaluation, pursuant to the requirements of Rule 4.15.7(3). <br />G. The reference areas will be utilized to determine revegetation success in a manner <br />that ih°v Division . find) acceptable 4. 1 5.7(4)(a). <br />H. Beginning with the Division's mid-term permit review in December 2005, and <br />continuing through review of the RN-5 application in 2008 and 2009, numerous <br />issues have been raised related to land use and revegetation considerations at New <br />Horizon. Concerns have been raised by the Division in various review letters, as <br />well as by area landowners and local NRCS staff. Revegetation issues of concern <br />have focused,on proper land use and vegetation crop type designations and <br />documentation for particular locations (including prime farmland soil areas), <br />terminology in the permit application that is unclear or internally inconsistent, <br />mapped designations that differ from narrative descriptions, and details regarding <br />revegetation methods, success criteria and demonstration methods for various <br />postmining land use categories (including Prime Farmland areas). <br />Concerns regarding the applicability of a technical success standard for Irrigated <br />Pastureland were addressed in TR-58. However, many of the significant concerns <br />related to revegetation plan specifics have not yet been resolved. Many of these <br />concerns overlap with concerns related to Postmining Land Use, addressed in the <br />following section. In order to ensure that the outstanding revegetation and land use <br />related concerns will be comprehensively addressed in a timely manner, Stipulation <br />No. 16 is attached to this Findings Document. Please refer to Stipulation No. 16, <br />at the end of the Postmining Land Use Section which follows. <br />42