2009-09-14_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981019

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3.3 Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plans 3.3.1 Operations Plan Detailed information on the Colowyo Operations Plan is found in Section 2.05.3 (Volume 1 for the East Pit, West Pit, Section 16 Pit, Facilities Area and Gossard Loadout and Volume 12 for South Taylor) of the PAP. Performance standards associated with mining operations are found in Section 4 (Volume 1 for the East Pit, West Pit, Section 16 Pit, Facilities Area and Gossard Loadout and Volume 12 for South Taylor) of the Permit and are summarized in Section B of this document. The Colowyo Coal Mine is a strip mine. As proposed, the mine consists of four pits (East Pit, West Pit, Section 16 Pit and South Taylor Pit) operating within 12,250.95 permitted acres. A fifth pit, the Section 11 pit, was joined with the East Pit. The Section 11 pit has been backfilled, topsolled and JVeded. lY?lllllllg Vperat1V11J have ceaJed 111 the -"00 P1t and o1 reclamation of the final cut remains. The majority of the East Pit has been regraded, topsoiled and reseeded. Current mining operations are in the West Pit and future operations will include the Section 16 Pit and the South Taylor Pit. Mining operations began in 1976 with the East Pit, a multi-seam coal operation that continued to move in a southerly direction. Eight coal seams (Y, X, A, B, C, D, E, F) were mined from the East Pit, ranging in thickness from two to fifteen feet. The East Pit is nearly 6,000 feet from east to west (width), and 1,000 feet in breadth (highwall to highwall), and 450 feet deep. Due to the number of coal seams, immense size of the pit, and manpower and equipment employed, pit progression was slow, with additional disturbances of approximately 40 to 50 acres per year. The East Pit reached a steady state where acreage disturbed approximately equals acreage reclaimed in any given year. However, reclamation of the East Pit disturbed areas was modified with the placement of West Pit development excess spoil. Extraction of coal from the East Pit was terminated in 2006 (Drawing 23, 31 August 2005). Currently the only ongoing operation in the East Pit is reclamation of the final cut, including backfilling and grading of the pit and highwall reduction. The still expanding, large, multi-seam West Pit is located to the west of the East Pit. The method of operation utilized in, and the coal seams extracted from, the West Pit are the same as those of the East Pit. The West Pit will approach the East Pit in size. Mining in the West Pit is advancing from north to south, paralleling the movement of the adjacent East Pit. Projected life of the West Pit is estimated to be year 2013, including highwall mining (Map 23). The Section 16 Pit is located south of the East and West Pits. Mining in the majority of the Section 16 Pit was completed between 1993 and 2002. A 44 acre extension of the Section 16 Pit (referred to as the X-Pod area) was permitted through Technical Revision 65 (approved on 29 June 2007). The X-Pod area is scheduled to be mined from 2007-2010. The northern boundary of the Section 16 Pit merged with the East Pit and will eventually merge with the West Pit. Mining of the Section 16 Pit is of the "X" coal seam only. Mining was from east to west, but was reoriented from north to south for the final strip in the area. With the approval of the X-Pod area, Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance 14 September 2009 Permit Renewal 05 Page 25