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proposed. The proposed revision expands the affected area of the permit by 2,540 acres for a total of 19,347.53
<br />affected acres.
<br />USGS Quadrangle maps of Milner and Rattlesnake Butte cover the majority of the permit area. Disturbed areas
<br />of the mine include the main surface facilities area along Foidel Creek and numerous smaller outlying facilities.
<br />These mine-related facilities result in 545.9 total disturbed acres. The main mine facilities lie in Sections 29,
<br />31, 32, TSN, R86W of the 6th Principal Meridian and are located in, and adjacent to, a strip pit excavated
<br />originally by Colorado Yampa Coal Company's (CYCC) surface mining operation (No. C 1981-071). Other
<br />facilities currently within the permit area, but separate from the main portal facility area, include the Fish Creek
<br />Borehole (FCB) facility, the Southwest ventilation facility (SW vent), the Eastern Mining District ventilation
<br />facility (EMD vent), the Eastern Mining District dewatering facility (TORT borehole), the 18-Right Escape
<br />Shaft and MAC borehole, the 18-Left Ventilation boreholes and MAC borehole, the 6MN Ventilation Shaft, the
<br />6MN escape shaft and supply boreholes, the 6MN reservoir, the Sandstones substation and Barricade chamber,
<br />the Fish Creek Tipple (FCT) facility, the Eastern Mining District grout hole pad, and various roads and
<br />waterlines throughout the permit area.
<br />The Fish Creek Borehole (FCB) is located on Fish Creek approximately two miles northwest of the main facility
<br />area in Section 25, TSN, R87W. The FCB facility consists of two dewatering boreholes, an inactive ventilation
<br />shaft that has been reconfigured to a mine water borehole, three treatment ponds, associated roads, a substation,
<br />a utility building, and water treatment equipment. The SW vent was reclaimed in 1996 and is located in Section
<br />36, TSN, R87W. The EMD vent facility is located in Section 14, TSN, R86W and consists of two ventilation
<br />shafts (intake air and return air), intake air heating unit, associated buildings, powerlines, and fuel tank. The
<br />TORT boreholes (formerly referred to as the EMD borehole) disturbed area is located in Section 21, TSN, R8 6W
<br />and consists of two boreholes, a pump building, several buried water lines, topsoil stockpiles, and a graveled
<br />pad. The Sandstones substation in Section 20, TSN, R86W no longer serves as a power drop to the mine. The
<br />nearby Barricade chamber (formerly referred to as the North Escape Shaft) has no facilities but exists as a
<br />completed three-foot diameter shaft that has been capped with a temporary steel cap. The shaft at the Barricade
<br />chamber is used to direct water back into the mine as a part of the mine water system.
<br />The Fish Creek Tipple (FCT) facility is located approximately five miles northeast of the main portal area in
<br />Section 2, TSN, R86W, about seven miles downstream on Fish Creek from the FCB facility. It was originally
<br />permitted separately under permit No. C 1981-036 but since has been incorporated into the Foidel Creek permit
<br />No. C1982-056. It consists of a rail load out, crushing and screening equipment, conveyors, stockpile areas, and
<br />a sediment control system of ditches and one pond. The FCT facility has been idle since Energy Mine No. 3
<br />(No. C 1984-062) completed mining in 1986, and is currently inactive as of the writing of this document in
<br />October 2009.
<br />The 6-Main North (6MN) facilities were constructed in 2007-2009 and are located in Section 17, TSN, R86W.
<br />The 6MN facilities consist of an escape shaft with a man hoist for emergency evacuation, cuttings pit, topsoil
<br />stockpiles, transformer, two rock dust tanks and associated boreholes, Mine Atmosphere Control (MAC)
<br />borehole, and materials boreholes, compressor building, 6MN million gallon water tank, 6MN sediment pond,
<br />6MN reservoir, ventilation fan, fan heaters (4), and propane tank. The 6MN facilities provide support to
<br />underground workings in the Northern Mining District.
<br />The 18-Right facilities are located on the eastern flank of the Northern Mining District workings in Sections 10
<br />and 11, TSN, R86W. The 18-Right facilities consist of a borehole, heater, and hoist building, MAC borehole
<br />and monitoring equipment (portable trailers), cuttings pit, and propane tank. The access road to this site
<br />connects to the Fish Creek Tipple facilities area.
<br />The18-Left facilities were constructed in 2009. These facilities consist of a ventilation shaft borehole, and
<br />escape shaft, MAC borehole, transformer pad, topsoil stockpile, cuttings pit, and sediment pond. Structures for
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