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of Land Management (BLM), prior to undermining this site. Mitigation measures required by the BLM involved
<br />extensive research and documentation of this site. The site has since been destroyed by subsidence and
<br />subsequent rockfall.
<br />Pre-mining and post-mining land uses within the permit area are pastureland, cropland and rangeland. Some of the
<br />surface was previously disturbed by surface mining methods under Mine No. 1, Mine No. 2, and Eckman Park Mine
<br />(C 1981-071) and Energy Mine No. 3 (C 1984-062).
<br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans
<br />The Foidel Creek Mine was originally permitted as an underground operation employing room and pillar mining
<br />on privately owned coal within a 924 acre permit area. TCC referred to the original permit as a pilot project
<br />designed to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of underground mining operations on the Wadge
<br />coal seam, which was previously surface mined in the portal area and on dip slopes to the south and southwest
<br />by TCC's sister company, Colorado Yampa Coal Company (CYCC). Existing surface disturbance along Foidel
<br />Creek at the main mine facility area consists of portals, surface support facilities, an office, low-quality coal
<br />stockpiles, a processing waste pile, conveyors, a tipple and batch weigh loadout facility, a ROM coal stockpile,
<br />two rock dust tanks, an explosives magazine, a rail spur, sediment control ditches and ponds. A large area of
<br />the main facility area was within a disturbed area called the Area 2 pit within the CYCC permit No. C-81-071.
<br />Since the completion of mining associated with the No. C-81-071 permit, all pertinent facilities have been
<br />transferred to the Foidel Creek mine permit.
<br />The Life of Mine (LOM) permit revision (PR-01) application was approved in 1986 to expand the project into a
<br />35-year mining operation utilizing both room and pillar and longwall techniques, with a peak production of
<br />approximately 3.5 million tons per year. Upon approval of PR-01, the permit boundary encompassed 13,114
<br />acres and included both federal and privately owned coal. New and expanded surface facilities were required
<br />due to Permit Revision No. 1. These facilities included; an office/bathhouse complex, new conveyor facilities, a
<br />transfer building, and 150,000 ton open coal stockpile and loadout facilities. Additionally, the Fish Creek
<br />Borehole dewatering site and associated treatment ponds were installed on Fish Creek, in TSN, R87W, Section
<br />25. The Fish Creek Borehole mine dewatering site corresponds with NPDES site 115.
<br />Permit Revision No. 2, (PR-02), Southwest Mining District, was approved with stipulations on February 17,
<br />1993. PR-02 approved mining and subsidence in Panels 7, 8, and 9 of the South West Mining District. Mining
<br />was completed in this area in 1996.
<br />Permit Revision No. 3, approved May 9, 1996, allowed mining in the Eastern Mining District of Gateroads 11
<br />Right through 5 Right, construction of the Southwest Development Mains, and extraction of Longwall panels 9
<br />Right through 7 Right. Approval of PR-03 expanded the LOM permit area to 22,694 acres. Extraction of
<br />10,000,000 Tons/year was approved under Technical Revision No. 28, in 1997.
<br />Permit Revision No. 4 (PR-04), Eastern Mining District (southern area), was approved April 20, 1998. The
<br />revision approved continuation and expansion of mining in the southern portion of the EMD in portions of
<br />sections 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, and 29 T5N R86W.
<br />Permit Revision No. 5 (PR5) was approved June 28, 2000 and provided for extension of mining into the
<br />Northern Mining District in portions of the following Sections in TSN, R86W: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
<br />17, 20, 21, and 22. The mine expansion area undermined and subsided portions of Fish Creek and its
<br />associated alluvial valley floor in sections 16, 15, 10 and 11.
<br />Permit Revision No. 6 (PR6) was approved on May 21, 2004. Permit Revision No. 6 provide for continued
<br />mining in the Northern Mining District in Sections 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, and 17 in TSN, R86W.
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