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The NRCS has identified one soils mapping unit within the proposed NHN Mine permit area to <br />be “prime farmland if irrigated.” This mapping unit, 71 – Nyswonger silty clay loam, appears in <br />two locations (totaling 1.46 acres) on permit Map 2.04.9-1, NRCS Soils Map. The “Rice Tract” <br />site is located on the eastern edge of the permit area, immediately north of the area mined and <br />reclaimed under the New Horizon No. 1 Mine. This area will be disturbed by mining and <br />reclamation activities. The second site, “Tuttle Draw”, is found at the southern end of the <br />equipment corridor, at Tuttle Draw. Detailed maps of the two sites are provided as permit Maps <br />2.04.12-1 and 2.04.12-2, respectively. Neither of these locations have a history of having been <br />irrigated or cropped. In a letter dated May 8, 2009, the NRCS issued a negative determination <br />for the presence of prime farmland at the “Rice Tract” location. <br /> <br /> <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans <br /> <br />Operation Plan <br /> <br />Mining at the New Horizon North (NHN) Mine will be accomplished using surface mining <br />methods. Development activities are expected to begin in 2012 or 2013 with the construction of <br />the mine’s surface facilities, including the buildings, necessary portions of the haul roads, and <br />necessary pond(s). Map 2.05.2-1 of the permit shows the basic features of the site, including the <br />anticipated progression of the mine panels (cuts) from south to north. Topsoil will first be <br />stripped from the southern portion of the permit area, and stockpiled as shown on Map 2.05.3(3)- <br />3. Prior to the commencement of mining, the highwall that was backfilled during reclamation of <br />Peabody’s Nucla Mine will be exposed. The excavated backfill will be placed in the temporary <br />overburden stockpile for storage. WFC anticipates that stockpiling of soils will be necessary <br />only during the initial phases of mining, and that live haul and replacement will be possible as <br />the active pit progresses to the north. <br /> <br />WFC’s mining equipment is presently being utilized at the New Horizon 2 Mine, on the south <br />side of Tuttle Draw. Once mining at NH2 has been completed, the equipment will be walked <br />overland to New Horizon North along the temporary equipment corridor, across land owned by <br />WFC. The route necessitates a crossing of Tuttle Draw; a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps <br />of Engineers will be required prior to discharging fill material into the Tuttle drainage. <br /> <br />Individual pit cuts will generally be oriented east-west, with mining commencing at the south <br />and moving northward. Individual panels will be between 100 and 120 feet in width; lengths <br />will approach 2200 feet. Removal of the topsoil from an area to be mined will expose the <br />overburden that will be removed. The upper overburden, or “Bench 1” is unconsolidated, and <br />can generally be “free-dug” by the mine’s shovel without the need for blasting. The Bench 1 <br />overburden will be loaded into trucks, which will haul the material to the back of the pit for <br />placement in the uppermost overburden level of the backfilled pit. The replaced Bench 1 <br />material will directly underlie all topsoil that will be redistributed. The lower overburden <br />consists of shales and sandstone, which require blasting in order to remove it. Overburden will <br />be removed by bulldozer or a shovel and trucks after an area has been drilled and shot. An <br />ANFO slurry is the primary agent used in the blast. All shots will be monitored with <br />seismographs located at structures nearest to the blast. Blasting schedules will be published in <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br />