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respectively. These two species are well-proven in high altitude revegetation <br /> test plots in several locations in the Central Rocky Mountains. <br /> Is the DMG approach to revegetation at Coal Basin an overkill, as asserted by <br /> the Mid Continent consultants? Absolutely not. <br /> NECESSITY OF STEEP SLOPE REVEGETATION AT COAL BASIN <br /> Mid Continent Coal (MCR) sought and ultimately was granted permission to <br /> mine coal under provisions of a permit issued by the Colorado Division of <br /> Minerals and Geology and its predecessor, Colorado Mined Land Reclamation <br /> Division. These provisions included the requirement to revegetate disturbed <br /> areas pursuant to Section 4.15 of Colorado regulations, themselves in <br /> conformance with requirements of Federal regulations Section 817.111. MCR <br /> sought and was granted variance from requirement of state (and federal) <br /> programs to return disturbed surfaces to approximate original contour. This <br /> variance from AOC did not include variance from the requirement to revegetate <br /> the mine bench outslopes, and, by virtue of their request, MCR in some ways <br /> made the still present task of revegetation more difficult for themselves. Mining <br /> in Coal Basin inevitably involved working on steep slopes. Benches built for <br /> roads and working platforms inevitably left a cut and fill, above and below the <br /> bench respectively, with slopes steeper than the original ground surface <br /> configuration. Along with the benefit to MCR of relief from spending the money <br /> to undertake the earthwork needed to establish AOC, MCR also assumed the <br /> difficulty of dealing with revegetation of even steeper slopes than would have <br /> been present with AOC. <br /> 9 <br />