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Loadout and Volume 12 for South Taylor) of the PAP and are summarized in Section B of this <br />document. <br />The Colowyo Coal Mine is a strip mine and consists of four pits (East Pit, West Pit, Section 16 <br />Pit and South Taylor Pit) operating within 12,250.95 permitted acres. A fifth pit, the Section 11 <br />pit, was joined with the East Pit. The Section 11 pit has been backfilled, topsoiled and seeded. <br />Mining operations have ceased in the East Pit and only reclamation of the final cut remains. The <br />majority of the East Pit has been regraded, topsoiled and reseeded. Current mining operations <br />are in the West Pit and the South Taylor Pit, and these operations will continue in the future <br />(next three to five years) per the mine plan. <br />Mining operations began in 1976 with the Section 11 Pit, a multi -seam coal operation that <br />continued to move in a southerly direction, extending and expanding into what is known as the <br />East Pit. Eight coal seams (Y, X, A, B, C, D, E, F) were mined from the East Pit, ranging in <br />thickness from two to fifteen feet. The East Pit is nearly 6,000 feet from east to west (width), <br />1,000 feet in breadth (highwall to highwall), and 450 feet deep. Due to the number of coal seams, <br />immense size of the pit, and manpower and equipment employed, pit progression was slow, with <br />additional disturbances of approximately 40 to 50 acres per year. The East Pit reached a steady <br />state where acreage disturbed approximately equaled acreage reclaimed in any given year. <br />However, reclamation of the East Pit disturbed areas was modified with the placement of West <br />Pit development excess spoil. Extraction of coal from the East Pit was terminated in 2006 <br />(Drawing 23). Currently, the only ongoing activity in the East Pit is reclamation of the final cut, <br />including backfilling and grading of the pit and highwall reduction. <br />In the multi -seam West Pit, Colowyo is utilizing the same methods of operation as those of the <br />East Pit, and the same seams are being mined. The West Pit will approach the East Pit in size. <br />Mining in the West Pit is advancing from north to south. The projected life of the West Pit is <br />estimated to be until year 2015, including highwall mining (Map 23). <br />The Section 16 Pit is located south of the East and West Pits. Mining in the majority of the <br />Section 16 Pit was completed between 1993 and 2002. A 44 -acre extension of the Section 16 Pit <br />(referred to as the X -Pod area) was permitted through TR -65 (approved on 29 June 2007). The <br />X -Pod area was mined from 2007 -2010. The northern boundary of the Section 16 Pit merged <br />with the East Pit and the West Pit. Mining of the Section 16 Pit was of the "X" coal seam only. <br />Mining was from east to west, but was reoriented from north to south for the final strip in the <br />area. To the south, in the X -Pod area, the Section 16 Pit merged with the South Taylor Pit. <br />With the approval of PR -02, Colowyo permitted the South Taylor Pit. The South Taylor Pit is a <br />multi -seam operation that will mine up to 17 coal seams and seam - complexes. The seams that <br />will be mined in the South Taylor Pit are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. The seams range in thickness <br />from 2.5 feet to 17 feet and the overburden and interburden range in thickness from 2 feet to 65 <br />feet. The East Taylor Fill is permitted for 19.8 million cubic yards of permanent excess spoil <br />from this pit. Additionally, Colowyo has permitted the West Taylor Fill for an additional 27.6 <br />million cubic yards of permanent excess spoil. The Division has approved a variance from <br />Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance January 2012 <br />Permit Renewal 06 Page 119 <br />