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D. Specific Findings Required by Rule 4.18 <br />Wildlife habitat is a planned postmining land use. Colowyo has selected appropriate plant <br />species and distributions to benefit wildlife (Rule 4.18(5)(i)). <br />XVIL Protection of Underground Mining - Rule 4.19 <br />Colowyo will conduct no coal mining closer than 500 feet to any point of either an active or <br />abandoned underground mine. Underground coal mines have been operated in the past by <br />entities other than Colowyo, as discussed in Section 2.04.4, but their locations were on the <br />northern side of Streeter Draw, well over 500 feet from present Colowyo mining. The surface <br />mining activities of Colowyo have been designed so as not to endanger any present or future <br />operations of either surface or underground mining operations (Rules 4.19(1) and 4.22.4(1)). <br />XVIII. Subsidence Control - Rule 4.20 <br />The Permit was found to comply with Rule 4.20 as well as Rule 2.05.6(6). <br />Colowyo is mainly a surface coal mining operation. A small area was auger mined (see XXI <br />below). The potential for subsidence over the auger mining was not considered a significant <br />concern. The possibility of large scale pillar failure over an area sufficient to produce surface <br />effects was considered very low (CTL /Thompson, Inc., "Auger Mining Analysis," February 5, <br />1996). <br />A truck parking lot exists above a highwall mining area of the South Taylor Pit. Colowyo has <br />designed the highwall mining in this area to minimize the impacts to the lot. The plan includes <br />driving one highwall mining entry as deep as possible (under the lot), leaving the designed web <br />pillar, driving the next entry and stopping it short of the lot, leaving another web pillar, than <br />starting the process over again. Although there is no current requirement for monitoring of <br />subsidence by Colowyo at the Mine, Colowyo is monitoring the possible movement or <br />subsidence of the truck parking lot through visual inspection; this is done to meet Mine Safety <br />and Health Administration (MSHA) requirements. <br />XIX. Coal Exploration - Rule 4.21 <br />Coal exploration outside the Permit boundary is not authorized by the mining permit with the <br />Division, and is not addressed in this finding. <br />Proposed Decision and Findings of Compliance January 2012 <br />Permit Renewal 06 Page 153 <br />