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RULE 2 - PERMITS <br />2.05.2 Operation Plan — Estimated Area for Life of Operation <br />This section describes the ,erieral aline operation, production methods. mine segUenClilg alld <br />surface disturbances associated with the portal area and related surface facilities for the PSCM <br />underground coal mine. The information presented in these sections provides a basis for the <br />understanding and e\- alUatloll of potential iniiiill��T,- related impacts and development of appropriate <br />plans for conscrvatlon of resources and control or initlgatlon of niiiilllg- related Illlpacts. The <br />operations plan presented herein describes an initial startup phase which develops into a steady-state <br />coal 111inin._' operation with a full buildup of facllities/strUCtUres. As a stand- alone permit <br />application, tills sectloll addresses development. inining. and reclamation of any related surface <br />disturbance achievement of the postinining land uses consistent with the existing land uses and <br />provides for Illitlgation of potential inining- related impacts as required by Section 4.01.1. <br />SurfaCe disturbance at the PSCM will be limited to all excavated face -lip area for the underground <br />portal access. related facilities I11CIllding soil and coal stockpiles. one million gallon water tank. <br />maintenance facilities, coal handling facilities, roads and parking areas. drainage and sediment <br />control structures. and related ancillary facilities. As the mine expands. additional ventilation and <br />dewatering installations may be needed, resulting in additional minor disturbance for any new <br />facilities. Any required new facilities will be addressed by future revisions to the permit. <br />Continuous miners will develop the mine and extract the coal. Continuous miners (CM) will be <br />used to extend the main entries and sub - entries and develop sections during the initial development <br />in tills permit term. Any future full -scale mining would be permitted separately as a revision to the <br />permit Map 2.05.2 -M1, Life of Mine Map. shows the anticipated initial five (5) year and future <br />alining blocks. <br />Production Methods and Equipment <br />Historical mining operations in this area include the adjacent Seneca II Mine on the east and Yoast <br />Mine to the west both were surface mines that mined the near - surface coal, and which have <br />subsequently been reclaimed. The PSCM permit area partially overlaps portions of the Seneca II <br />mine. PSCM's portal area and underground workings will begin adjacent to the final Seneca II <br />Mine highwall, in an area of undisturbed bedrock and coal. A more detailed description of historic <br />surface alining activities is included in Section 2.043. Site Description and Land Use. <br />The PSCM proposes to underground mine the underground portion of the Wadge coal seam lying <br />between the Seneca II and Yoast surface mines in order to maximize recovery of the coal resource. <br />The proposed PSCM underground mine is in an area that is uneconomic for surface mining methods <br />due to the depth and dip of the coal seam. The PSCM will disturb a total of approximately 355.8 <br />acres for the portal facilities and access road out of a permit area containing approximately 10,563.7 <br />acres more or less. If mining conditions prove favorable, and mining operations continue, surface <br />disturbance areas and the associated facilities will continue to be utilized for the ongoing operations <br />and will be reclaimed when no longer needed to support ongoing or future operations. <br />The Wadge coal seam in the proposed mine area lies in a syncline. The average dip of the coal is <br />approximately 9.7 degrees to the west, and the strike of the seam is approximately north- south. The <br />main entries are projected to transect the dip of the Wadge seam to allow the continuous miner <br />Midterm Review- 2.05 -3 Revision 04/2013 <br />