2013-05-06_PERMIT FILE - M2013022

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EXHIBIT C — Mining Plan Mining operations will begin upon issuance of the Limited Impact (110(2)) permit from the Colorado Division of Mining Reclamation and Safety, Storm Water Permit and Fugitive Particulate Control Plan from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Right of Way Grant from the BLM and Special Use Permit from Rio Blanco County, with an expected start date of May 15, 2013. The planned mine life is 8 years with completion of mining operations by October 31, 2020. Mining operations will be conducted on approximately 3 acres of the 5 acre site. The surface of 1.75 acres of the 3 acres to be mined has been previously disturbed and no soils that are acceptable for use as plant growth medium for reclamation are available for salvage from these 1.75 acres. The surface of the remaining 1.25 acres of the 3 acres to be mined is undisturbed and soils to a depth of approximately 6 inches will be salvaged from this area prior to the area being mined and the salvaged soil will be immediately applied as plant growth medium on areas that have been graded and prepared for reclamation. The mining operation will be conducted in 8 phases and will advance from the area of previous disturbance to the area that has not been disturbed. Portions of the area that was previously disturbed which are identified as Reclamation Area 1 and Reclamation Area 2 on the reclamation map will be reclaimed using the salvaged soils. There will be a shortage of salvageable topsoil available on site which is acceptable for reclamation and this shortage will require that soils be imported to the site for use as plant growth medium for the area identified on the reclamation map as Reclamation Area 3. The soils for reclamation of Area 3 will be transported to site at the time of final reclamation and immediately applied to the graded surface. Salvaged topsoil and imported topsoil will be immediately applied to graded surfaces so no topsoil stockpiles will be established in this mining operation and no stockpiles for topsoil are identified on the mine map. The material to be mined is oil shale, a fine grained sedimentary rock which contains relatively large amounts of solid organic matter known as kerogen which requires heating to elevated temperatures of 400 to 500 °C to liberate the kerogen as a gas or liquid hydrocarbon. Overburden covering the mine zone is also oil shale but is much lower in grade than the material to be mined. The purpose of the mining operation is to supply oil shale to an offsite testing facility which conducts laboratory and pilot plant scale research and development operations. There will be no processing of any type conducted at the mine site. The small scale research operation to be supplied with product from this mine requires annual production from the mine of only 8,000 to 9,000 tons of oil shale rock so only one short term mining activity and one or two hauling activities are expected to be conducted each year at the site.