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RULE 2 PE1�i1�11,� <br />when opportunities for adding unplanned supplementary areas targeting shrub establishment present <br />themselves. By acceptance of this new approach, Colowyo will be granted the flexibility to take <br />advantage of day -to -day opportunities to promote shrub establishment and be able to option out of <br />planned areas if site conditions prove significantly different than anticipated. Such flexibility will in no <br />way be allowed to circumvent the requirement to maintain a proper life -of -mine topsoil balance and <br />overall plan objective to improve shrub establishment. All significant deviations from plan maps and <br />expectations will be documented and submitted in the Annual Reclamation Report. In this manner, as <br />well as documentation through bond release evaluations, CDRMS will maintain authority over any such <br />deviations. <br />Related to this flexibility and as presented in revisions to Section 4.15, Colowyo commits to revised <br />woody plant density success criteria for Phase III bond release for 2008 and later reclamation, that are <br />somewhat less stringent than the original requirements, and are significantly less stringent for pre -2008 <br />reclamation, but are ecologically defensible and appropriate. This commitment is in the interest of <br />promoting the momentum of the bond release process and the pursuit of a "land -use" based reclamation <br />program. Furthermore, this commitment on the part of Colowyo is based on the fact that the best <br />reclamation science (30+ years ago), and significant financial expenditure went into implementation of <br />the previous reclamation plan (and development of success criteria), and that recent experience and <br />advancements in reclamation science now dictate less stringent requirements for a 10 -year bond <br />responsibility period. In other words, the original woody plant density success criterion was developed <br />without sufficient experience, knowledge, or empirical evidence and as such was established at too high a <br />level over too short a time period. In effect, this will amount to the waiving of the previous standards and <br />the adoption of the new proposed standards. <br />Topsoil Redistribution Plan <br />Prior to any mining - related disturbances, all available topsoil will be removed from the site to be <br />disturbed as discussed in Section 2.05.3, and will be redistributed or stockpiled as necessary to satisfy the <br />needs of the reclamation timetable as described herein. <br />Final grading before topsoil placement will be conducted in a manner that minimizes erosion and <br />provides a surface for the topsoil that minimizes slippage. If spoil compaction is a problem, the spoil will <br />be ripped with a dozer to minimize compaction, assure stability and minimize slippage after topsoil <br />replacement. Where possible, development of concave landforms (to encourage snow entrapment) will <br />be developed on a case -by -case basis at the discretion of the field supervisor. Such landforms will still <br />have positive drainage in accordance with overall permitted designs. Topsoil will then be redistributed <br />and graded to a variable replacement depth following the general rule of thin topsoil ( <6) inches on ridge <br />tops to gradually thicker topsoil moving down the slopes to the drainage bottoms for the grazingland land <br />use targeted areas (see representation below). Sagebrush Steppe areas will ideally receive an average of <br />approximately 4 inches of topsoil that will likely be a more uniform application to encourage proper <br />seeding depth and overall shrub establishment conditions (see representation below). Colowyo will track <br />the volume of topsoil applied to each reclamation unit and report it within the Annual Reclamation Report <br />each year. Colowyo utilizes load counts and time card coding to differentiate and accurately assign <br />costs /volumes for all other material movement on the mine site. As such, Colowyo will utilize these tools <br />to ensure the planned and appropriate volume of topsoil is applied to each reclamation unit. A visual <br />representation of Colowyo's drainage -wide topsoil replacement strategy is provided below: <br />Rule 2 Permits 2.05 -23 Revision Date: 6/11/12 <br />Revision No.: RN -06 <br />