20080868 Ver 2_PCS 404 Permit Condition E Update Request_20160321 (2)

PotashCorp PotashCorp-Aurora
Helping Nature Provide
By Email
March 21, 2016
Mr. Tom Steffens
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Washington Regulatory Field Office
2407 West 5th Street
Washington, North Carolina 27889
Re: Condition E of Corps 404 Permit Action ID No. 200110096
Dear Mr. Steffens:
Special Condition E of the Corps 404 permit Action ID No. 200110096 issued June 10, 2009 to
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Phosphate Division, Aurora Mine (PCS) states as follows:
"Figure 2 of the Record of Decision (ROD) included and incorporated here by reference depicts
approximate timing of the requirement for major pre -mining, land manipulation and clearing
impacts and is incorporated here by reference. Table 3 of the ROD included and incorporated
here by reference lists those impacts and the years in which they will occur. These yearly figures
are estimates. Actual timing and area may be in part determined by several factors including but
not limited to site and equipment constraints, weather, and economics. However, to ensure that
temporal losses are minimized to the extent practicable, the Permittee shall not undertake major
land -clearing and/or land manipulating activities within any area sooner than 1 year prior to the
dates indicated on this figure. For example, major land clearing and manipulation activities
within the block labeled 2012-2013 may not begin any sooner than January 1, 2011."
Note that the text of Condition E refers to approximate timing, that the yearly figures are
estimates, and that actual timing and area may be determined by several factors. This condition
was written with the expectation of future needs to update the timing and area of the Figure 2
clearing blocks. This letter and information package requests administrative approval of an
update to the timing and area of the 404 permit Figure 2 2009 clearing blocks in the Bonnerton
Tract and the timing of the blocks in the South of 33 Tract.
Enclosed is Figure 2 from the ROD and permit. Currently we are prestripping (excavating the
top 30-40 feet of overburden) in the last 2016-2017 block of the NCPC Tract, and beginning
mine development in the first 2016-2017 block of the Bonnerton Tract. However, prestripping
equipment is planned to be in the first Bonnerton block in May of this year. In short, the mining
operation is catching up to the mine development area, when normally mine development is
almost 2 years ahead of the mining operation. Due to equipment operational constraints related
to the permit boundary on the NCPC Tract, we have been unable to mine almost 300 acres of ore
that was thought to be mineable by the mine planner in 2008. We refer to these unmined acres as
sterilized. Therefore, the mining operation has moved through the landscape quicker than
initially planned.
1530 NC Hwy 306 South, Aurora, NC USA 27806 T [phone]
PotashCorp. I www.potashcorp.com

Enclosed is a table titled "PCS Ore Mining and Acres Sterilized 2010-2015 on the NCPC Tract",
which shows mine statistics by month for acres of ore mined and acres sterilized. The bottom
line is that 293.18 acres have been sterilized between 2010 and 2015, which represents
approximately 16 months of ore mining. This table also shows that 4 out of the 6 years we have
not reached 5 million tons of ore concentrate produced, which was the standard for comparison
of all the mine boundary alternatives in the 2001-2009 Environmental Impact Statement,
although the 6 -year average is a close 4.8 million tons.
Figure 1 in the enclosed package is a more readable version of Figure 2 from the ROD and 404
permit, showing the original clearing block timing and area. Figure 2 in the enclosed package is
our updated clearing block timing and area for Bonnerton and South of 33. The major updates
include (1) moving the timing up one year in the second Bonnerton block and two years in the
remainder of the blocks, (2) a larger area encompassed within the second block and smaller area
within the third block, and (3) the addition of a small area in the updated 2017-2018 block to
construct a new mine office and shift change facility at the west end of the Gray Road at the
intersection with Bonnerton Road.
The enclosed table titled "Wetland Impact Comparison Between Original 2009 and Updated
2016 Bonnerton Clearing Blocks" compares the wetland impact for each of the five clearing
blocks in Bonnerton. There is no change in wetland impact between the 2009 clearing blocks
and the updated 2016 clearing blocks, the only change is to clearing lines internal to the 404
permit boundary. The table shows that the updated 2017-2018 block impacts 116.33 more
wetland acres than the 2009 block, and the updated 2018-2019 block impacts 133.33 less
wetland acres than the 2009 block.
The final table in the enclosed package is our mitigation ledger, updated as of the end of 2015,
showing that we are far ahead in available mitigation credits because our mitigation projects
were all constructed up -front.
PCS requests administrative approval to update Figure 2 as referenced in Special Condition E in
the June 10, 2009 permit with the enclosed Figure 2 titled "Section 404 Permit — Alt L Revised
2016 Clearing Blocks" dated 3/7/2016. Nothing in this request violates Special Conditions C
and D of this permit.
Sincerely,
c J
J y . Furness
Senior Scientist
PC: Karen Higgins, DWR-Raleigh w/encl.
Anthony Scarbraugh, DWR — Wash. w/encl.
23-16 w/encl.

Figure 2. Initial impact schedule. This reflects dates when mechanized land clearing will
be necessary in order to prepare for mine advance.

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NCOHWY 06S
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RICHLAND TOWNSHIP BEAUFORT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
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TITLE
SECTION 404 PERMIT - ALT L
REVISED 2016 CLEARING BLOCKS
2042-2043
DATE DWG NO REV
2044-2045
3/7/2016 FIGURE 2 2
SCALE COORD SYSTEM
1" = 6,000' NAD 1983 NORTH CAROLINA STATE PLANE
SIZE DWG FILE
A ALT L CLEARING 2 YEAR 2015 REV2.DWG

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