The Kosse Mine began extracting lignite (coal) in 2007. The project area is approximately eight miles east of the town of Kosse, Texas; is contained within the Oletha and Bald Prairie 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle maps; and is in the following USGS Hydrologic Units: 120701030203 (Middle Steele Creek), 120701030204 (Lower Steele Creek), and 120701030403 (Upper Duck Creek). The proposed project area is generally contained within the following area: west of an oil well road; south of Heads Creek; north of Robertson County Road 477 and various property tracts; and east of an existing rail line from the mine to the Oak Grove Steam Electric Station.
Surface mining operations would continue with conventional open pits excavated by large draglines and supported by standard earth moving equipment such as front-end loaders, hydraulic excavators, hydraulic backhoes, haulers, motor graders, dozers, end dumps, and scrapers. Infrastructure in support of the operation would include (1) construction of ponds and diversions to control surface water drainage, (2) placement of groundwater well fields to dewater overburden and relieve underburden pressures, (3) relocation of pipelines, and (4) construction of service roads.
Continued mining of the Kosse Mine would provide Luminant Generation Company LLC reliable access to an additional reserve of low cost lignite fuel resource to fuel the adjacent Oak Grove Steam Electric Station. In addition, this fuel resource is necessary t ........
