2013-11-05_PERMIT FILE - C1981022A (2)

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Section - 2.05.3 hauled by truck to the coal storage stockpile until the conveyor connecting the Elk Creek Mine to Coal Stacking Tube No. 1 is completed. Development of main and submain entries, as well as longwall bleeder entries and gateroads development will continue using continuous miner equipment sections. Approximately 5,000 feet north of the gateroad entries for the first longwall panel and north of the first four longwall panels to be mined, submain entries will be developed from the main entries in a northwest direction and parallel to the angled longwall panels. Submain development will continue in a northwest direction and will be turned north approximately 300 feet west of the Gunnison and Delta County line. Additional longwall panels will be developed to the northwest of this submain. The first four longwall panels are planned to be more than 7,000 feet in length and the next six panels to the north will be more than 8,000 feet in length. The proposed longwall operations in the D Seam will be similar to those previously discussed for the B Seam in the Sanborn Creek Mine. The location and configuration of the Elk Creek Mine portals and associated surface facilities are shown on the General Facilities Map (Map 2.05 -M1). The main decline entries, main entries extending to the north west, and longwall panels are shown on both the General Facilities Map, (Map 2.05 -M1), and the Mine Plan Map (Map 2.05 -M2). Mining in the D Seam is currently planned to extend under areas of up to 2,500 feet of overburden. Operating experience in the initial deep cover areas will determine whether mining can be extended further for subsequent longwall panels. With high productivity longwall mining, coal recovery of 75 percent or greater is anticipated and subsidence factors, including angle of draw and surface subsidence limits, should be similar to those previously determined for the B Seam based on subsidence analyses (Abel, 1998) for the D Seam operations included in Exhibit 2.05 -E2, Geotechnical Design and Stability Analyses. Elk Creek Mine — East District The East District (COC- 70615) of'the Elk Creek Mine is located in the D seam, located east of the original parent lease COC- 61357. Entries to the east district will be accessed by driving entries from the existing North Mains seven entry. The North Mains seven entry was mined in the early development of the Elk Creek Mine to allow access to the north and west mining districts. Typical longwall mining machinery, consisting of shields, shearer, face conveyor and stage loader will also be employed in the east district. Gate roads and bleeder entries will be developed using continuous miners, shuttle cars for transport to a feeder breaker, face fans for face ventilation, and roof bolters for roof support. Entries in the east district will be driven in an east -west direction to create longwall panels that are predicted to be approximately 4,800 feet long. Normal entry nominal dimension will be 20 feet wide and 9.5 feet high. The panels will have an approximate maximum depth of 2,500 feet. Panel, bleeder and gateroad design may be varied to address ground pressures created by the diverse range of overburden depth within the district. MSHA approvals of n-uneplan will be the final arbiter of the layout. Ventilation for the East District will be created by the existing exhausting fans located at the Elk Creek and Bear Creek drainages. Horizontal in seam drill holes and surface gob vent boreholes may be used to aid in methane drainage from the mine workings. Methane captured from in seam degasification may be utilized to heat intake portals or electrical generation. Coal will be transported from the east district to the existing surface facilities via the current CV -1 and CV -2 conveyor belts located in the North Mains. Elk Creek Coal Handling, Support, and Ancillary Facilities - Coal from other mines in the area may be hauled to the Elk Creek facilities to be stockpiled and loaded out through the batch -weigh unit -train loadout. Coal hauled to the facilities for loading is delivered by truck from State Highway 133. The coal haul trucks use a designated haul road to deliver coal to the stockpile areas or to the dump station. Typically, 28 -ton capacity, 18 -wheel end- or belly -dump trucks deliver coal from outside sources to the facilities. Smaller 10 -wheel end -dump trucks that haul about 10 tons may also be used occasionally. Coal from the Sanborn 'Creek or Elk Creek Mines will typically be placed in stockpile but may also be routed directly to the coal storage silo or batch -weigh loadout. Coal will normally be transferred from the mines to stockpile by conveyor. Overland conveyors will run from both the Sanborn Creek and Elk Creek Mine portals to Stacking Tube No. 1 and the main Elk Creek coal stockpile. A transfer station on the Sanborn Creek Mine overland conveyor will also allow coal PR -07 2.05 -7a Revised May 2012