2014-02-06_INSPECTION - C1996083 (2)

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February 4, 2014 C- 1996- 083 /Bowie No. 2 Mine MLT • The mine's coal preparation plant was in operation at the time of the inspection, producing waste which was then hauled to Coal Mine Waste Disposal Area No. 3 (CMWDA 43). • Articulated haul trucks were being loaded at the prep plant. The trucks then traveled the haul road, crossed Bowie Road, and dumped the waste in an active part of CMWDA #3 located east of the haul road. The waste is considerably coarser than what this inspector had observed on previous site visits. The coarser material was able to hold its shape in the truck beds, rather than behaving like a slurry. • The Drying Area developed at the southwestern margin of CMWDA 43 was not being utilized. Mr. Bear explained that the material dumped there earlier in the winter had frozen and was no longer draining properly. • Waste which was being live - hauled from the plant was then mixed with overburden prior to being distributed and compacted. An excavator on top of the new overburden stockpile was loading the material into two articulated haul trucks. They dumped their loads in the vicinity of a two other excavators, which were mixing the two materials (overburden and coal mine waste). A fourth excavator was handling the freshly- dumped waste. • Between the fourth excavator and the haul road, we observed an area across which loads of waste had previously been dumped. These piles were covered with snow. No placement and compaction operations were occurring at the time of the inspection. • Mr. Bear said that Buckhorn Geotech had been on site in January to conduct compaction tests, and that some of these tests had failed. We discussed the challenges to obtaining compaction under these conditions: freezing temperatures and the presence of snow. The operator should anticipate that a maj onty of the tests may fail and the material placed under these conditions will need to be re- worked and re- compacted when conditions improve. ROADS — Rule 4.03 Construction 4.03.1(3) / 4.03.2(3); Drainage 4.03.1(4) / 4.03.2(4); Surfacing and Maintenance 4.03. 1(5) and (6) / 4.03.2(5) and (6); Reclamation 4.031. 1(7) / 4.03.2(7): • The main haul road leading to the mine office and facilities had been plowed and sanded. The mine adds Calcium Chloride to the sand to increase its de -icing properties. The road was plowed all the way to the Utility Bench. SUPPORT FACILITIES - Rule 4.04: • An empty coal train was parked on the tracks. Mr. Bear said loading with coal was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. It takes approximately four hours to fill 105 rail cars with 12,000 tons of coal. • The mine's water storage tank is located on the Utility Bench at the uppermost limit of the surface facilities. The Deer Trail Ditch, which diverts flow from the Hubbard Creek drainage, is the source for the mine's water. The mine's decreed flow is 0.5 cfs. Mr. Bear explained that some flow is generally available in the ditch year- round. The mine treats the water with filtration and chlorination. The tank supplies the mine's domestic needs, and is also drawn on for dust control. • The stockpile of coal at the main storage pile has diminished somewhat, compared with that observed in late 2013. The downhill conveyor that carries coal to the lower stockpile pad has a capacity of 800 tons per hour, while the longwall can produce coal at a rate of 2500 tph. The volume of stockpiled coal fluctuates throughout the year. ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS / COMPLIANCE No enforcement actions were issued as a result of this inspection and none are pending. Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 11 Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 Page 3 of 7