Laserfiche WebLink
March 18, 2014 C- 1981- 012/New Elk Mine LDS <br />Inspection Topic Summary <br />NOTE: Y= Inspected N =Not Inspected R= Comments Noted V= Violation Issued NA =Not Applicable <br />Y - Air Resource Protection <br />N - Availability of Records <br />Y - Backfill & Grading <br />R - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />R - Explosives <br />Y - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />Y - Processing Waste <br />R - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />N - Slides and Other Damage <br />Y - Support Facilities On -site <br />Y - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On -site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />N - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a partial inspection by Leigh Simmons and Sandy Brown of Colorado Division for Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety, (the Division). The inspection was accompanied by John Terry of New Elk Coal Company, <br />(NECC). The weather was fine, but very windy. The inspection was preceded by a meeting of several hours where <br />Louis Head and Mike Valentine were also present, (notes from the meeting are attached) Several permitting <br />actions are in progress, these are detailed under the heading GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLIANCE. Two <br />recent enforcement actions have been abated and terminated, a third has since been issued and is in the process of <br />being abated. Details are given under the heading ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS. <br />The New Elk Mine continues in Temporary Cessation whilst NECC searches for investors and coal <br />customers. Doug Blackburn was no longer employed by NECC. The revised mine plan that he had helped to <br />develop had not yet been proposed to the board of Cline Mining; Mr Head and Greg Smith were finalising aspects <br />of the financial modeling for the new plan. <br />EXCESS SPOIL and DEVELOPMENT WASTE — Rule 4.09 <br />Placement; Drainage Control; Surface Stabilization: <br />No problems were observed with DWDA 1 (the reclaimed development waste pile). <br />The eastern end of DWDA 2 is an ongoing source of concern. The abatement of an earlier violation, which <br />required urgent repair of ditch D 14, has led to considerable disruption to the pile and the ditches leading to culvert <br />C13. DWDA 2 had previously been graded to its approved final configuration, but has since been disrupted to the <br />point where instability should be assumed. NECC has the following options: restore the pile to the approved <br />final configuration and have it certified by a registered Professional Engineer, or; redesign the pile (via a <br />TR), construct it to the new design and certify it when built. In the short term it would be preferable for surplus <br />material to be moved to the temporary DWDA. <br />hi conversation, NECC have discussed moving the development waste from DWDA 2 and /or the <br />temporary DWDA to the RDA, either by truck (pending the approval of the haul road), or by conveyor (a design <br />for which has only been discussed in the most cursory detail). Mr Terry said that his calculation suggested 200 <br />working days would be required to move the material in DWDA 2 to the RDA by truck. hi principle the Division <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 6 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 3 <br />Page 2 of 16 <br />