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July 22, 2015 C-1980-007/West Elk Mine JRS <br />Inspection Topic Summary <br />NOTE: Y=Inspected N=Not Inspected R=Comments Noted V=Violation Issued NA—Not Applicable <br />N - Air Resource Protection <br />N - Availability of Records <br />R - Backfill & Grading <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Explosives <br />N - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />N - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />N - Processing Waste <br />R - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />R - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Support Facilities On-site <br />N - Signs and Markers <br />N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />R - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a partial inspection of the West Elk conducted by Jim Stark of the Colorado Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining and Safety. This inspection was to assess the Phase I reclamation of mine ventilation boreholes and their <br />associated drill pads and light -use roads from the E2 and E3 longwall panels. These MVB's, pads and roads were <br />contained in the Partial Phase I Bond Release SL -08 application. Weston Norris and Kathy Welt, representing <br />Mountain coal, were present for the office portion of the inspection. Jessica Loveland, also representing Mountain <br />Coal, Howard Strand, representing the Office of Surface Mining, Dan Gray and Rachael Landham, representing <br />the US Forest Service and Desty Dyer, representing the US Bureau of Land Management were present on the field <br />portion of the inspection. The weather was warm and sunny and the ground was wet and muddy in the morning, <br />from a rainstorm that passed through the night before. The ground was mostly dry by the afternoon. <br />BACKFILL and GRADING — Rule 4.14: Contemporaneous Reclamation 4.14.1; Approximate Original Contour <br />4.14.2; Highwall Elimination 4.14.1(2)(1); Steep Slopes 4.14.2, 4.27; Handling of Acid and Toxic Materials <br />4.14.3; Stabilization of Rills and Gullies 4.14.6: <br />- Drill pad E2-19 was backfilled and regraded. The pad was stable and there were no signs of slumping, settling or <br />cracking. The pad blended well with the surrounding undisturbed areas and AOC has been achieved. There was <br />positive drainage off of the pad and only very minor rilling on the lower portion of the pad (below a row of straw <br />wattles). The borehole was plugged and a marker was in place. Topsoil has been spread on the pad and there was <br />excellent vegetative cover. There were no weeds noted on the pad. <br />- Drill pad E2-23 was backfilled and regraded. The pad was stable and there were no signs of slumping, settling or <br />cracking. The pad blended well with the surrounding undisturbed areas and AOC has been achieved. There was <br />positive drainage off of the pad and no erosion was noted. There were some straw wattles placed on the steeper <br />portion of the pad. The borehole was plugged and a marker was in place. Topsoil has been spread on the pad and <br />there was excellent vegetative cover. There was some bull thistle around the edges of the pad that will need to <br />be sprayed. <br />- Drill pad E2-26.5 was backfilled and regraded. The pad was stable and there were no signs of slumping, settling <br />or cracking. The pad blended well with the surrounding undisturbed areas and AOC has been achieved. There <br />was positive drainage off of the pad and no erosion was noted. The borehole was plugged but there was no <br />marker in place. A borehole marker will need to be installed prior to approval of SL -08. Topsoil has been <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 1 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 0 <br />Page 2 of 17 <br />