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December 22, 2015 C-1980-007/West Elk Mine LDS <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 N - Roads <br />N - Availability of Records N - Reclamation Success <br />N - Backfill & Grading N - Revegetation <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste N - Subsidence <br />N - Explosives N - Slides and Other Damage <br />N - Fish & Wildlife N - Support Facilities On-site <br />N - Hydrologic Balance N - Signs and Markers <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan N - Support Facilities Not On-site <br />N - Other N - Special Categories Of Mining <br />NA - Processing Waste N - Topsoil <br />COMMENTS <br />This was a partial inspection by Leigh Simmons of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />(Division). Weston Norris of Mountain Coal Company (MCC) accompanied the inspection. The weather was <br />snowy with deep snow on the ground. Travel and visibility were very limited which rendered a thorough <br />inspection effectively impossible. <br />The mine was actively mining, processing and shipping coal. <br />The comment period for the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) , and Civil Rights <br />Impact Analysis (CRIA), which relate to the US Forest Service's proposed decision to reinstate the North Fork <br />Coal Mining Area exception of the Colorado Roadless Rule was extended by 1 I days to January 15, 2016. <br />htlp://www.fs.usda.gov/roadmain/roadless/coloradoroadlessrules <br />GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLIANCE: <br />At the time of the inspection the longwall miner was in panel E6, approximately at cross -cut 56. The <br />development miner was at around cross -cut 20 of the E7 headgate. <br />The project to construct the ramp to the B seam was in progress and proceeding as expected. <br />The project to bury the pipeline from the M135E ponds to the prep plant was partially complete. The section <br />from the ponds to the toe of the steep slope had been completed. MCC expect the section from the top of the slope <br />to the prep plant to be completed this winter, and the section on the slope to be completed in the spring; the <br />contract for this work was already in place. An additional section from the prep plant to the RPE ponds is planned <br />but had not yet been contracted for. <br />The Division's proposed decision to approve SL -08 was first published in the Delta County Independent on <br />December 9, 2015. The period for public comment will end on January 8, 2016. <br />The Division received proof of publication of the public notice for the SL -09 application on December 21, <br />2015. The notice was published weekly, for four weeks, from November 25, 2015. The public comment period <br />expired on December 25, 2015, with no comments received. The application was found complete on December 29, <br />2015. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 4 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 2 <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />