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May 25, 2016 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 <br />R - Availability of Records <br />N - Backfill & Grading <br />N - Excess Spoil and Dev. Waste <br />N - Explosives <br />R - Fish & Wildlife <br />R - Hydrologic Balance <br />R - Gen. Compliance With Mine Plan <br />N - Other <br />R - Processing Waste <br />R - Roads <br />N - Reclamation Success <br />R - Revegetation <br />N - Subsidence <br />R - Slides and Other Damage <br />R - 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 complete inspection by Leigh Simmons of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />(Division). Kathy Welt of Mountain Coal Company (MCC) accompanied the inspection. The weather was clear, <br />dry and quite windy, although May had been rather a wet month. The mine was active. <br />AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS — Rule 5.02.4(1): <br />Records were available in Kathy Welt's office. Detailed comments are made at the end of this report. <br />FISH and WILDLIFE — Rule 4.18: <br />Cooper's and Red-tailed hawks had been observed nesting in the USFS land above the mine facilities, <br />which meant that no work was being done to either construct or reclaim Mine Ventilation Borehole (MVB) pads. <br />Consultants hired by MCC check the birds weekly to see whether the young have hatched or fledged and <br />recommend to MCC when work can proceed without risk of disturbing the birds at a critical time. <br />HYDROLOGIC BALANCE - Rule 4.05 <br />Drainage Control 4.05.1, 4.05.2, 4.05.3; Siltation Structures 4.05.5, 4.05.6; Discharge Structures 4.05.7, 4.05.10; <br />Diversions 4.05.4; Effluent Limits 4.05.2; Ground Water Monitoring 4.05.13; Surface Water Monitoring 4.05.13; <br />Drainage — Acid and Toxic Materials 4.05.8; Impoundments 4.05.6, 4.05.9; Stream Buffer Zones 4.05.18: <br />All ditches and ponds were in good order. <br />Seasonal ditch cleaning was in progress. <br />MCC expect to clean out the accumulated sediment from the MBSE this summer or fall. <br />GENERAL MINE PLAN COMPLIANCE: <br />The project to construct rock slopes to access the B -Seam from the E -seam was in progress. As noted <br />previously, this work is now being carried out by MCC employees rather than by contractors. <br />In the E -seam the longwall miner was in panel E6, between crosscuts 50 and 49; the development miners <br />were in the E7 head -gate, around crosscut 40. <br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 7 <br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 4 <br />Page 2 of 7 <br />