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West Elk Mine <br />In 1997, MCC constructed the Refuse Pile Expansion (RPE) area. The RPE and the associated <br />north soil storage area are within 100 feet of the CDOT right-of-way. MCC received an approval <br />letter from CDOT to locate operations within this area that is included in Exhibit 70, Appendix C. <br />Railroads <br />The West Elk Mine area is served by the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP). A 6,000 -foot long <br />railroad siding and a small auxiliary siding, constructed within the right-of-way of the UP railroad, <br />serves the loadout facility (owned and controlled by UP). <br />Access Control <br />Access to the West Elk Mine is controlled with electronic security gates at the silo pad entrance and <br />the main mine site entrance off State Highway 133. To enter into the mine site, the gates are <br />controlled by an electronic card reader. To exit the mine site, an electronic "exit loop" will activate <br />the gates. A phone was installed at the main mine site gate for visitors. Locked manual gates <br />control other entrances to the disturbed area (i.e. Lone Pine Gulch, the North Soil Storage Area, and <br />the Refuse Pile Expansion). Security monitoring of the mine area occurs as necessary. <br />In addition to fences and security monitoring, signs are used to control access to the permit area and <br />facilities within the area. Signs identifying the mine area are displayed at all points of access from <br />public roads and highways. These signs show the name, business address, and telephone number of <br />the Permittee and identification numbers of current mining and reclamation permits or other <br />authorizations to operate. Although not required (see MR -366), permit boundary signs are present <br />along the perimeter of the disturbed mine site where natural or constructed features do not provide <br />boundary demarcations. Topsoil stockpiles, subsoil stockpiles, and the refuse area are clearly <br />marked with material identification signs. <br />Soil Stockpiles <br />As West Elk Mine is an underground mine and most of the reclamation will not begin until the end of the <br />life of the mine, it is necessary to have subsoil and topsoil stockpiles. The main topsoil pile is located to <br />the south of the run -of -mine coal stack -pad and will be used for reclamation of the main mine facilities <br />area. Some subsoil from the subsoil pile in Sylvester Gulch, (Live Subsoil Pile #1) as well as the topsoil <br />from the stockpile at the North Soil Storage Area (NSSA), will be used for reclamation of the Lower <br />Refuse Pile. MCC has also stockpiled topsoil from the Refuse Pile Expansion (RPE) area and the <br />widening of the mine entrance at the NSSA on the north side of Highway 133. <br />Landslide Corrective Measures <br />In 1997 and 1998, MCC employed several corrective measures to stabilize the landslide at the main mine <br />facilities area, as surges of movement had been experienced in 1996 and 1997. The corrective measures <br />included the installation of rock buttresses, stone columns, horizontal drains, pins (micro -piles), and the <br />expansion of the roller compacted (RCC) buttress. These structures are described in detail, and their <br />effectiveness in improving the stability of the facilities area is discussed in Exhibit 14C, 1998 Landslide <br />Corrective Measures Report by Barr Engineering/Harding Lawson Associates. The purpose of the <br />corrective measures was to prevent catastrophic failure, which MCC was successful in doing. MCC will <br />205-26 Rev. 06/05, 01/06, 03/06, 04/06 & 05/06- PRIO, 01/09- MR350; 04/09- TR116, 04/09- MR353, 05/09- MR354, 08/09- TR118, <br />08/09- TR119, 09/11- MR387, 11/11- MR390; 07/18-PR15 <br />