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No. 9 Mine <br />Mining operations in the No. 9 Mine were abandoned in March1985. All mine water discharge from the No. 9 Mine <br />was terminated at that time. The reclamation plan for the No. 9 Mine and adjacent portal area is presented in Section <br />2.05.4, Reclamation Plan. <br />Mining in Bis Bottom <br />Mining on this property was initiated prior to SMCRA, some of the subject lands were patented mining claims, and <br />most of the coal leases include "all seams". As shown on the Life -of -Mine Plan Map (Map 22), the current permit <br />boundary encompasses the Big Bottom area, the DMG previously approved development of rock slopes to access the <br />"H" Seam, which underlies this area, and there was limited mining (development of main entries) in the No. 9 Mine <br />which extended under the current State Highway and the eastern portion of the Big Bottom area (personal <br />communications). Although there are no present plans to mine in this area, MCM reserves the option under existing <br />"grandfathered" rights to underground mine in this area. This permit does not seek approval to mine in the Big <br />Bottom area. If, in the future, MCM decides to mine in the Big Bottom area, all appropriate permit approvals will be <br />obtained prior to initiating mining activities. <br />Longwall Mining <br />The primary mining method for the No. 5 and No. 6 Mines will be longwall mining. In the area shown on the No. 5 <br />Mine Plan Map (Map 23) and the No. 6 Mine Plan Map (Map 24), continuous miners are used to develop panel <br />entries and outline a coal block. The longwall mining unit is then used to fully extract the coal block in retreat. A <br />typical cross-section of the longwall equipment is shown on Figure 45, Longwall Face Cross -Section Equipment. <br />The retreat method of longwall mining, which consists of two sets of parallel entries driven in the coal seam separated <br />by a distance equal to the longwall face width, is used for mining. When these sets of entries have reached a <br />predetermined distance or boundary, they are connected to form the face, which is then retreated by extracting the <br />;oal. <br />A large block, approximately 600 to 800 feet wide and 3,000 to 7,000 feet long, is developed in the coal seam. The <br />coal is then continually extracted by taking predetermined slices (or cuts) along the full width of the block. The <br />cutting of the coal is achieved with a shearer -loader, traversing the face. The coal that is cut from the face is <br />transported from the face by a chain conveyor. The coal is then fed to a stageloader, which is located in the entry <br />adjacent to, and at right angles, to the chain conveyor. The stageloader feeds the coal onto a belt conveyor, which <br />delivers the coal onto the main coal conveyance system. A schematic of the longwall system is presented on Figure <br />46, Typical Three Entry Longwall Development. As the slices or cuts are taken, the newly exposed roof is supported <br />by roof canopies of a hydraulically operated powered support system. During this operation, the previously supported <br />roof furthest from the face -line collapses behind the roof support system. This cycle of operation is repeated until the <br />entry panel has been extracted. The longwall equipment is then transferred to the next longwall panel. A list of the <br />major equipment used in the longwall development and mining system is presented in Table 52, Longwall Equipment <br />List. <br />In the event general underground mining activities encounter adverse conditions, blasting may be required. The <br />amount of blasting that may be required is insignificant to the operation. If blasting is necessary, it will be performed <br />using a permissible powder and in accordance with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations. <br />The development of the North Mains rock ramp to the "H" seam required blasting. The resulting material was stored <br />in rock disposal rooms located immediately south of the ramps to the east and west of main entries, in accordance with <br />plans approved by the Division. <br />Longwall panels in the No. 5 and 6 mines were and will be oriented along the dip of the "F" and "E" coal seams. <br />Typical panel dimensions for the No. 5 Mine were from 600 to 700 feet wide and varied in length from 2,500 feet to <br />over 4,500 feet. In the No. 6 Mine, panel widths will vary from 600 to 800 feet wide and will vary in length from <br />2,500 feet to 7,000 feet. <br />TR14-36 2.05-4 Revised 06/23/14 <br />