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West Elk Mine <br /> <br />2.05-26 Rev. 06/05, 01/06, 03/06, 04/06 & 05/06- PR10; 01/09- MR350; 04/09- TR116; 04/09- MR353; 05/09- MR354; 08/09- TR118; <br />08/09- TR119; 09/12- MR387; 11/12- MR390; 07/18-PR15; 11/18- MR430; MR438- 09/19; MR439- 11/19; 07/20- MR447; 6/22- <br />MR464; 6/22 MR466; 6/22 MR468; 11/22 MR471 <br /> <br />Portions of the Lower Refuse Pile (LRP) are sited within 100 feet of the relocated State Highway <br />133. MCC applied to the CDOT for approval to conduct operations within 100 feet of State <br />Highway 133. CDOT granted approval for operations within 100 feet of State Highway 133 on <br />April 8, 1986. <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 /> <br />Railroads <br /> <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 /> <br />Access Control <br /> <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 /> <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 /> <br />Soil Stockpiles <br /> <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 /> <br /> <br />Landslide Corrective Measures <br /> <br />In 1997 and 1998, MCC employed several corrective measures to stabilize the landslide at the main mine