2024-01-22_PERMIT FILE - C1980007A

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West Elk Mine 2.05-24 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; 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- MR464; 6/22 MR466; 6/22 MR468; 11/22 MR471; 07/23 MR474; 8/23 MR476; 09/23 MR477, 10/23 MR478, MR479, 1/24-TR152 As coal or coal mine waste may be hauled on the above roads, all of the roads have been designed, constructed and certified as haul roads. These as-built certifications are provided in Exhibit 8A. There are three roads that are considered access roads only. They are the Three-Sided Building access road, the Portal access road, and the Materials Storage Bench access road. These roads have been certified as access roads as also provided in Exhibit 8A. Vertical grades on the haul/access roads vary. The middle-mine haul/access road has an overall grade of 5.68 percent. This road is paved. The new silo haul/access road has a maximum grade of 10 percent and is gravel-surfaced. The Sylvester Gulch haul/access road has been designed to have an average grade of 7.6 percent with a maximum grade of 10 percent. This road is surfaced with 12 inches of compacted Class 6 road base. The mine roads require relatively little surface maintenance. Holes and ruts are patched in the early stages with a cold mix of composition similar to the original road mix. In addition to pavement maintenance on roads, maintenance operations include shaping and sealing of shoulders, cutting back or chemically treating weed and bush growth, maintaining ditches and drains, removing litter, and repainting stripes. Snow and ice removal during the winter months are a roadway maintenance priority. Parking and side areas are similarly maintained for safe and efficient use. Light-Use Roads A gravel surfaced light-use road has been constructed around the southern perimeter of the lower stack tube (ST-4) coal storage pile and around the base of the lower refuse pile for occasional construction and maintenance equipment uses. Two short roads (approximately 150 ft. long) and associated pads have been constructed from existing mine site roads to provide access: for emergency repair and maintenance along the C-1 conveyor, to the water tank topsoil pile, to the switchgear buildings above the portals, and to the power-poles located along the west side of Sylvester Gulch Haul/Access road and north of the Sylvester Gulch F-Seam fan. When these roads and pads are no longer required for operations, the roads will be graded back to approximate original contour and reclaimed. The road between the ROM coal stockpile pad and the product coal stockpile has been designated as a light-use road. The overall grade of the road is 7.6 percent. The road is surfaced with asphalt or roadbase. An existing road in the Lone Pine Gulch area was widened and graveled as a light-use road to access the former Lone Pine Gulch fan site. This road was left in place at final reclamation to allow continued access for the landowners and lessees of the area and is consistent with the approved post-mining land uses of rangeland and wildlife habitat. Light-use roads to the water tank and to the Sylvester Gulch high-voltage transmission line were constructed in the Spring of 1997. Other light-use roads for the Sylvester Gulch Facilities Area include the electric borehole road, the ventilation shaft #3 road, the degasification borehole road, and the powerline light-use road. Light-use and low-volume roads are also used in association with mine ventilation boreholes (MVB) access for drilling and operations. These roads are typically 14 feet in running width with an average 25 feet construction width. The MVB pads and roads are generally reclaimed in the next construction season following the active life of the ventilation boreholes. Some light-use roads, such as those needed to access field data (e.g. soil sampling or geotechnical borehole) acquisition sites, will be field- designed and fit, utilizing earthwork contractors who are experienced in this locale in building light-