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West Elk Mine
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<br />2.05-16 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; 07/23 MR474; 8/23 MR476; 09/23 MR477, 10/23 MR478, MR479, 1/24-TR152
<br />substation, powerlines, electric mine borehole, nitrogen supply and methane drainage facilities, rock
<br />dust storage, mine water and sediment ponds and control structures, compressed air and other support
<br />facilities. Sediment control structures and coal handling facilities are described below in Sections
<br />2.05.3(4) and 2.05.3(7), respectively. Waste handling facilities are discussed in Sections 2.05.3(6),
<br />2.05.3(8), and 2.05.3(9). The main support facilities for mine operation are described in this section.
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<br />General Construction Procedures
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<br />All work at West Elk Mine is conducted according to Federal and State water pollution laws, land
<br />reclamation statutes and regulations, and construction safety standards. Construction activities are
<br />planned and executed in a manner to protect the environment and minimize pollution and erosion.
<br />Three areas of primary concern during construction projects are safety, vegetation, and fires.
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<br />MCC conducts its operations in a way that minimizes the potential safety hazards for each
<br />construction project. It also assures that its employees, contractors, and subcontractors understand
<br />MCC’s and applicable environmental, and health and safety policies before each construction project
<br />begins.
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<br />MCC’s policy for woody plant removal is to keep removal to the absolute minimum. Under most
<br />circumstances, MCC refrains from cutting and removing timber and other woody plants outside the
<br />areas specified for construction. The only exceptions are for landscaping, erosion control, or fire
<br />prevention. When trees and other woody material are removed, they are shredded and used for mulch
<br />during revegetation or disposed of in an approved manner or area.
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<br />All cut and fill slopes are designed and based on the recommendations of the geotechnical engineer.
<br />In constructing slopes, MCC uses appropriate methods, such as benching, staggered benches, slope
<br />rounding, feather-back clearing lines, roughened surfaces, and special revegetation work, to minimize
<br />the overall impact.
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<br />MCC revegetates all those areas disturbed by mining activities as soon as practicable. The goal of
<br />the reclamation effort is to return the disturbed land to its original level of usefulness. Revegetation
<br />will establish permanent cover for erosion control.
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<br />During construction, every effort is made to prevent fires at all times. Fuels, lubricants, explosives,
<br />and other potentially flammable items are stored in a manner to prevent fires. No burning of brush,
<br />timber, or other waste materials is allowed without clearance from the proper authorities having
<br />jurisdiction over open burning. Finally, if a fire does occur, trained fire control teams drawn from
<br />personnel at the mine site are prepared and available to extinguish it.
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<br />Major Buildings and Structures
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<br />The majority of the surface facilities at West Elk Mine are clustered together near the mine portals
<br />(Map 53). Major surface facilities at the main mine site include the office and bathhouse building,
<br />warehouse, maintenance shop, three-sided warehouse, surface shop building, bulk fuel storage area,
<br />bulk rock dust bin and compressor building, potable water treatment plant, wastewater treatment
<br />plant, coal stack tubes, crushing and screening facilities, and a coal preparation plant and associated
<br />coal handling facilities (see Section 2.05.3(7)). All of these facilities are on land owned by MCC.
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